Needed: Christmas Ideas
My goal for this year is to start some Christmas traditions at home with our kids! I am asking all of you to share your favorite Christmastime memory from your own or your children's memories. I am looking for ideas for decorations, meals, parties, and advent activities.
Christmas is my favorite holiday and I really want my kids to know how blessed we are by blessing those around us! Please share your favorite thing you've done to bless others during the holidays, too!
posted by SL @ 3:13 PM
9 Comments:
On Christmas eve, I always got to open one present. A new pair of pajamas probably for pictures the next day I guess. We always opened stockings, then ate cinnamon rolls (the Pillsbury kind) then proceeded into the big stuff. We always had a big family meal of some type, then a walk in the late afternoon then everyone collapsed for a few hours the snacked on leftovers and watched movie before bed. I have a really cool Advent book but will have to get back with you on the name as it is packed with the Thanksgiving decorations.
We do St. Nick's, so that is a fun thing leading up to the big day of Christmas.
On Christmas Eve the girls get to open one gift and get new jammies. On Christmas morning they get a new ornament for the tree, their stocking filled and then of course the regular presents.
I, too, am looking for some more meaningful traditions to add to the present explosion!
I think one of my favorite "traditions" from childhood was my dad reading "A Christmas Carol" to us, watching it with him everytime it was on TV, and a couple of times him taking the whole family to ACT theater to see it. Also, just Christmas music, Christmas music, Christmas music!
You have got to get hold of Pop's recording of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons Christmas music....we all used to love those tunes....that and John Denver's Christmas with the Muppets. I don't know who wound up with the Alvin and the Chipmunks Christmas tape, but that was fun too, and was a staple in our household, as you well know.
If you want to start a new tradition...may I suggest the recipe for Posole (pronounced poh-SOH-lay). It is a traditional New Mexican dish that is prevalent during the winter holidays (Thanksgiving through New Year) in New Mexico. It is a pork and hominy stew laced with red chile. If you need me to send you chile pods, let me know....New Mexico chile has its own flavor, and is best to use in the recipe....which you can find at www.allrecipes.com
A few ideas...
1. Acting out either the Biblical Christmas story some how for fun with the kids.
2. Acting out ANY story - make believe etc.
3. What if you guys played a secret Santa - made cookies and delievered them to your friends house - rang the door bell and hid behind a tree - the kids getting to watch the excitment on their face when your friends open the door to see a present left behind. Or you wouldn't even have to be secret - you could just stop by give them seomthing to bless their day that you and the kids worked on.
4. Our tradition was to get to open one gift, and Santa's gifts were never wrapped. They were all set up and ready for us in the morning. We could hardly contain ourselves to see what Santa had brought and what his "elf's" set up in the middle of the night - trians, bikes, dolls, play houses, etc.
Let me know what traditions you start! How fun!
A few years ago Ryan and I started having both sides of our family (the Freals and the Kuttels) over on Christmas 'Eve Eve'- i.e. Dec. 23- for a dinner and game night. That day also happens to be Festivus, but don't worry, we just joke about it and don't have any real 'airing of the grievances' or 'feats of strength'.
As you know Jim grew up with the tradition of spending Christmas Eve at his Grandparents, he has such fond memories of those times. Even before we had the kids, he always said thats what he wanted for his children. I grew up with Christmas morning at home and then the drive around and see everyone the rest of the day. It was refreshing to think of a time when the entire family was together... no running around just truely having quality family time during the holidays. We always spent Christmas with family and after we bought the Tacoma house we thought it might be a great time to try Christmas at our place. Last year was our first Christmas at home with the kids, honestly it was different not being with the whole family. We had great joy in placing cookies and milk out for Santa with carrots for the deer, tucking each of them into bed and then snuggling on the couch watching the twinkling Christmas tree thinking of the past Christmas's and the years to come. It was wonderful preparing for the morning and then getting a few restful hours sleep before the kids woke us in their excitement. Watching them gave me a great joy while I sipped coffee and relished the peaceful morning. All of the perperations we had made paid off, we were able to relax with our children, and then as the day faded we enjoyed the the company of friends and family well into the evening. As Jim and I have had a year to ponder last years events we have mixed feelings about our first Christmas at home... we enjoyed everything about our holiday and plan to spend Christmas home again this year but there was and remains a small grief knowing that the holidays will never be with out some of the hustle and bustle.
Hi Sarah!
You absolutely must get the Emmy Lou Harris Christmas album..I think it's called A Light in the Stable...it is the absolute best and my mom and I used to always have it on while we baked and sang and sang and sang.
I loved making popcorn and cranberry chains and hanging them all around the house. We also stuck cloves into oranges in pretty designs...they smell so good. What else? hmm...I always loved buying presents for the sharing tree that they always had at the local grocery store.
Matt has to watch National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation about 100 times, he knows all of the words.
Eggnog is a must and is best served at every meal.
at dance class, my mom would always have us decorate rice krispy treats with that squeezy frosting that comes in the tubes with the interchangeable plastic tips. you can make really pretty wreaths and holly berries and you don't have to spend a lot of time making sugar cookies.
I'm getting so excited for Christmas now!
Gillian
the night before christmas we always left cookies out for santa along with a carrot stick for each reindeer
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