library mom - that sounds like a fun tradition about the dimes.
When I was a kid, we had close family friends who celebrated most of the usual stuff for Christmas. But then on New Year's Eve Mrs. Santa Claus would visit and leave one toy for each child in the household.
I don't know where the tradition originated, but it had the practical effect of giving the kids something to be excited about New Year's Eve when their parents were typically going to grown-ups only type parties.
I love hearing about the different traditions, so I'll share ours.
On Christmas eve when my husbands mother and brother were alive, we would spend the evening with them and have a big dinner. All gifts were opened then except for Santa's.
Now that it's just the five of us, we've incorporated some of his traditions and mine as well.
We have our big dinner on Christmas Eve and then my 17yr old reads The Night Before Christmas. This year I may allow my 7 yr old to try. Then we open one gift. After awhile the little ones (7 & 3) go to bed and Santa brings in his gifts. My 17 yr. old and I do footprints on the carport out of my husband's work boots and flour.
In the morning we open up all the other gifts and have some type of breakfast. The rest of the day is spent playing and snacking.
Now, for New Year's eve we each put a dime with our initials on it,out on the door stop. In the morning, we pick up only our and hide it in a special place never to be spent. This is so that we can't every say that we don't have a dime. This tradition is from my MIL who was polish. Silly, but the kids really enjoy it.
hahaha JHB we did the same exact thing you did when we were little. My family existed of me, my sister, my mom, and my grandma. So my grandma would come over on christmas eve, we'd all order a pizza but it was a special pizza cause my mom we could pick out our own toppings (she'd do half this half that) and we'd open that 1 present (it was so hard to pick wasn't it) then we'd go to midnight mass and come home to sleep..my grandma would stay overnight......christmas day was the same too lol...to freakY!!!
Now on christmas eve we go to my husband's dads house for the day to spend with them. My sister and her husband come down christmas eve night and we still order that pizza (I can't give it up) and let my kids open their one present. They spend the night and help us set up and the next morning my mom comes down and we open presents and eat. Around 4 we head over to my husband's moms house
You all have such wonderful traditions!
JHB you are not alone in having to run to a million different places on Christmas! My parents are divorced and it has been at least three different houses every year since I can remember! Now I have my own kids and we have added about three more houses to the list of places we need to be. I know it can be tiring but we see a lot of people that we otherwise wouldn't see. My favorite memories are driving around with my dad to go see the lights. He would pick my brother and I up just to go do this! Now with my own kids I understand why! The way their eyes light up just to see Christmas lights on display is just such a wonderful thing! We started a new tradition with my Mom the last couple of years. Since she is not remarried like my dad or still married like my inlaws we have her over Christmas morning for breakfast. My husband cooks while my mom inspects the new toys the kids got from Santa. It is very nice. When my brother is home he is also welcome for breakfast - unfortunately this year his Christmas will be in Iraq away from his new wife and stepdaughters. I would just like to also send out a prayer for all our service men and women and their families who have to be apart during the holidays. Hopefully one of these Christmases my brother will be able to bring his wife, stepdaughters and his son (who is on the way in March!! [img]smile.gif[/img] up here to Wisconsin to be with us or that we could go down there (North Carolina) to be with them! Here's hoping everyone has a very happy holiday season!!!
Whwn my son was born 7 1/2 years ago, I decided to start our own little traditions (it's just me and him in our little family)
On Christmas eve, he gets to open two packages, one is new pjs and the other is a new ornament for our tree. He really started to get into this just last year and now that our tree is up, he's already asking if I bought his ornament and jammies yet?
We celebrate Christmas day with grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins but Christmas eve is just us. We have hot chocolate, cookies that we make together, read Christmas stories (this year he gets to read to momma), etc.
I LOVE this site, thank you to everyone who posts, I always find great info and help here. Happy Holidays to all!
