What kinds of things do you do at Christmas time? We usually go to church on Christmas Eve (this year we're not having Christmas Ever service - something about having to have music for that service and then the next morning - sorry lame excuse if you ask me). So we may go to Mom's to visit with her and my brother will be home too. We don't really do much Christmas Eve... my step dad used to call the boys on Christmas Eve playing Santa telling the boys to behave and go to bed early so he could come. I would really like to take the boys out Christmas carolling - that would be so much fun - I remember doing that as a child and I'd really like to give to needy families in our area. What do you do? Give me some ideas (please)...
When I was young, my parents would load us all up in the grand ole station wagon and we'd go looking at lights until we were all asleep. It was the only way I could ever settle down as a child. Now I like to do that with my kids as well, only we make church a part of our tradition also.
I just sent a mass email out to people from mom's church and to my siblings... Mom won't be back from Thailand until 12 days before Christmas and then there's the adjustment time she'll need to get back on track soooooo I sent an email and asked for volunteers to help me decorate mom's house before she comes home - one less thing for the to have to do when she gets home. And I'm working on her Christmas baking... another thing she won't have to worry about (but the best part of it is that she's none the wiser about it - it's all a big secret to her right now
Hmm, we have so many traditions at Christmas. We usually do all our baking the two weeks before Christmas. We decorate right after Thanksgiving, but I've been known to decorate even before then. We put up trees all over the house, lots of decorations/garland, and we put out Christmas houses too. The kid's have little trees intheir rooms and other decorations too. Outdoors we put a few things like a wreath and lights on the topiaries by the doors. We may do a little more outdoors this year. Our tree is full of ornaments. I have mostly gold/silver/burgandy and blue ornaments. Sounds strange but it matches our house well. We have a lot of engraved ornaments and photo ornaments too. I also like to wrap in the burg/gold/silver colors. I try to wrap most presents in early December. My favorite way to wrap is with Christmas music and hot chocolate. My kids do tons of crafts and artwork during this season. I like for them to make presents as well. We also like to donate to needy children this time of year. I love the Christmas boxes that Samaritan's Purse donates! This year I plan to have a Christmas b'day cake for Jesus. I have always wanted to do that but ran short of time. I think it would be fun to do this on Christmas Eve. Our Christmas Eve is usually spent quietly watching movies and reading Christmas books. We also make the reindeer snacks and throw them out on the lawn. We also do cooking especially if we are hosting lunch here. One last thing we do on Christmas Eve is leave Santa a note and snacks.
We hve one big tree... the ornaments are a mix of all sorts... I have gold ones my grandmmother gives me one every year with the year engraved on it. I like to put them on the tree in order starting at the top with my first one.. a gaurdian angel. We also have ornaments that I made as a kid and now a few Sami has made. We also have 12 little boxes or little metal buckets for each family member that hang on the tree. They hold little tiny christmas presants. (Sort of like the 12 days of christmas but before Christmas) We open one each day of the twelve days leading up to Christmas. The presents for Sami are little dolls, hair things, clear glitter nail polish, dressup jewelry, last year she got a real ring, jack balls, what ever little things I can find that are fun and small. these are her gifts from mommy. For Christmas Morning she gets one big present from me and something from "Santa" (She knows it's me but likes the game ) We spend the night Christmas Eve at my moms. they drive us around looking at lights that night and then we open presents Christmas Morning (My mom goes crazy and buys Sami TONS of stuff). About 3pm Christmas Day we have a huge meal.. Turkey and the whole 9 yards, we eat deviled eggs, olives, veggie tray snacks all morning. LOL Sami makes presents for everyone. We try to take on a family that needs help at Christmas and Sami and I get a couple presents and decorations and my mom makes them a food basket with all the fixings and more presents for them. That and an Operation Christmas Child Shoe box I have Sami choose the stuff for. We try to focus on giving to others. The REAL Christmas clebrations though for us are new Year eve and day at my grandmothers.... ALL the family comes .. generally 20 people who are sleeping there. We open presents New Years Eve and stay up till midnight to ring in the new Year with little christmas bells. We have a HUGE Christmas Dinenr there and just have a blast seeing all the aunts uncles cousins etc. etc. Everyone stays there from about Dec 30th to Jan 2nd.
Fun! I love getting together with family. One of my fondest childhood memories was at my sixteenth birthday party (which is mid-December), when my step-dad loaded up me and my brother, sister, and friends--all bundled in coats/hats/scarves...--in the back of his pick-up to stroll through the residential streets, checking out lights, and caroling our hearts out all the way! My hubby loves to take our family on a quieter drive to see Christmas lights one evening in December. He drives for a living so he learns where all the spectacular shows are up! The children and I like to set up a miniature Nativity scene for December, and for the whole week before Christmas, we read some version of the Christmas story for evening worship (a different version each night), and re-set up the Nativity as we go. On Christmas day, we usually have a quiet family together time, and invite someone over who might otherwise be lonely that day. (Thanksgiving is our all-out extended family get-together day!) Several years ago, I made up a wise-man treasure hunt that we like to do. I hide index cards around the house, each one with a piece of the story and a clue for the next card. When the wise men "bring their gifts", we find a pile of notes we have made for everyone present, then at the end the children find the ultimate gift--the baby Jesus (which disappeared from the Nativity set earlier ). We usually then sing songs, watch family videos, play some games, and if it was affordable, eat some goodie we made earlier--fruit cake or cookies or something. Now I'm eager!
