OT Christmas at Your House What traditions?

[kbrzez]

Ok, so it is only August, but I am planning for Christmas now since my work just released our Christmas holiday schedule until mid January. The time of year I love being with my patients, but I do not necessary like to work on Christmas-but it is my year and it is kinda fun, the only day it is usually slow in the ER. Well, with my DH and I starting school, 3 kids in school, and who knows what else I am looking at spending more time doing traditional thing with my kids and the meaning of Xmas vs a whole bunch of gifts and parties with more gifts. I usually sell 90% of their gifts on ebay within 3 months since they get way too many. I am buying my girls some of the bitty twins items, and my DD wants Kit (well, she said she wants to buy it for mom-how sweet). My other DD wants Pjs to match her bitty twins so as she said they can wear jammies together and go night-night-Any suggestions on which pair would be great advice! And my son probably will get a few games. So basically, the hundred of gifts are being put down to a few special items (aren't all AG items very special). So I am wondering what type of traditions do your families do? They can include AG dolls too as my family has accepted my AG obsessions. I am looking for ideas to make this Christmas special not because of the gifts but because of family togetherness. We like to stay home and I am downsizing the decorations too. Maybe someone can share craft ideas, food, recipes, any thing I can use to start planning for a special holiday this year. Because of school, working full time, soccer for my DS, and ballet for my DD, I need to start now!!

[T. Lynn]

My daughter is an only child so you can imagine how much she gets, let alone her birthday is the following month.

Last year, I decided to cut down on Christmas since she is still young. I wanted it to be about the thought and not the amount you get so by doing it early, she won't remember the first couple of years when she had TONS of stuff. Plus, you never know when your going to have tuff times.

Santa now brings 3 main (big) gifts (kinda like the 3 wiseman gifts). Then she gets a couple of items from us. We weren't going to do that at first, but then last year she asked why we didn't get her anything and if we didn't love her (since we told her you get gifts for others to express your love).

From us, I decided to get things based on this theme:
* something she wants
* sometihng she needs
* something to wear
* something to read

I also have an advent calendar for her that contains drawers. Each morning, she opens a drawer to find either a piece of candy or a small gift.

Kinda makes it fun and interesting...

This year, her main gifts are AG items. She's really into it this year (got 3-in-1 bed, dream bedding set, AG #22, tons of clothes for doll and some for her, salon chair and salon sets).

What I don't give for Christmas will be held for her birthday or easter basket.

Edited to add:
DD also has a small Christmas tree on her dresser. Santa leaves a present there as well so when she wakes up, she knows he was there. He also leaves his Santa Sack under the living room tree with her gifts in it and his hat falls off while going up the chimney. We always end up mailing these back to him so he has it for the next year.

<font color="#33CCCC" size="1">[ August 24, 2006 03:28 PM: Message edited by: T. Lynn ]</font>

[wrxgirl]

It was my year to work xmas, but being that I am moving to the OR and will have almost a year of training I will get the major holidays off! [img]smile.gif[/img]
Tradition is usually on xmas eve my boyfriend and I go to my mothers parents house, where they have a nice dinner and open gifts.. we sit by the fireplace and drink a few nice xmas drinks and beers and then go home so full you cant move hehe ... then on xmas day, we go to his parents house and have yet another big meal and open presents and everything all over again! [img]smile.gif[/img]
I love xmas time!

[TaffyCheerful]

A month or more before Christmas, I stake the dogs out in the yard to keep them close together, put antlers on their heads and take their picture for our annual holiday card. We get the list together and plan on how we are going to send out the cards.

Around the first of December, we drag out the little fake tree and put it near the window so the lights can be seen from outside. We hang a wreath outside and that's about it...

Taffy

[DScully717]

I always have an advent calendar, too. It's a German tradition that my grandma started with me when I was young (she's German). We ALWAYS decorate the tree and the outside of the house the weekend of Thanksgiving, and then we usually have our first fire in the fireplace then, too. I love cold weather!

