Traditions

The other day when I posted this picture of my tree, crystal asked me if I had any traditions when it came to putting up the tree. As I sat typing my reply to her, I realized I actually do have many Christmas traditions.

Our Ornaments ~ Growing up, my grandmother and pop pop gave each of us grandchildren an ornament. It had our name and the year on them. When I got married, I took (stole) these ornaments off my mother's tree to put on my own. When I had my first child, I knew I wanted him to have this as well. So every year I make each kid their own ornament with their name and date on it. My mother does the same thing.

The tree ~ Me and the kids put it up every year. First they put on their special ornaments, then I do mine, then we all do the rest together. As you can see, we have a ton of ornaments we put on. Each one is either hand made, or has been given to us by someone special.

The Cookies ~ Every year, I bake. And bake. And bake. A few years ago, I started inviting friends and/or family over to bake all day. They each bring a recipe, everything needed to make it, and then we split the cookies at the end of the day. Last year we did it at my sister's house. It's always fun, and a great way to spend time with the people you love!

The Lights ~ This may not be a tradition from my childhood, but it's something we have been doing since we've been married. A week or so before Christmas, we pick a night to drive around looking at all the lit up houses. We love finding the most gaudy, over decorated spectacle houses. They're the best!

Christmas Morning ~ Every year that I can remember growing up, my grandparents were always at our house on Christmas morning. They would arrive before we got up so they could see our faces when we walked in and saw everything Santa had left. Since my son's first Christmas, my mother has always been here on Christmas morning. My sisters used to come too, but one moved away years ago, and Colleen now has a child of her own, so I doubt she'll be here this year. I will miss her. This will be the first year she's not here. I would make home made cinnamon buns (yummy) and it would smell so good through the whole house.

So those are my traditions. I love this time of year. Not the getting of gifts, but the giving. I can honestly say that I would rather see someone open and love a gift I made myself, than to open a million of my own gifts. Wow, I guess I am an adult now. Sure didn't see that coming!So now it's your turn. Share with me your traditions, old and new!