We do the same with buying the kids ornaments.
One of the favorite traditions is baking cookies together, and making ornaments for the kids to give as gifts to godparents, grandparents, etc. Each of them pick out an ornament that they'd like to make...it's alot of fun, and the kids are always so proud.
We also host a party every Christmas Eve for friends and family, and that's always alot of fun to prepare for. We usually have between 75 and 100 people stop by throughout the night. Only setback is that when people are partying until 2am (you know, the ones without children!); it can be hard to wake up happy at 5:30 am with excited children! Christmas morning, we open gifts and prepare to visit the grandparents. I host Christmas dinner and dessert for gift exchanges.
That about sums us up! Merry Christmas to all!
I did forget to mention that one of the most exciting traditions (how could I have forgotten), is that every year I buy each of the kids an ornament of their own. We mark it with their name and year. It's my belief that when they move out on their own, they will have something to decorate their Christmas tree with.
My 17yr.old will be going to college in 2006 and I want her to have something to take with her in case she's not here for the holidays. But then again, she'd better be!
My family started a new tradion last year. I guess that is not much of a tradition, but we are doing it again this year.
Our town has been renting an outdoor ice skating rink and putting it downtown. We go Christmas Eve and skate. Being from Arkansas and India we are not very good, but we have a blast! Then we drive around town and look at the Christmas lights.
I forgot the cornest thing we do! We have a key for Santa. Many years ago we lived in a nice apartment but no chimmey. When our now 13 yr old started school and heard that Santa needed a chimmeny OMG! She went into this frenzy! Well, my crafty Mom found an old key and gave it to her telling this is so Santa can come in. Worked! So fast forward 10 years when we bought our house out here, yep, we got a new key for Santa! You know who is the most excited to hang the key on the door....yep, our oldest.
Before moving to Denver, we did my husband's family Christmas Eve and my family Christmas Day as it worked out he celebrated the 24th (just his mom and him) and my family (3 kids, mom and dad and Grandma) the 25th. The hard part was we barely had Christmas morning for ourselves.
Well, now we are 600+ milles away and it's hard to get back. We did go back in the beginning but one year we ended up with $500 in car repair expences (snow was packed up into the engine of our van and caused major problems!) SO we don't go back. Plus with five kids, ALL their gifts AND (yes...I did this) shipping Santa's gifts to my parents...$$$$$$$. SO now we have a nice dinner here on Christmas Eve or last year we were invited to friends which was fun. Christmas morning is....beyond words and my wildest dreams with the five! My family would take turns opening gifts, yes one at a time, and my husband about lost it the first Christmas together. With just him, he just tore into everything! So we did it his way one year.....now we do it my way! Nothing is worse than family calling and asking how did their gift worrrk out and NOT KNOWING who got what! So he sees things my way on that aspect. Otherwise we too have a jammie day! Might as well! Well, I did ask that we at least dress for dinner which is standing rib roast. Last year my boys did so, they put their dress shirts on but kept jammie pants on! Goof balls!
OH the best part at Mom and Dad's, Mom always had this huge platter of treats for us to snack on while opening gifts. Last year was tough as it was our first Christmas without Grandma B. SHe always brought Fuity Pebbles treats (rice krispy bars but with fruity pebbles!) Also she figured out how to make sugar free divinity...no clue but it was good! Defenitly need the treats.
The one sweet thing my husband does now without blinking an eye, if "Grandma Got Run Over By a Riendeer" comes on the radio, he turns it. My Grandma was cominghome from the hospital after by-pass surgery and looking awful and the first thing an neighbor said....yeap, look like you were hit by a reindeer! Don't like that song.
