Christmas Traditions for our Family

We all have them - traditions entrenched in how we celebrated the holidays in our own families. When we grow up and have families of our own we find ourselves trying to keep what is important to us and our spouse and maybe even come up with a few new ones.

I'm interested to hear what your Christmas traditions are - so I'll start by telling you the ones we have for now.

• A real tree - no matter how much extra money it costs and how many trees died in the process - I will NEVER have anything but a real tree in my house! I love the smell - the fun of going as a family to pick out our tree and everything that surrounds it. We might not be able to drive out to the mountains and cut down our own as I did in my childhood in Montana, but a real tree is a must. There is nothing like the beauty of a perfectly shaped, wonderfully smelling, and full branches ready to hang on lights and ornaments.
  
• Stockings - These were HUGE in my family! Our stockings were filled to overflowing on Christmas Eve and I remember waking up early - like at 4 a.m. and being able to get my stocking when I woke up. Mike said they did stockings, too - but they opened them after they'd opened all the presents. We're going to keep with my tradition of opening them first - because I know the day is coming when Maddie and Wyatt will be up at the crack of dawn - or perhaps before and letting them open their stockings while Mommy and Daddy are still sleeping will guarantee us a little more sleep hopefully! Stocking are big with my best friend Becca, too and every year we fill each other's stockings - this will be our third (fourth?) year of exchanging stockings and we both have a blast filling them for each other!
• Christmas Eve Service- We always went to the service on Christmas Eve in my family and it feels weird to NOT go to church that night. Mike says his family never went to church on Christmas Eve, but we've made it a tradition to go as a family - with my parents and siblings. There's something magical and spiritual about the service and I always leave in festive and reverent spirits at the same time. 
• Christmas Eve Family Time - We tend to spend Christmas Eve with family. In years past we opened presents with Mike's side of the family and then headed over to my parent's house for snacks and to hang out. One thing we always did as a family when I was a child was to open one present on Christmas Eve. We still do this - whether it's at our house or at my parent's house. 

This year we're spending the night at my parent's house so we can have Christmas morning at their house - we made them all get up early and come to our house last year. My mom still likes to have Christmas morning at her house, but I told her since we're the only ones with little kids that there must be compromises now and I want my kids to have some kind of Christmas morning at our house. I'm still trying to figure out how to incorporate presents from Grandmomma. Some years she's here for Christmas, but last year and this year she isn't. I want to have a special time to open her presents so I think it will alternate between Christmas Eve and Day depending on where we are for Christmas morning and if she's with us that particular year. 

• St. Nick - this is a new tradition for us that we tried this year. St. Nick comes to check on little boys and girls on Dec. 5 - if they've been good he leaves them a small present in their stocking. If they have not been good he leaves nothing and they know that they need to get their act together by Christmas.
• Santa Present - this is one thing that Mike and I kind of disagree on. He wants all the presents to be from Santa and I want just one - bigger one - to be from Santa. I'm honestly not a big fan of Santa Claus - just because I know the magic must one day come to an end and dealing with that disappointment is breaking my heart already! For now - I'm winning - they get one Santa Present - typically left in their bedroom by "santa" and then the rest of presents are from mommy, daddy and family members. 
• Cookies and Milk for Santa - carrots for the reindeer.
• Going out to see the Christmas lights. We are blessed to have lots of options around here. This year we're making a point to do the Niceville Christmas display several times, ZOOlights and traveling to DeFuniak Springs to see the beautiful Victorian houses around the circle. There are also plenty of well decorated neighborhoods.
• Sharing with those less fortunate. It goes without saying that Christmas stirs many emotions for us and I am touched every holiday season to help as many as we are financially able. This year we did a shoebox for Operation Christmas Child, bought presents for a little boy who wanted jammie pants - for our local Christmas Tree Star program at the church - and I've helped out a few other friends who have needed a little help - whether it was money or groceries, etc. 
• Celebrating Jesus's birth - This probably should have come first - and not last - but we do so many things to talk about the birth of Christ with the kids - especially Maddie. We have our Little People Nativity - and play with that - explaining the different "characters." We are also doing an Angel Advent Chain - her preschool sent it home - she looks forward to it each night. We sing traditional carols and read the Christmas story as well.

So there are mine - please share yours!