Family Christmas Season Traditions!

Traditions are so important to Tim and I. All throughout the year, really, but at Christmastime, it's even more special.

There are the traditions that we have brought to our marriage from each of our childhoods and new traditions that we have established together and will continue to now that we are a family with children. I am excited to see what the futures traditions in our family will be and how the girls will look forward to each tradition during Christmastime.

Some of our traditions we want to continue and/or start throughout the years:

Of course, it starts out, with Christmas shopping and the MD Christmas Craft Show the day after Thanksgiving! Here are the girls this year ready to shop til we drop:

Decorating the house: Something we do as a family and I want the girls to participate each year as much as they want. When I was a kid I would help do it all! I loved it! We would get everything down from the attic and I would do whatever I could. We always decorated the tree together. I helped my dad each year do the lights outside, put up our Christmas village in the kitchen, our nativity and do whatever my mom said I could do, even if she may have came behind me and put it the way it was supposed to be! I hope the girl's love to decorate for Christmas with us and it will be interesting to see what each of them want to do.

Listening to Christmas Music: Tim is so funny! He will whistle Christmas songs all year and when it comes to Novemeber, he is so adamant about not listening to Christmas music until after Thanksgiving. I could listening to it all year, so I just tell him to get over it! I love Christmas music!

Church on Christmas Eve: This has been difficult the past few years for us because as a child my grandma always had Christmas Eve dinner at her house. It has been a tradition she had started when she had children, an open house sort of thing, with LOTS of food, fun and laughter. It went way into the night and was something we always looked forward to. Last year was the first year in probably over 65 years, that she did not have it. It was just getting too much for her.

Some photos of 2005:

My mom, my Aunt Tina and me.

My sister and I

Some photos of 2007:

My lovely grandma and her boyfriend, Al.

My crazy Momma and sissy!

My Mom and Dad!

Our Family! Tim hadn't arrived yet to be in the photo!

Of course, last year I wouldn't have been able to go since I had just given birth to our beautiful girls.

But it was good that I was in the hospital because I would have probably cried on Christmas Eve because it's now different. I understand things have to change, but this is what I have done every single Christmas Eve of my entire life and as a child and even as an adult, I looked forward to that evening with all of our family so much. As children, we would look for Rudolf's bright red nose on our way home and then my mom would read 'Twas the Night Before Christmas as we all were snuggled together in bed before drifting to sleep.

So, for Church, some years we were able to go, some years we weren't, but the years we did, I loved it. I love singing the traditional songs, the candlelight and peace that I feel.

Within our marriage we have had a hard time choosing and deciding on a church to attended reguarly. It is something so close to my heart and something I grew up with each Sunday morning, as Tim did too. We have different views on what type of church we want and what type of church we want our children to grow up in, but no matter what, we want them to grow up in a church. I do not want to go back to the church I went to as a child, and I have told Tim I would go to his church he went to as a child, but he isn't so sure he wants to go there either.

But, we have been talking about it so much recently and as soon as E gets big enough to be in public we will be going to a church reguarly. Our situation is a little difficult too, with three young ones. We need a church that can accomadadte three toddlers from one family in one nursery and possible a fourth baby. Some of the churches around our town, barely have 4 children in the nursery during a service, let alone four from one family. Tim and I have decided that we would check out churches first ourselves that we were interested in, leaving the girls with Grammy and Grandpa and see what would work best for our family. I think this is the best solution. But to be honest, I have to find the right one, because I cannot just leave my children in any nursery with anyone. (That brings up too many emotions when I had to leave my children each and every day to be cared for by others when they were in the NICU...even if it is only church!)

So, long story short, this year we won't be attending Church on Christmas Eve, even though up until last week I had every intention to. My parent's have decided to do Christmas Eve dinner for the whole family, so we will be spending time with loved ones. I still might find a way to make it work, with either an early service or a late service..I just have to check around.

But in the future, Christmas Eve service will be a very important tradition I will continue with my family.

As I mentioned above, reading 'Twas The Night Before Christmas to the girls each Christmas Eve before bedtime. I am still looking for the "perfect" book, unless I take it from my parent's house. :) But this year, I'm sure my mom will read to all of us before we head home. Emotional moment, I predict. Sitting there with my family and my little girls...my heart might burst.

Also, mentioned about, but looking for Rudolph's bright red nose on the way home on Christmas Eve. We had about 30 minute drive my my grandma's to our house on Christmas Eve, but that's a little different now. The girl's obviously are too young to understand, and our drive is only across the street. I hope this is something the girl's will like when they get bigger.

Setting out cookies for Santa and carrots for the reindeer. Always important.

