Christmas Time Traditions.....

Yes this is my favorite time of year. I absolutely LOVE the holiday season. It was my favorite time as a child and it is my favorite time as an adult. I think I love it more now because I get to experience Christmas through the eyes of my children. This is long do not feel obligated to read it.

* One of the most fun ways we start off our Christmas is, me and all of my sisters get up at 4:00 a.m. the Friday after Thanksgiving to go shopping. I have saved some BIG money doing this. We start off the morning with hot chocolate and off we go. I go pick up everyone because I have the biggest vehicle. Then after we shop, we go to Ihop for breakfast. Sometimes we go back out after breakfast, and sometimes we go home and take naps. The boys go hunting in the evening or sometimes in the morning while we are gone. My nieces spend the night to watch the girls. It is so much fun.

* We watch EVERY single Christmas show together that comes on the 25 days of Christmas on the family channel. They show all of the old shows that I used to watch when I was a kid at my grandma's house on Christmas Eve. I sit with my kids and we watch them together on the couch. My girls take turns sitting in my lap.

*We listen to All types of Christmas music on our 30 minute trek to school everyday. Our favorite is Manheim Steamroller.

* We decorate our Christmas tree on the first Friday in December. (But this year I think we are going to try doing it the Saturday after Thanksgiving.) Do ya'll have any pro's or con's to that. Any ideas. We watch Christmas movies while we are putting the decorations on the tree.

* The girls get a new ornament every year. We have alot of Hello Kitty and Disney and Princess' on our tree. I have ornaments that my students have given me that always go on the tree. I have some that are 12 years old. When I was growing up my mom put toy ornaments on our tree. Nobody else in the family wanted them so they are now hanging on our tree. Some of them are 35 years old. I love that thought.

* The girls and I always make cookies and pies and treats for the holidays together, and you guessed it we are watching Christmas movies while we are baking.

*When I was a little girl, my grandma used to have Christmas on Christmas Eve. Now that she is with Jesus, one of my aunts on my dad's side of the family, has a get together. We get together with all of my cousins that can make it at my aunt's house. It is nice to do this with extended family that we don't see very often.

* David and I go on a Christmas date to finish up the girls Christmas shopping. We take a whole day on a Saturday. We have lunch and go shopping and go see a movie and sometimes we even pick out things for each other. We have so much fun.

* We always take the girls the night before Christmas Eve to see all the lights and then we go have hot chocolate at Ihop. A lot of times we will also do this with another family. We have so much fun.

* On Christmas Eve my whole family goes to church together. We rotate what church we go to. After that we always come to my house for a lat Christmas Eve supper. We started this tradition because I have a brother in law that never got to come to Christmas with us. He was always working at the fire department. He has been with the f.d. long enough now that he gets to have Christmas with us, but we just kept the tradition up. Hannah and Rebekah also write a letter to Santa and they leave it out for Santa to respond to, which he always does. (With milk and cookies and carrots for the reindeer.) The girls wear new p.j.'s to bed on Christmas Eve. Last year I found matching p.j.s for all of us. We were all in Dallas Cowboy p.j.s. David had blue and me and the girls had pink and blue.

* On Christmas morning, we always have hot chocolate and cinnamon rolls for breakfast, after we open our presents. Santa always leaves one big present unwrapped, because he is way to busy to wrap them. Santa also leaves our stockings full on Christmas morning. We open those first. David plays santa and hands out all of the gifts. We put them in a pile by each child, and then they open them one at a time, from youngest to oldest. David and I participate too.

* After we have our little family Christmas we go to either my parents house or my in-laws, depending upon whose turn it is. We usually do Christmas Day with my mom and the day after or day before, with David's parents since he has family that lives out of town. Usually the day after. This allows them to have Christmas Day with their family with out having to travel on Christmas Day.

Well I told you it was long.