Ever since we had our oldest (who will be 12 soon) we have stayed home Christmas Eve into Christmas morning. My husband wants our girls to wake up in their beds on Christmas morning. If family wants to be with us that is fine, if not we get together with them later in the day or at another time. But we do this for our girls and the family.
A Christmas that I do with my children was one that my parents did with us as well. The night before Christmas Eve we would go to our rooms and dump our toy boxes. Much to our surprise there were new toys from the previous year. So our parents would tell us that we needed to give up one to get one.
And we would take our toy to the shelter where there were homeless children.
And drop them off for the children. Also showed us that we were very fortunate unlike others.
my christmas decorations and putting up the christmas tree
I can remember that the first time that we put up a tree was the first weekend after the thanksgiving holidays we used to go out into the woods and chop down our christmas tree and then we would bring it home and we would get out the decorations and put them on the tree and string the popcorn and decorate the tree with all of the different ornaments for the holiday season after that then we top the tree with an angel of hope and good will Happy holidays to all
When I was growing up we would go to my mother's hometown to my Grandparents' house for Christmas. it's a small Kansas town with less than 200 people in population so I knew virtually everyone. Christmas eve services were held at midnight at the North Church and the sermon and songs were in German. I remember holding the little candle with the paper waxguard and singing Oh Tannenbaum.
Weirdly enough, I don't remember much German. We didn't speak it at home but for the Christmas service.
It was a beautiful thing to see all the candles lit and everyone singing Christmas songs.
Now that I'm grown and have my own family I wish we had a tradition that would make wonderful memories like that one. But no one does the Midnight service in German anymore.
Growing up we had no family traditions. My parents were seperated and my mom worked a whole lot so we got up at midnight on christmas and opened gifts,went back to bed and then woke on christmas day to play with what gifts we had gotten. When I had my children I wanted things to be totally different from when I was growing up so my husband and I started our own traditions for us and our kids!! We have a christmas party on christmas eve at our house!! Everyones invited including my mother..We exchange christmas cards..sing christmas songs and carols and say a prayer or two we put our Nativity scene outside and light it up and sing more carols and songs ..we play games and just have fun with family , we have been known to all fit in my suv and go around town looking at lights.. then my kiddos get the cookies and milk ready for santa and the carrots for the baby reindeer as my 3 yr old likes to call them and we sprinkle reindeer food outside our house so the reindeer know where to go!!! After that my kiddos go to bed and after they are asleep I put the gifts out that Santa has brought them under the tree and fill the stockings up!! All this is done at midnight on christmas Day!! On Christmas morning they wake to find all the goodies under the tree after all is opened and all gifts are looked at and what not... On christmas day...we may have visitors or we may visit others its never really sure what will go on .. on that day!!
from the big holiday meal, where we all gather at the table, which during the year is quite a rarity with schedules. And for the young one, my 9 year old, it's one of only two dates on the calendar he can make himself sick on candy if he chooses, the other is Easter.
Christmas Traditions
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