Christmas Traditions

We only have a few as I feel we have kind of floundered in this area, but here are the ones we have...

1) For me, I love setting out the manger scenes and angels in our dining and living room. I can wait on the tree, but this is a must. The kids love looking through the boxes and remembering everything. Usually they help me set everything out.

2) We like to go pick our tree from a tree farm. We visit the same one every year. It takes us a good 1/2 hour to trek through the trees and find the perfect one. After a hay ride, usually some hot chocolate, petting the animals, and jumping from the hay stacks we tie the tree to the car. Then some how we always end up at DQ. :)

3) We have a stocking for Jesus. It usually gets hung with the rest. His name is written on it. Just about every year we remember to put a slip of paper in there with something we want to give Him. It could be a thank you note, it could be a particular area we are struggling with in our hearts, or it could be something we want Him to do in our hearts. Usually I leave them in there, and then it is wonderful to read the next year what we wrote last year. Very fun, and the kids look forward to it so much. This is really more important to me than any of the gifts we buy them.

4) Of course I love visiting the walk of lights in MF. We have also tried the one here in A. and the Bethlehem in B. Any of these will do for me.

5) We drive around at night and look at the decorations.

6) We bake sugar cookies for breakfast. If we don't feel like eating them, then they're ready for later. This kind of takes the place of leaving cookies for Santa.

7) We open presents one at a time. I in particular like this. I'm sure T can shed some light on this one! I can't stand too much going on at once, but most of all it makes it last longer.

8) My Granny used to have a lighted Santa in the window. Every year he was there. She also had a small tree. A couple of years ago I bought a small tree to put upstairs to remind me of her. She always had pieces of fruit under the tree along with different whole nuts. These were the presents she received as a child. Now that I think about it, I might start doing that, too, upstairs.

9) My Aunt used to put a book of Life Saver candies under the tree for me every year. I was the only little one for a while. Then when I had kids she did the same for them.

10) My dad's mother had a tree full of ornaments that she had made from Styrofoam and sequins. I believe they were kits, but I'm not sure. It inspired me to want to make a homemade ornament with the kids every year.

11) And the one the kids look forward to every year is purchasing an ornament of their own. When they are grown they can take them with them. I also purchase one a year, too, so that my tree won't have withdrawl when they are gone! Okay...so it's really so I won't sob violently when they're gone.

12) The kids also like purchasing a nutcracker every year. I'm not sure how long this will last. You can only have so many, but we'll see.