Going to the local Firehouse to eat a pancake breakfast with Santa and donating toys for Toys For Tots!  This was super fun this year and a tradition I hope we will do each year. Especially important is that we are donating to other children that aren't as lucky as we are and letting our children understand the true meaning of Christmas.

Cutting down a fresh Christmas tree. Now, this has a long story too, but I will try to keep it short. My entire life our family cut down a Christmas tree. We went somewhere special, put on our boots, hats, had candy canes and hot chocolate and it was such a highlight! I love the memories I have thinking back over the years and I always pictured my family with little kids in tow doing the same.

Well, the first Christmas Tim and I had together in his condo we went and cut down a beautiful tree. Brought it home, decorated it and it was beautiful...that is, until it started to die, like the next day. Never in my life had I seen such a mess. We read everything there was to read about how to save a tree and keep it healthy. Nothing worked and after a week, our tree, looked like this:

Before

ONE WEEK LATER

No one believed me, until I sent them the photos and then no one could stop laughing! So we bought a fake one and that's what we have had ever since. I feel like it goes against everything that is Christmas by having a fake tree in my house, but right now it works. Especially with three babies, there is no way we could go cut down a fresh one! But be assured as soon as they can walk and we can do it, we will always go and cut down a fresh one as a family!

Going to Gettysburg to eat at The Dobbin House. We have made this a tradition in our family and Tim has adapted to it as well. The Dobbin House is one of our family's favorite places to eat. It's a fancy restaurant that has a tavern downstairs, that is much more fun with the oldest bar in PA. It has become a special tradition to eat there sometime in December. Sometimes we visit the battlefields before dinner and walk around the town. I love Gettysburg and I can't wait to take the girls there when they get bigger. There is a special table that we try to sit at each year, next to the Christmas tree and fireplace. The table has drawers in it and people write letters  and little notes throughout the year so you can read them while you wait and add your own. It was always so fun. Also, there are traditional carolers that come in and sing, it's all in low candle-light and so beautiful.

2007

2008, the photos were taken with our phone and it was really dark!

Visiting Washington DC: This is something we do all of the time, since we live here, but I love going down during Christmastime, walking around and seeing the National Tree, all the little trees and trains that surround it, the Capital Tree and all the decorations around the city. It's so beautiful. We are planning on going sometime between Christmas and New Years this year.

Picking out a special ornament each year. This year we got a two special ones:

Each of the girls will have one for their house when they grow up. E has one too for next year.

From Hallmark. Tim and I read this book to my belly the very first night my embryoes were put in! Seemed appropriate!

Baking Cookies: As a child each and every year my mom, my sister and I would bake cookies. I can still see my mom in her apron standing at the mixer like it was yesterday! We made lots and lots of Chocolate chip, Oatmeal Raisin, Macaroons, Sugar Cookies, Peanut Butter Blossoms...and sometimes another random one. I loved helping my mom in the kitchen and still do. I can't wait until the girls are old enough to help me! I look forward to packaging them up and giving them to others and  of course eating them throughout the season!

Riding around looking at Christmas lights: Just a silly tradition, but always fun. Tim and I are so amazed when we look at people's houses and wonder what the heck they are thinking. You know those people who just throw up one strand in a tree and call it a day, or the family who has the entire blow-up section at Wal-Mart in their front yard. I just wonder what people think when they go outside and look at their work. To each their own, it's all about the spirit!!

Our town's Holiday Lighting Ceremony: We have gone all the years it has been so far and I look forward to going each year.

I didn't take any photos in 2009, but last year here we are in the freeeeezing cold weather...

And this year...I haven't blogged about it yet, so here are the photos!

Santa!

Sound asleep!!!!!!

Matching Christmas Jammies! I loved getting new jammies on Christmas Eve. And this year will be no exception for our girls!

Christmas Morning: Wake up at our house and open presents. Coffee, hot cocoa, and cookies while opening presents. Yes, you read that right, we always got to eat homemade cookies while opening our gifts when I was a kid (this year our kids won't be having cookies at 8 am!). We would have a "real" breakfast but it would be more like a brunch because it would take hours to open all our gifts. My dad was very particular about making it last, and not ripping through things like crazy. I apprecaite that now. We took turns opening gifts from one another and it was way more meaningful than just ripping through paper and moving to the next gift within seconds. We always had one gift from Sanat, our stocking and then everything was from our parent's equally. We were spoiled, yes, but always taught the true meaning of Christmas and to appreciate what we had! We enjoyed giving to others just as much!

Of course, spending time with family and friends who mean the most is at the top of the list the whole season through!

What are your family traditions during the holiday season??