I usually have a small Christmas party the first week in December for all my friends. My mom has an awesome clubhouse in her neighborhood that I rent and everyone comes in their holiday best, and we all bake cookies, eat lots of yummy food. Plus, I always go nuts baking. I have a TON of good recipes ranging from bird's nests to spritz cookies to no bake chocolate fudge cookies. PM me if you want one. Afterwards, we usually go caroling. [img]smile.gif[/img]

I celebrate Christmas on Christmas Eve (which is very European/Latin). My family gathers at around 5pm on Christmas Eve for hors d?oeuvres (spelling?). Then we open presents around 7pm and basically just have a good time. Then I usually go to my church's candlelight Christmas Eve service. I love the Christmas Eve services! Every time I've gone since I was a kid, the sanctuary is always lit up, and it reminds me of Molly's Surprise, when she goes to church Christmas Eve while Dad is gone. I love Christmas!! [img]biggrin.gif[/img]

[thepidget]

I recommend that you try looking at Martha Stewart's Christmas page. I tried out some of her craft ideas last year to save money on Christmas decorating, and she has a lot of interesting and pretty ideas. Here's the link:
http://www.marthastewart.com/page.jh...4&rsc=SC287206

For the past several years, I've spent my Christmas Eves with my fiance's family. They are European so they celebrate on the 24th instead of the 25th. (Just like what molly*belle's family does.) Then we spend Christmas with my own family. So I guess that's just my own Christmastime tradition. [img]wink.gif[/img] Also, I like doing the standard kinds of things--decorating the house, sending holiday cards, etc.

BTW, Taffy, I love your Christmas dog cards! I am a total sucker for pets. [img]smile.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/dog.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/dog.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/dog.gif[/img]

<font color="#33CCCC" size="1">[ August 24, 2006 02:36 AM: Message edited by: pidgetgirl ]</font>

[muppetquilter]

After my oldest's first Christmas we did some serious cutting back. There were way too many gifts and we didn't want her to learn that the holidays are all about gifts-- about buying for everyone on your list and what you get from others.

I found a great book, Hundred Dollar Holiday, that talks about ways to simplify the holidays in terms of expense and stress leaving more time to be together as a family.

We make all the gifts we give the extended family. We try to come up with things we think will really be appreciated-- last year my oldest wrote and illustrated a little story book and I made several copies for her to give her grandparents and teacher, etc. We've made ornaments, sent tins of umpteen different kinds of Christmas cookies....

On Christmas Eve afternoon we always decorate gingerbread houses. We buy a kit for a big house and the girls each decorate a little house made from graham crackers glued to a small milk carton (school lunch sized carton). It's tons of fun-- the kids love it. We shop very carefully for the right candies for our houses. This is fun because it gives us an excuse to go to the mall and see the holiday decorations but we aren't caught up in the holiday shopping madness. The final stage of house decorating is putting powdered sugar in a sifter and making it "snow" on our houses. The houses are then the centerpiece on our table.

Christmas Eve we read The Polar Express and a couple other holiday stories and drink hot chocolate. We do this again at the end of Christmas night but we read A Child's Christmas in Wales. It's a lovely, relaxing end to the day and so fitting because the final line of the story is "and then I slept" so it leads right into bedtime.

Before Christmas I take the girls to Nordstrom and they each pick a child to shop for off the giving tree. Then we spend an afternoon collecting treasures for the children they have picked and the girls get to deliver their gifts to the volunteers. The volutneers are always so nice to them and make a big deal out of thanking them. They really look forward to it and it helps reaffirm the idea of giving rather than receiving. Last year we also sponsored a family through the local food bank and my oldest got to help deliver the food and gifts to their home.

I do what I can to limit the gifts they receive. Sometimes I hold things back for a rainy day rather than overwhelm them with too much all in one day. We're Jewish and celebrate Christmas as a celebration of peace and love and Hanukah as a religious holiday so I also spread the gifts out over the two events (though most gifts are given at Christmas so Hanukah is a little less focused on gifts). We have a couple well-meaning relatives who almost always send something completely inappropriate (something that, in the hands of a young child, is dangerous) so I either pack those away for when the kids are older or give them to charity.

This year we are getting tickets to The Nutcracker. I think the kids will really enjoy it. It's fun to get dressed up and go to a holiday show!

