MERRY CHRISTMAS STALKERS!
So with that out of the way I wanted to know how everyone feels this time of the year. I know for me that Christmas always is a magical time of year for me. I am lucky to have small kids around(still!) and that keeps the magic going for sure. But with the older kids we get to have a lot deeper Christmas traditions such as reading Luke 2 and watching Christ-centered movies as well as the fun Santa and Present themed movies.
I definitely was raised with certain traditions in my own family. Spouse had a few traditions in their family as well. But as we started our own family we had to decide what traditions WE were going to start.
Mostly, just spending time together is the most important because with all these kids and all the Church/work requirements we have to be flexible. But there are a few traditions we try and always do.
1. Sit around Christmas Eve and read the story of Jesus. We then have hot cocoa and go out to look at pretty Christmas lights. When we get back we let everyone open 1 gift
2. We go watch Christmas programs and Lights at certain areas(sorry-have to keep this generic or it totally gives me away)
3. We try to make cookies and treats for as many 'friends and family' as we can and deliver them as a family.
These are not knock your socks off traditions but they are OUR OWN! Because neither of us have much family support due to OUR standards we have tried to do the things to develop bonds within OUR immediate family that will last into our kids adult years so that as they grow older these traditions can be shared by their spouses and OUR grand kids.
So, fellow stalkers, what are your traditions? Are they traditions that you started within your own families? Do these traditions include any extended family? Tis the season for sharing people so SHARE ALREADY!
and MERRY CHRISTMAS!
14 comments:
I once loved Christmas...LOVED it. And then I got married. And Christmas was no longer a matter of choice. It became a dictatorial nightmare. I grew to hate it and just wanted it OVER and out of the way every year. It caused bad feelings in my family...with my parents and siblings. It tore me in a million directions. Dear Hubby and I had no say in how we wanted to spend it. Then last year, the first time in 33 years of marriage at that time, we finally put our foot down and said NO MORE!!!!!! We were spending Christmas with our children and grandchildren and that was it. I cannot tell you the load it lifted! I dunno if the full joy of the season will ever return but it sure is helping having my 2 1/2 year old grandson with me and seeing it fresh thru HIS eyes again! I hope you have a wonderful Christmas.
My wife and I have 3 places to go the 24th and 25th. My Daughter and son-in-law have 5.
"so SHARE ALREADY!"
My phone number is BR549, what's your's?
I so agree with above!!! I hate the whole obligatory, keep everyone else happy crap. Bah-humbug indeed, right? lol
These are the changes I made:
It's our Christmas too. Cut us some slack.
I refused to attend my in-laws church on Christmas Eve and instead attended our own.
We also went one year to a friend's house Christmas morning for crepes! Oh. My. Lord. It was fantastic. And it was our choice, which was the best thing ever. This Thursday we're having my almost coulda'bin, shoulda'bin but won't be sister-in-law over for breakfast because her kids are with their dad and her parents and sister are away. She'll be all alone Christmas morning, and that sucks.
My family is very good about taking in strays for Christmas. I don't think we have a single family picture that doesn't have some extras in it.
Merry Christmas!!!
Aw Crap! I have a similar post scheduled to post tomorrow. Now it's gonna look like I just copied you! way to go! Oh well - i guess great minds think alike. Can't have too much Christmas stuff anyway, right?
We delight in Norwegian baked treats for Christmas. Sandbakkels, cut-out Christmas cookies and krumkake are our favorites!
i love your traditions they are very similar to mine. We always have hot chocolate, go and look at christmas lights. Usually CHristmas eve is spent partying with everyone we are related to under the sun, or if we are home and not out of town visiting relatives we throw a party for all of our friends. it makes for such a good time. we open one gift on christmas eve, usually pj's
i love your traditions they are very similar to mine. We always have hot chocolate, go and look at christmas lights. Usually CHristmas eve is spent partying with everyone we are related to under the sun, or if we are home and not out of town visiting relatives we throw a party for all of our friends. it makes for such a good time. we open one gift on christmas eve, usually pj's
LOL @ EmmaP! My Christmas posts were up before I found this site, so I guess I'm safe in that respect.
We pretty much let God strip us down a couple of years ago and so far haven't found a need to replace anything that was removed.
What we feel comfortable having/doing is the setting up of our Nativity set while reading the account of Jesus' birth. We usually bake favorite cookies and make fudge to share with family and friends. Christmas Eve/Day have no plans this year, but we will be visiting with my family the day after--and plan on decorating some sugar cookies as a kid-friendly activity for all the cousins on *my* side of the family. Then, sometime between now and New Years, we will probably drive the 40-some miles to visit with my husband's family.
We're pretty relaxed, I guess.
I think those traditions are perfect! This is my 3rd year married. We still mostly do traditions of our families. But the one tradition we've created on our own is that we read 'I Believe in Santa Claus' and the story of Jesus' birth on Christmas Eve. then we just listen to Christmas music and hang out around the tree with no lights on except the Christmas tree lights. I think we'll definitely have to add hot cocoa to that tradition!
I hope you have yourself a Merry little Christmas!
Thanks for supporting kidz.
Tara
Peace on Earth & Good Will Toward All. Have a Very Merry!
i love Christmas! i am sad that it is over already.... :(
we need more traditions... seriously.
but we do open one gift on Christmas Eve night. that is one that we always stick to.
I've got a holiday snap of a different genre for you on Sx3 tomorrow...please do stop by!
But of course, Sx3 is over at MY place, not Veggie's! Don't know how we got our comments all jumbled up here, but hope you do drop in.
I love Christmas and all the traditions, but since I moved to California I'm having a hard time getting in the mood because there's no snow. In Utah snow was usually present at Christmas. I also miss my family, so I'm not so much into the decorations as I used to be.
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