Christmas Traditions

So we started writing this 2 weeks ago and never got around to posting it. Anyone else feel ambushed this year?? Crazy how I felt more prepared last year when we had Jay in Dec. I spent nap time yesterday typing up a to do list for the season -- I am that crazy!

Traditions seemed to be a hot topic this year. Maybe because our kids are getting to the age that they remember them?? I've hesitated to write on this topic since we're three years into this parenting thing, but Alex has really pushed me to get this out there. So take it or leave it, these are Christmas tradition thoughts from parents three short years into it! :)
Alex and I have talked about what we remember from Christmases past as children are our activities and not the presents. His favorites -- long trips to Texas to see family and adding his favorite ornament to the tree (Kermit the frog -- and they saved this for him to add well into his college years). My favorites -- car rides to find Rudolph on Christmas Eve (we opened gifts right after that ride) and Christmas cookie baking with my mom and grandmother. For our little family, we've talked a lot about how to keep the focus on Jesus's birth and get too caught up in the commercialization of it.

There has been many a discussion about Santa and gifts. Our stance on it is that, yes, Santa Claus is coming to town, but he's coming on Jesus's birthday! This article on Santa that Emily found was great along with this Veggietales movie about how the original St. Nicholas gave out of his love for Jesus have really helped us tie Santa into Christ's birth. This helped get the focus off of being good/deserving gifts onto joyful giving and blessings.

Other thoughts on presence have hit me hard this year. It is SO easy for me to get lost in the shuffle of a mile-long to do list. Both of these blog posts brought me back down to earth a little bit -- one on presence not presents and one on being with our children. Both popped up on my reader and were a needed reminder to me to get down on the floor more and enjoy my little ones.
We've also talked a lot about presents and how to keep it toned down. We've always done three gifts on Christmas morning. This article really solidified that decision and almost had us forgoing the three presents all together. We decided to keep the three gifts for each child and also asked grandparents and other family to keep it at three gifts or less if they can too. I love this article on sweet activities for Christmas day to get the focus off of the gifts. Kirkley heard somewhere about lots of presents and asked if she was getting lots from Santa. I explained Jesus got three presents, and she dropped it.


This was also the first year I attempted a pre-Christmas toy purge with Kirkley -- her room is busting at the seams. It was hard! It seemed like an abstract concept for a three year old -- gathering old toys for those that need them. The questions fired away, "Who doesn't have any toys?" "Why don't they have any toys?" "Does Ford have any toys?" I made it out of her room with one little sack of stuffed animals to take to Mission Thrift and one pouty little girl! Which opened the door to talk about 2 Corinthians 9:7b, "God loves a cheerful giver" and an almost daily favorite, Proverbs 15:13a, "A happy heart makes the face cheerful." We took them to the thrift store together, and she looked all around for the children that needed them. :) We'll try this again pre-birthday! We've really lacked as parents in teaching about the importance of giving to those in need. I'm hoping this concept isn't so abstract next year!?

Our favorite fun things we (the parents) love...can't wait to look back at this one day and see what our kids think our traditions are...

Decorating the tree right after Thanksgiving. This was always done by Alex and I (and last year I was very pregnant and we had the help of my aunts!) the evening of Thanksgiving while we watched Elf, but this year with Kirkley old enough to help, we wanted to switch it to the morning and she of course picked Rudolph and Frosty to watch. We slacked getting this done this year, but both agree, we'll be doing it the morning after Thanksgiving from now on! :)

Kirkley has always built a gingerbread house with Alex in the weeks before Christmas. This year I think we're switching teams and doing a boys vs. girls building competition!
My mom and grandmother take Kirkley to the Teddy Bear Tea. This was a first last year and became an instant tradition. They go this week!
I have a sweet friend that does a CHRISTmas cookie tree party for us to swing by and grab cookies off of. They have a tree in their front yard covered in bagged cut-out cookies of Christmas symbols and all with a tagged explanation of how the Christmas symbol relates to Christ's birth. This is a sweet night that we'll ride by, grab cookies, then continue riding and looking at lights! I need to grab pics this year!

All of the Christmas programs have been a sweet addition to our Christmas season. Between CBS, choir, Sunday school, and preschool, there are so many sweet influences in her life outside of us pointing her to the Reason for the season!
We want to stay at our own house for Christmas while the kids are young. So far we've been able to do so. On Christmas Eve, we get our cookies ready for Santa and our cake decorated for Jesus's birthday. Cookies are baked (and usually in the freezer well before) so we can just decorate. I'll have a mix angelfood cake in a star pan ready for Kirkley to help decorate with cool whip for an easy Happy Birthday Jesus cake.

We then attend the Christmas Eve service at our church. Last year's was especially sweet taking in our new one. Alex dropped me off with the kids to go park, we took the elevator up, and as soon as we walked out into the balcony, the power went off. I was grateful to not be in the elevator with them at that moment, and we enjoyed a candlelight service!

After the Christmas Eve service, we head home to host an easy Italian dinner (thanks to Provino's salad and Stouffer's lasagna) with whatever family is in town and Jesus's birthday cake. Our first married Christmas together was spent in New York City -- we didn't pick a family to spend it with, we just aggravated them all by heading out together! Our first Christmas dinner was in a family-style Italian restaurant so we keep the Italian going!After dinner and cake/singing, we do the whole cookies for Santa, read The Night Before Christmas, and tuck in. Then Santa gets busy putting together toys!

Christmas morning we video the kids coming out to see their gifts. The past two years, eating Santa's leftover cookies has been more exciting than the gifts. She's already asked if I think he'll share with her again. After the hubub of gifts, we settle down to read the Christmas story. Then later in the morning we have whatever family is in town over for brunch and play the video.

Christmas dinner with the fam is at my mom's after naps by all! :) I think our big boy will really love him some Christmas dinner this year!

So there's a rundown of traditions we're trying to put into play. Nothing really original, and all collected from a little bit of everywhere -- I might have stolen yours! I'd love to hear some of your favorites. I have friends who have big enough families to act out the first Christmas, others that go caroling together, etc. What traditions have become your favorites??

Anyone else plagued by the Santa/no Santa debate? We have a long while to discuss for next year -- the issue is not dropped in our house (not shocking, I know). We found it hard to keep the balance this year. Gifts, Santa, etc. are so flashy compared to the celebration our Savior's humble beginnings. Lots of time to think on it till next year! :)