[ams37]

I love this thread. One thing we do every year is put on our pjs, pop some popcorn and drive around and look at Christmas lights. We've even incorporated our neighbors into this tradition. I'm glad we've never been pulled over because 6 adults and a couple of kids in their jammies is quite a site. I did get rid of the minivan this year so it will be a family only event this season. I like to take the kids shopping for toys for tots and we also go through their existing toys to donate to Salvation Army. After Christmas dinner we play Bingo for ridiculous dollar store prizes. I lost my grandmother and dad in the past 3 years.We always have over neighbors and friends as the only immediate family we have is my mom, my brother and sister-in-law, my aunt, uncle and my 2 first cousins and their spouses. My husband's mother lives in Alabama and we rarely see her. I appreciate holidays and time spent together like no other and hope that my children will remember these goofy traditions and pass them on to their families later in life.

[Nevtal]

Oh, Christmas, my favorite time of the year. ^_^ My family has adopted many classic traditions, but we've also created some of our own.

My brother and I are only allowed to request two or three things we'd really like. (My dad has no shame in telling us exactly what he wants, but my mom will just keep saying 'world peace' no matter how many times we ask. [img]tongue.gif[/img] )

We always end up getting our tree rather late because of our busy schedules, so every year I put all of our decorations on it the day before Christmas Eve. My dad, however, gets the honor of hanging all of his Star Trek ornaments on the tree. ^_~ I always call in everybody to come in and watch when I plug in the lights. We also have two Advent Calendars, one with the Christmas Story and one with the Nutcracker. It's also my job to take the little books out of the calendars each day.

We set aside three days during the holiday break to watch the original Star Wars trilogy together. I'm not quite sure how that got started, but it's something we all enjoy. We also try to catch the classic Rudolph movie when it's showing on TV.

Christmas Eve is a major cooking and baking day. We have dinner that night with some close friends, and the meal is always homecooked, and I always bake a large batch of cookies to set out for Santa before I go to bed, plus a little tray of carrots for Rudolph. ^_~ Just before everyone goes to bed, we fix ourselves some hot cider or hot chocolate and my dad reads The Polar Express and How the Grinch Stole Christmas.

On Christmas morning, everyone is allowed to look at Santa's gifts and empty their stockings, but we have to wait until eveyone is awake and has had their pancakes before we can unwrap the gifts under the tree. Then, of course, it's time for church. ^_^ That's all of the traditions I can recall...

<font color="#33CCCC" size="1">[ August 24, 2006 10:35 AM: Message edited by: Nevtal ]</font>

[MOM to JILLIAN]

I'm loving this thread! Here are a few of our traditions...

DS and DD always get to pick out a new Hallmark ornament to be theirs when they grow up and have homes of their own. After Christmas when Hallmark puts the ornaments on clearance, we usually pick up one or two more for their collection. This year I am going to buy them each their own ornament storage box to house their collection.

We always make Magical Reindeer Dust for Santa's reindeer. We mix oatmeal and colored glitter and then put it outside on the grass. The reindeer smell the oats and the glitter sparkles in the night to lead Santa to our house. DS is getting a bit old for this, but loves traditions so he still participates.

We have an Advent calendar too.

In past years I have done the 25 days of Christmas with DS and DD. I wrap small holiday items (Christmas toothbrushes, coloring books, ornaments, new Christmas CDs or DVDs, etc.) and they get to open one each day in December leading up to Christmas. Most of the items are things that I would be giving them anyway so it just spreads out the joy!

We spend lots of time with family. It is a very busy time.

We love Christmas music and have a HUGE collection of holiday CDs. In 2003, we started listening to Christmas music in October and picked our favorites. DH put all of our picks onto a CD and made copies for our close friends and family. The CD was a BIG hit and is a priceless reminder of that Christmas. DS had lost his two front teeth and we included the song "All I want for Christmas is my Two Front Teeth." DD loved to dance to a song called, "Christmas Times A-Coming" that year and ring a bell. Every time I listen to the CD it reminds me of that year. We printed a picture of DS and DD sitting on Santa's knee as the CD label. I'm hoping to make another one this year.

I love to bake at Christmas. Each of us gets to choose our favorites and then there are always new recipes to try. DH loves Coca Cola Cake, DS loves my Maple Pumpkin Cheesecake, DD loves ANYTHING sweet and I love my Chocolate Chip Cake the best.

Glenda