Good Monday morning!
I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday weekend. I love this time of year! Being around family, creating and reliving family traditions. It’s magical!
Speaking of traditions… Traditions are very near and dear to me. I love the magic of Christmas, but I believe the true magic is creating memories, creating and reliving traditions and being around the ones you love. I want to share a some of my family’s traditions in hopes to give some fun ideas to you, and I’d love to hear some of your family traditions too.
Childhood Traditions and Memories : (I’ll try to post a picture or two soon).
* Growing up my mom, dad brother and I would had a lot of fun during the Christmas season. We would write our Christmas list to Santa, make a special trip to see Santa, pick a Christmas tree, and decorate the house while listening to Christmas music classics.
* To build up our excitement… Every year my Mom bought a chocolate calendar to count down the days until Christmas. To this day my brother and his wife, and my family receive a chocolate calendar from her. We love it!
* Once Christmas Eve arrived we would start the evening off by baking some cookies for Santa. We then would grab our blankets while my Mom and Dad prepared a warm cozy fire. Once we were all snuggled in our pj’s and blankets we would turn on a Christmas movie (either The Christmas Story, Home Alone, The Grinch That Stole Christmas, Frosty the Snowman, etc.) it changed every year, and sometimes we’d watch two if there was time.
* Then the 10p news would come on and we’d watch the weather man’s Santa locator forecast. My brother and I loved watching the Santa radar knowing Santa was on his way! I remember 90% of the time being too excited to sleep! My brother and I woke up every two hours some years to see if it was time to open presents! One year we woke my parents up at 2a, 4a and 6a. They finally said we could open presents and see if Santa came at 7a. Once 7 o’clock came around we ran into our parent’s room and jumped on their bed saying, “wake up, we want to see if Santa came!” You see there was a door that closed off the living room so we couldn’t see if Santa came. We had to wait for our parent’s to go out and “make sure” he came before they would let us out. Oh the anticipation…
With Christmas music playing in the background and hot chocolate in hand, we then took turns handing out and opening presents. After presents my Mom and Dad would make breakfast for us, then we would get ready to go visit Grandparents. Great childhood memories indeed!
Past, Present and Future Traditions:
Now that I’m all grown up, I hold those childhood traditions close to my heart. I plan on carrying some of them into my family’s traditions.
Since being married and now having a family of my own we have started some fun traditions and I’m sure we’ll add more as the years pass.
* Usually the week before or after Thanksgiving (weather pending) we drive down to southern Utah, Richfield area, and cut down our own Christmas tree’s with my husbands family. It’s so fun! Nothing like finding and cutting down your own tree.
* Every year I purchase a new ornament for the Christmas tree.
* My mom, dad, brother, sister-in-law, Ryan and I all pitch in and get an angel or two from the angel tree to help out a child/family in need. I know there are people worse off than we are. I love the feeling of helping and making someone’s Christmas a little more special. My sweet Mom is the one who started this tradition and I look forward to this tradition every year.
* We take our son, Crew, to see Santa Clause. (last year was a breeze because he was only 4-months-old. This year will be interesting considering he will be 16-months-old).
* We go downtown to see the lights. So beautiful.
* We also go to our Aunt Claudia’s for a fun Christmas Eve get together to eat some delicious food, play a game or two while a Christmas movie is playing in the background.
* Christmas Eve we open one present (new pj’s) to sleep in.
* We watch a Christmas shows nearly everyday in December (Polar Express, Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer, Elf, Frosty the Snowman, The Christmas Story, etc.)
As our little guy gets older, I can’t wait to create and share ever lasting memories with him, that hopefully he will hold near and dear to his heart!
Thank you for reading, and Happy Holidays! Now that I’ve shared my family traditions, what are some of yours?
Hello! I am Camille, a wife, mother of four, Disney obsessed, certified teacher, and reality optimist. Motherhood comes with its ups and downs, and I hope while you’re here you’ll find something that makes your #momlife easier!
I loved this post! This is my favorite time of year for sure.
We have had the same Christmas breakfast since I can remember. It’s creamed eggs over homemade rolls, now I make it for my family and the smell of it cooking instantly brings back happy Christmas memories.
A few years ago we started the tradition of putting together a small Christmas program and performing at an assisted living center on Christmas Eve. Some of the residents don’t get visitors during the holidays so it feels good to give them a little holiday cheer. It is also a great way to teach my children that Christmas is more than the gifts they are getting.
Also, we are starting Elf on the Shelf this year and I am SO excited. I think my kids will love it.
Thanks Melissa! I thought it was an appropriate post.
I loved reading about your Christmas breakfast tradition! Sounds delicious. I am a breakfast junky and I think I may need to try this.
The small Christmas program tradition sounds amazing. I love creating memories that bring holiday cheer to others, and showing children and adults there is MUCH more to Christmas than presents. Memories…
Thank you so much for sharing! I too plan on doing Elf on the Shelf in a few years, when my little guy is a little older.
Happy Holidays, Melissa! 🙂
Thanks Tanelle! What a cute little man, and I live his name, do cute! Thanks for sharing your traditions… Makes me reflect on what we do… Maybe I’ll make a part #2 on Thursday 🙂 can’t wait to meet you!