I was looking at my good friends' blog yesterday and over the month she's been posting some her family Christmas traditions. They were so fun to read and got me thinking about our traditions. I hope she doesn't mind, but I'm going to kind of copy her and post some of traditions I grew up with and love.* On Christmas Eve we used to always order Chinese food and go to my grama's. We'd all sit around the family room with TV trays and enjoy the meal. Now that my grandparents are gone, my family still continues the tradition...Chinese food on Christmas Eve.
* We always got to open 2 presents on Christmas Eve. One was always PJ's and the other was some fun and random toy my mom had found. We got all sorts of things like blow up boxing gloves or stuffed animal monkeys you could fling across the room and they'd scream! Leave it to my mom to find the unique toys. Just opening our PJ's at Christmas was never enough though, we had to put them on and model for everyone. Mom always had 3 or 4 different ones for each of us in sack in a different room in case the ones we opened didn't fit or we didn't like them (that's where I get the buying and returning trait I think). Anyway, over the years as we've all grown up our little fashion show has turned into a walk down the runway (hall) accompanied by the latest pop song. We laugh so hard as we strut our stuff down the hall for the camera...yes, we film this. Also, since we are older our PJ's have gone from cute little flannel sets to sweats, hoodies, a nice long sleeve shirt... 2 years ago my mom gave Brian and my brother Santa Claus robes and me a moo-moo! But of course she had other things for us in a sack in another room. Love this tradition! I still haven't got Brian down the "runway" but one day I will.
* My mom makes the most fabulous butterscotch breakfast roll! We would only get it a few times a year- Thanksgiving morning, Conference morning and Christmas morning. It smells divine while cooking and melts in your mouth when you eat it. Mom makes it in a bundt pan and it's always so nice and gooey. Since I've been married I've tried to carry on this tradition but I make it in a bread pan so there isn't as much for the two of us. I don't know if it's the bread pan or my old house that gets cold in the night, but my roll never raises like moms...or tastes as fabulous. I love this tradition of the breakfast roll on Christmas morning! My tummy is already growling for it. Good think we're having breakfast at my parents this year so we can have a "good" roll!
* Growing up, we always had Christmas morning at our house then went to my gram and gramp C's house in the afternoon for more Christmas and lunch (I love that Brian and I were able to purchase this house that so many traditions began in). Every year, since as long as I can remember, we would always find a white envelope on my grama and gramps tree with our name typed on it. It wasn't until all the other gifts were opened that we got our envelopes, gram or gramp would pass them out. Inside was a stack of FRESH, CRISP $1 bills. We would each get as many bills as years old we were. The fun of this tradition was counting the bills. I think we always got the wrong among. Someone would be short and someone else over...it was great. As I look back I wonder if my gramp did that on purpose to see if we were honest? Anyway, after gram and gramp passed away my mom decided to carry on the tradition. SO, each year we get our envelope with our crisp $1's, we all count them and laugh as we have to switch around so everyone gets the correct amount. I always remember gram and gramp while we open our envelopes.
* I guess this would considered "tradition-" All of us kids have our own "first Christmas" ornament and one more each year for our ages. Each year mom would buy us an ornament that had something to do with a vacation we took as a family or remind of something significant that happened during the year (ex: graduation, new car, new dog...). The "tradition" is that we all get to hang our own ornaments each year. When I was single and would come home from Christmas, my mom would have all my ornaments in a box waiting for me to hang them. Since I've been growing up and experiencing life on my own I've been collecting my own special ornament each year and let mom off the hook of finding them. I have so many fun ones from different vacatiions. I love reflecting as I hang them. Since I've been married I've tried to collect ornaments for Brian and I as we've traveled and experienced life together. This year mom gave me my box of ornaments, it was kind of sad to think I won't be hanging them on her tree anymore. I've actually been thinking of giving them back and letting her enjoy them longer (and continuing the tradition of hanging our own ornaments). I'm excited to continue collecting ornaments for Brian and I and for our children.
Those are a few of my most memorable traditions that have lasted through the years. There are a few more but I hate to bore you! I'm so excited for Brian and I to start our family so we can start some of our own traditions as well as continue the ones we grew up with and love.
MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!
