Holidays
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Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Special traditions with H and / or your kids?
Most of us have traditions from our childhood, but what traditions have you (or will you) started with your DH and / or kids?
Re: Special traditions with H and / or your kids?
DH is Jewish, so we really don't do up Christmas at our house. But we spend it w/ my parents. now that DS is here, I want him to have the same, fun Christmas morning experience I had - waking up, knowing there were gifts downstairs, going down to open them in your PJ's, and just have a relaxing morning.
So, our tradition now is that we go over to their house Christmas Eve and basically stay through until the day after Christmas. They are only about 10 mins away, so it's really close. But it just all makes for a fun, warm Christmas.
~Benjamin Franklin
DS dx with celiac disease 5/28/10
I buy the kids each a special ornament that has something to do with something that year, DD has her first "best friend", so I am going to take a picture of them and have an ornament made from Snapfish and DS is into Buzz Lightyear and will buy an ornament for that. Then they each get brand new jammies to wear to bed Christmas eve and will open their special ornaments to hang on the tree Christmas eve.
When they grow up, get married or just move out on their own, they will get their box of ornaments for that first Christmas on their own. Along with a note for why I picked those specific ornaments each year.
I love this idea!!!
We cut down our christmas tree the sunday after thanksgiving- they have a sleigh you can take pics in, free popcorn and hot chocolate too
Then after, we go out to eat then home to put up lights.
Last year, I started playing bingo with everyone on christmas eve/day. Winners got lotto scratch offs or chocolate.
I choose a week to bake all of my christmas cookies and treats before Christmas.
DH and I have our wedding anniversary in December, so we go to Macy's to pick out our yearly ornament, then out to dinner together
When we have children, I plan to add many more traditions (thanks to bloggers and pinterest!).
My mother did this for me, I have an ornament for every year that I have been on this earth. When I moved out and got married, I continued to purchase a "yearly ornament" for myself (the year has to be stamped on it somewhere). I can tell you that it is always a delight to see those "old friends" everytime I decorate the tree!
We have a lot of traditions that we try to encorporate. We always cut down at least one of our Christmas Trees at a local tree farm.
We decorate gingerbread houses. Back in the day when my kids were small...and I apparently had more time and energy (LOL) I used to make the gingerbread homemade and it was a whole big to-do. I enjoyed it but it WAS a lot of work. Now I buy the kits, usually the year before when they're 90% off. We never eat them, the kids just like decorating them, so it's a great way to save some $$$ on them. I get them for my kids and all the cousins, and we have a big day of sledding, decorating gingerbread houses and making cookies in December. It's a lot of fun.
I always give the kids advent calendars (the day after Thanksgiving so they're ready to go on Dec 1st).
We celebrate St Nicholas Day (Dec 6th)...my Mom used to have us put out our shoes outside our doors and the next morning you'd have a few little items/candy (kinda like stocking stuffers). I love doing it with my kids. They know the whole tradition/story behind it etc
We do set up a Nativity scene and the wise men travel throughout our house during December...to get the Nativity by Epiphany (Jan 7th).
We also incorporate helping others, being fortunate for what we have and sharing it with others. So we adopt-a-family thru a local organization and always participate at our church and thru the kids activities for Angel Tree and other charity opportunities.
When my kids were small...we always saw my side of the family for Christmas Eve and then again on Christmas Day. Christmas eve was a whole Swedish Smorgasbord and then the Italian tradition of eating fish. We have a lot of family now, so sometimes we can't see everyone on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. For us, it's not about the date on the calendar but about celebrating with people you love. So we schedule family events when it works the best for everyone. We typically do a Christmas celebration with my side and then a Christmas celebration with Dh's side.
My MIL always has a New Years Day Celebration with pork tenderloin (supposed to give good luck).
MH and I go cut down our tree the day after Thanksgiving, that's when we decorate too.
We've been rotating which family we see on Christmas Day, but that's getting old super fast, and when we have kids we will NOT be doing that, as I want them to have a tradition, and not wonder who we will be seeing on that day.
This year, since our place is big enough, I want everyone (my in laws and family) to come to our place, and hopefully this will start a tradition
H and I don't have any Christmas traditions yet. We always are at my parent's house for Christmas Eve/day since we live in different cities.
When we have kids:
I want to give each kid an ornament each year. (H got one each year from his grandparents and I like the idea.)
I like the idea of everyone opening pjs on Christmas Eve and wearing them that night.