Holiday Traditions

Most everyone has some kind of Christmas traditions. Even the infamous Ebeneezer Scrooge had a tradition of hating the holiday. So for good or bad we all have something that this time of year brings out in us.

Christmas music is popular in our family. Lori and Anneka would start listening(off and on at least) to it in August and by Halloween I was so burned out that I could scream! After Meg was born we came up with a nice compromise. Meg's birthday is 21 November. It will always be 1-6 days before Thanksgiving. We decided that this would be the start of our holiday season. On that day we can listen to the music, decorate, have eggnog, turn on the house lights, etc. Some years we are fully decorated for Christmas on Thanksgiving, other times we are barely listening to Christmas music. Our season lasts until New Year's day when everything goes away (except the eggnog... that stays until the stores don't carry it... for me anyway).

The Christmas lights for the outside of the house are something I brought to the family. We use only Red/Green/Blue lights and never the mini lights, rope lights, or icicle lights. This is something my parents have done as long as I remember. I try and get the lights up before the weather gets bad, but some years I've been on a ladder in the snow and the cold.

We also follow a common tradition of getting pajamas on Christmas Eve. In addition, we have been giving the kids a new video to watch that night.

We do various cookies under Lori's tutalege. Our favorites are thumb-print cookies and peanut butter with a choc. Kiss. I have become the pie maker doing(usually) my own crusts. Pumpkin, mince(my mom and I will be the only one's eating that this year), apple, and pecan are my specialties. Lori makes a breakfast on Christmas morning with pecans, coconut frosting, rolls and nuts the the kids alway look forward to having.

Our Christmas tree gets its first ornament put on my me. A styrofoam candy cane that has been mine for almost(or over) 40 years goes on first. We have collected many "mice" themed ornaments over the years. Lori had a nickname of "house-mouse" as a child and developed an interest in little cute mice things. When Hallmark introduced several series of mice ornaments I would give Lori as many as I could on her birthday in August. We could do a whole tree with just mice.

Tonight is the first Sunday in December and therefore the night we watch "A Charlie Brown Christmas"