December is an important month. There are so many ways to celebrate its days and conduct special events and activities.
Many of us have children or elderly relatives. How do you include these loved ones in your schedule of surprises and celebratory excursions?
For instance, do you plan on buying a live tree, or using an artificial one? Will you be throwing parties or baking special treats? Does anyone plan on building a gingerbread house? Do you wrap your own gifts? Are there precious tablecloths and silverware or china you only use for family dinners?
Which traditions do you observe? I really want to know.
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Sounds like you are already in the spirit of things. Please tell Rebekka Happy Birthday from me. Will she turn 13 or 14? -
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She turns 14 this year one more year and she gets to start driving. very scary for me but Hubby is the one that is teaching her I already told him.
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We buy a real tree each year and have a Christmas Eve party that is just us - no other family or friends, etc. I make the same menu each year, a table full of appetizers and small bite-sized desserts and candy. We reveal our Secret Santa on Christmas Eve and open just that gift then. Marty and I turn on all the lights after the kids are in bed and exchange a single gift before setting everything under the tree.
If the kids don't wake up first, we shake bells really loudly and when they come bounding down the stairs we tell them that they just missed Saint Nick and that it was his bells they heard
Sometimes we make footprints with baby powder to fool the little ones.
We already did the ginger bread house from pre-fab, but I will hopefully have time to make one from scratch. The first one I ever made was a church from my own template etc and it was so pretty. I also want to make another snowflake cake - haven't done that in years - it's very pretty.
I make cookies as we go as the kids eat them so quickly. Each year I pick a gift cookie to make for friends and acquaintances - something different each year - and then the kids decorate paper lunch bags and we pack up the cookies in them to give.
Christmas Day is usually here at home - we have Marty's mom and brothers come for dinner and we all play Apples to Apples or Guitar Hero. Fun -
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You make me wish for my "year five" Christmas. It is really hard without my parents or my parents-in-law. I am going to have to get very creative in order to experience the kid like inner glow I have sorely missed. Perhaps a visit to Children's Hospital and get Joe and Orville to do a trio concert with me. I'll report back if we agree and if they say it's okay. Plus there are nursing homes we could do a sing-a-long gig. These would be cheerful.
Perhaps Joe and I can play secret santa? I'm just too funny.
I saw everything you wrote in my mind. Lovely.
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Oh - and we should definitely have a holiday cookie exchange here! Maybe Saturday?
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Cool. What time?
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we used to buy trees, but we have been using a fake one for a few years now.
We have a family dinner Christmas Eve, each kid gets to open 1 present, usually pajama's or slippers.
Grandma used to spend the night, but she lives down the street now so she just comes over in the morning.
Wrap our own presents.
and my mom makes this baked french toast deal for breakfast-
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Sounds like a longstanding family affair. Nice to have your Grandmother living down the road.
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I absolutely LOVE Christmas. This is going to be a special year for my parents in-law as they will have for the first time ever have all grandchildren together. Monday may be tight but I asked all to make an effort to make that happen. We are the ones living further away, but will be awesome. My traditions are so very different from the ones here in the States, so this year we are following more my husbands' family traditions.
We do put up a tree (fake one), the crystal nativity set (will have to put Jesus in it prior to our trip to the NE) and all the food sharing. Christmas Even is usually the big day for us. We spend all day in the kitchen cooking. Dinner is all seafood related and LOTS of deserts. Then we usually go to mass and past midnight we open presents. The 25th we usually go to a shelter, bring a serve food to the less fortunate.-
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There is nothing like having the entire family gather to celebrate religious and festive occasions. I am pleased you will have this experience. Midnight Mass is special and as I recall, crowded. And packing up the crystal nativity set will be memorable itself. Use lots of bubble wrap and it should arrive safely. I hope the meals and good times you will be sharing will last you for a lifetime.
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One of my many December plans is to write for those less fortunate. Please read about it here and come right back.
skdd.wordpress.com/2009/12/03/thursdays-are-great/ -
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Some of our December plans have been about catching the kittens and cats at the house we just sold. Read about it here. skdd.wordpress.com
We have been fortunate. Happy Holidays all around.
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We keep it busy during this month and pack alot of special school projects into December along with extra cooking, and making animal treats.