Christmas traditions

It seems that Christmastime has more traditions than any other time of year.  Most of us probably have lots of happy Christmas memories and there is a certain comfort and nostalgia of doing the same things year after year.  Now that we are parents it really feels important to make some Christmas traditions of our own.  These first few years at least, we get to establish so much of Luke's thoughts and memories of these big holidays.  Eventually he'll go to school and start hearing about what other kids do but for now, it's all us.  It's pretty exciting to think about.

Much of our holidays still revolve around spending time with both of our extended families.  We've had 2 big gatherings already and will be busy today and tomorrow as well.   But in our pre-baby lives and now with Luke too we've continued and started a few of our own traditions.

1) Felt Stockings

If it were up to Matt we'd just have the red & white basic stockings; he'd be perfectly ok with that.  But my family did it a little differently. 

My Mom made all us girls and my Dad felt applique stockings (from kits) and my sister made one for my Mom.  My (super) aunt has also made them for all 23 grandkids and 11 great-grandkids for Christmas with my Mom's side.  Of course when we got our own house I was going to make our stockings.  I don't have real strong sewing skills but it's pretty basic, just time consuming.  I finished mine our first married Christmas and Matt's the second (I'm not the fastest sewer).  Now Luke has one too (actually 3, like me, one here, one at my parents', and one in Ohio).  It makes me so happy to see our stockings all together.

(fact: my stocking in Ohio is the exact same as my sister's at my parents'.)


2) Stockings on Boxing Day
Every Christmas Eve/Christmas Day since we've been married have been pretty busy going between both sets of parents' houses, Matt working (5 of the first 6 Christmases we were married) and maybe sleeping.  By the time we'd finally get home on Christmas Day evening we'd be tired and not really in the mood for opening more gifts.  We started opening our stockings at home on Boxing Day (the 26th) and have decided it's something we're going to stick with for now.  Nice to have one last "surprise" after Christmas Day.

3) Chinese on Christmas Eve Eve
Most of our big meals Christmas Eve & Day are at one of our parents' houses with lots of snacking inbetween.  So we do our "special" Christmas meal on Christmas Eve Eve.  We get Chinese from our favorite place and then Matt sits through a Christmas movie with me (I let him pick from the few we have...this year it was It's a Wonderful Life).  It's nice to have a little decompress special time before our days get really busy.  And there is something Christmas-y about Chinese...maybe because they are one of the few restaurants open on Christmas around here?  I don't know.  It just seems appropriate.  Plus then we get leftovers for whatever meal we are home for on Christmas Eve and Day.  Win win win.

4) Midnight (or Midnight-ish) Mass

For as long as we've been dating and married we've been going to Midnight Mass together (or Midnight-ish mass for those of us who prefer to go to bed a little earlier).  It's not crazy like the Christmas Eve children Masses (which seriously terrify me) and you still get to sleep in unlike Christmas morning Mass.  There is always a lot of singing and it's fun to be at church so late.  I know we'll probably have to put this one on hold a few years with Luke but someday we'll start going again.

5) Picture with all my presents

my first Christmas presents - 5 months old

My Mom started doing these with my sisters and I when we were babies and I still do them.  Even at 30 (I haven't done this year's yet but I have every year we've been married and plan to this year).  It is a nice way to look back and see what I got when. (In the above picture I still have all the stuffed animals, the piggy bank, the stocking, the duck bath toy, the pink background blanket, and the 2 Christmas ornaments.)  These have even settled some arguments between my sisters and I about who certain items actually belong to.  I definitely plan to do this with Luke every year he'll let me. 


I know we'll develop more of our own traditions with Luke as he grows.   It's exciting to think that we could be shaping traditions for him that he'll keep most of his life. 



MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!