My family has a lot of Christmas traditions. Dan came from a family that kind of "goes through the motions" on holidays. My family makes everything a CELELBRATION. Usually around food. Maybe that explains why we are all just a little bit chubby.... Here are some traditions that we celebrate.
1. Every year my parents take all grandchildren over the age of 2 to Disneyland and keep them for the night (an annual Christmas tradition that Dan and I look forward to like giddly school girls). The next morning they bake Christmas cookies and grandma and Poppa spend the next week in an exhausted stupor. We spend 3 days getting them down from the sugar high and deprogramming them from over spoiling. Everyone is happy.
2. This Saturday we started a new tradition. My dad's business, Mr. Handyman, was in the Pacific Beach Holiday parade and my family joined in. We decorated the van and got dressed up in silly outfits and followed in the parade. Savannah wore her Christmas princess dress and handed out candy. She really thought she was IT and waived to her many admirers. She was adorable. Brady was raring and ready to go smiling at all the other parade people and exuberantly waving his candy cane....until we actually hit the parade route and then he fell over and went to sleep in the wagon we were towing him in. Vincent got to sit up front in Poppa's truck and smile, wave and yell at all the people.
3. Decorating the tree. This is one of my favorite childhood memories. My dad would set up the tree and then sit back exhausted from holding in all the 4 letter words that I am sure he was thinking while battling that damn tree. Then mom would makes some yummy snacks and my brothers and I would hang the ornaments. Fights always broke out. Usually because of Kevin tormenting one of us. People think he is the quiet and sweet one. Don't believe it. (This does not bode well for me with Brady) He would do something to to pester one of the rest of us and a brawl would ensue. Good times. Afterwards we would sip hot cocoa and sing Christmas carols around the tree. I have tried to carry on this tradition with my own family but usually end up singing alone.
4. Life-saver Man. He kinda goes along with #3, but needs to be a tradition of his own. Life-saver Man was a hideous ornament that my brother, Robby, made when he was really little. He was made out of a mini pack of Life-savers, maroon colored yarn and a styrofoam head. We loved him. My mother did not and would have a hissy every year when she would find Life-saver Man hanging from the highest branch of the tree right in front...where she was too short to reach. Bwahahah!
5. Boxing Day. You Canadians know what I am talking about. It is the day after Christmas and a Canadian tradition that we kept celebrating after we moved back to the States. We invite over all our friends and have a big Boxing Day Brunch and a "White Elephant" gift exchange. Everybody brings silly gifts and then we steal them from each other. I like to put in a nice gift like a Starbucks gift card. I usually end up with something weird like a turtle shaped stepping stool. Hmmm...
What are some of your traditions?
7 comments:
A big meal , of course.
Open gifts Christmas day.
I think I like that Boxer day. Perhaps we will import it.
Black jack for the adults.
Food food food!
This is MY time of year;p
You're so pretty! :-)
Every year I set up the tree and decorations all by myself, without help from anyone. I don't like doing it, but I like the end results. I always go to my family's church on Christmas Eve for the children's mass and I always open my stocking first on Christmas morning. I have a new tradition that happens to be on Boxing Day which is to be insane and spend all the money I don't have at the lovely sales. My favorite holiday tradition is my family's annual Spoons Tournament. Vicious, but fun!
Ya'll look so cute!! Merry Christmas to you, Kristen and enjoy your family. :o)
Life Saver Man! I think Rob made it in Beavers...because we had three of them (my dad being the leader and all...he had to make one too). My dad actually remembers little Robbie in Beavers. Too funny!
My traditions include using too much tape on my presents because I drink too much while I'm wrapping (people comlain like it's a bad thing). Filling my house with so many decorations that you can barely walk without a bell jingling or rubbing against some garland. And eating. Lots and lots of chocolate.
I always spent Christmas Eve at my Grandparents, then on Christmas morning we would finish loading all the gifts in the car and take them to my house, where my brothers and I would open all our gifts. It was a magical time. Just everything about it makes me very nostalgic. My own traditions are...I cook a big dinner on Christmas Eve, my kids, grandkids, Mother, Brother in law and sisterin law all come to eat. Then we go to Church services that night. Its always very special. Then we come home and open all our gifts. That way the grandkids can stay home Christmas morning and open their gifts from their parents. Then on Christmas Day we have a big dinner at my son Bens house and everyone is invited. My daughterinlaws family is all there too and its really a great time of everyone being together. And if we get real lucky...it snows!!!!
Our big tradition is going to the Christmas train in Stanley Park. We usually go the last week before Christmas when all the kids are out of school, except for this year because they are in school until the 22nd. Anyways, we go on the train and sing christmas carols and look at all the lights and pretty displays and at the very end we make a donation to the children's burn fund of Vancouver. The Vancouver firefighters do the whole thing for the city, I love it probally more than the kids, but we will keep doing it forever, really I get to see Firemen............
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