Hi everyone. On social media right now, I am seeing a lot of Christmas traditions that families do during this time of year. I thought it would be fun to tell you about ours growing up and now. Plus, please share your traditions. I love to hear how others celebrate these holidays.
A big thing I really remember growing up was putting the angel on the Christmas tree. My brother and I switched off every year getting on my dad’s shoulders and putting the angel on top of the tree. The angel is my favorite ornament that is on my parents’ tree. They always told me they didn’t have much money their first Christmas, and they found this paper angel that is still holding strong. I loved it so much. I was able to find a similar one on ebay to put on our tree. (Note from Janette – the angel is now missing both of her wings.)
Our big night to celebrate and have a big meal was Christmas Eve. We dressed up go to church and then came home to an amazing meal. If my grandparents were visiting, my grandma fried oysters. If they weren’t visiting, we would sometimes have mussels but always finish with a buche de noel. Every year my mother struggled to make it and said it was the last year, but somehow she continued to make the beautiful and so tasty buche do Noel.
On Christmas morning we had a brunch after opening presents and then were set for the day. We never got dressed up on Christmas. It was more about being with family. We didn’t have a huge Christmas meal because we had a big brunch. As we got older, we went out to the movies in the afternoon.
Christmas at the White House
This year is really magical in our house as Little Miss is all into the season. We continue to do our advent bags, but instead of waking right up and getting a bag, she has to perform an act of kindness first. She has come up with a lot of things on her own. These can be simple and fun. One day we went to church in the afternoon and put candy canes in the windshields of the cars. One day she acted like my barista and made me coffee. Yesterday she grabbed a bag and wanted to pick up trash in our neighborhood. As we were heading out, another neighborhood girl asked if she could join us, and you would have thought they found the golden ticket. It was pretty cute, and they helped make the neighborhood a little cleaner.
We have been doing the Elf on the Shelf. I know there are mixed reviews, but we are all having a blast with it.
Her one request for the holiday season is to go see the lights on the Charlotte race track. They fill the Nascar track with lights and it is coordinated to music. In the middle of the track, they show Christmas movies and have a Christmas village. It is very festive, and Charles likes driving on the race track. I mean, you are only going a couple miles an hour, but who knew about the large slant on the corners? #Iknownothingaboutracing.
On Christmas Eve we will go to church, and this is the first year Little Miss will be in the Christmas pageant. After church we come home and stay dressed up. For our big dinner we opt for a night of fondue, and after a few years, this has become our tradition. It is just the three of us, and we have the best time having a cheese course, meat cooked in broth course, and our favorite, the chocolate fondue dessert. We blast the Christmas music and have a relaxing dinner.
For Christmas morning we eat homemade cinnamon rolls (recipe here), open gifts, and then play as a family. A big walk is a must and usually we see a movie. We finish off the day with a small but candlelit dinner of veggies and cornish hens.
The day after Christmas we are leaving or packing for our annual western ski trip with our friends. Each year we get together with our old roommates from our days living in Hawaii. We are married with kids now, and the number is growing every year with little people. We have a few days of skiing, and playing competitive games that involve a trophy going to the winning couple. You would think it is the Stanley Cup how into this little event we all get. So, this has become part of our Christmas traditions.
Now, tell us some of your Christmas traditions. We would love to hear.
Cheers!
