Christmas to Me

Saying I LOVE Christmas is an understatement.  I love this time of the year, the cold air, the snow, the crazy people running around to buy Christmas gifts, putting up the decorations, the music, the real reason for the season, and family.  All the crazy family get togethers are just the best.  I love spending time hanging out talking and going for walks.  I just like the quality time.  Ok so I love everything about it, did I mention the hot coco with cinnamon?

Growing up we were a single parent family.  My mom worked hard with two little kids.  We never had much for Christmas but we were blessed by many.  Somehow even with very little we loved all the special things we did do.  Church, Christmas Lights, and time with my grandma.  I always have had great memories.  It was never present filled it was always about family and learning about baby Jesus.

This year we have been talking about traditions.  My family has some that I love but some of those are done only when we are in Cincinnati. I really wanted to establish ones we do every year despite who we spend our Christmas with.

1) Start listening to christmas music as soon as possible.  I love teaching Gracie & Nolan all the songs.  Sadly I am a terrible singer despite my prayers that God would change that;) I do remember my mom singing in the car and I would be so embarrassed, I am now that mom.  Luckily my kids are not embarrassed of me, yet.

2) Decorating the Christmas tree happens in pj's with hot coco.  I have a lot of ornaments that my grandma use to give me every year, they make up most of our tree and I love them.

3) We do a new ornament every year.  This is something my family did, my grandma did, and I wanted to keep it going.  Sometimes I buy them and sometimes I make them, just depends on the year.

4) Rent as many Christmas movies as possible.  Some movies just remind me of the special time with my family and grandma.

5) Make cookies of every kind and then deliver them to neighbors and friends or cookie exchange.

6) We started in Canton driving through Monument Park to see there awesome light display, actually we live so close we often drove threw it a few times.  Throwing the kids in the car on a night they don't expect in there pj's and look at lights.

7) Giving: this is one we will do every year but what we do will change.  This year we did Operation Christmas Child which was a lot of fun and Gracie actually went with Troy and filled boxes for feeding the starving children next year Nolan will be able to participate in this activity which will be fun.  I have a list of things I want to do and would love to do something a little different every year.  I really, really want my children to understand how blessed we are and how they can use their kind hearts to bless others.  This tradition hits really close to home for me.

8) Christmas Eve: we open one gift on of new pajama's.  Now when we are at my parents my mom does this other wise we do this at our home. We then read the story from the bible and sing happy birthday to Jesus, cake and all.

trying to get in a family selfie

New Tradition to Come: The tradition that I think is so familiar to so many is Elf on the Shelf.  I can list the numerous reasons why I don't do it but I will list just 2 the elf is super creepy and I in no way want to do that every night before bed I rather lounge;)  Instead I want to do the Kindness Elf(check out this blog here) which will probably bring in some of the above traditions.  You know those commercial where someone does something nice and it spreads, I am that wishful dork that hopes that when I get to help someone it will make their day and spread it to another.

Ok some of these are not exactly traditions but things we do but, they are a must every year. My kids have the christmas gene for sure, they love it, every part and I am so glad and will proudly claim that they got that from me.