Jude 2

This is the season for traditions...
Things that you do every year that for some insane reason it isn't Christmas without doing them.

Every Christmas it seems that I somehow got shanghighed (I can't spell) into making a gingerbread house and my son gets to decorate it. I know I could say, "no" but...I am a sucker for sad faces.
Last year I was pulling about 70 hours a week and didn't get a chance to make one...and it was "the year without a gingerbread house".
So...I got one knocked out this past weekend and he just smiled himself silly while he and his new stepmom decorated it.

(my wife and son)




What traditions do you perform every year?

Not a tradition, but my daughter like me likes to bake.
Maybe it will become a tradition.

That is awesome, I am impressed! We make gingerbread cookies and decorate them with candy, but I have never attempted a "real" gingerbread house. Wow, you can tell your son that turned out really nice!

We made one when I was a kid. Mom stored it in the attic with the rest of the decor. The squirrels got to it and snacked all year long it appeared. Not much was left of the house by the time Thanksgiving rolled around the following year.

That is one sweet gingerbread house!

Cute family. Cool gingerbread house. Congratulations on both.

JohnDB wrote:What traditions do you perform every year?

Christmas Eve night, we unwrap 1 present (pajamas) and then sleep in the front room by the Christmas tree. A couple years back, my son is sure that he saw Santa walking down our hallway.

Our family unwraps one present on Christmas Eve, then the rest at 5 am Christmas Day. At least that's how early it was when I was a kid 'cuz I'd be up all night too excited to sleep. It moved to a later time as I've gotten older.

The past few years we've been trying to establish a new tradition of observing Advent and making an Advent Wreath.

Its funny how as years go by you change from one tradition to another.

We had one tradition when my kids were small and that was usually..wait to open gifts on Christmas morning when Santa has arrived.
Me..I always had to have the camera ready. Making sure I was out of bed.
The rest of the day was left in visiting my sister picking up my B'day gift and I'd give her her Christmas gift. (I felt bad not exchanging gifts..lol)
Having my Mom for dinner. (memories) B'day cake and folks over.

When my kids had my grandkids.. Then I'd always bake cookies..all sorts of cookies. Special ones for the grandchildren. Snowmen, Santa, Bells etc..
We'd always have a Christmas eve..starting with a Ham dinner and all the fixing's..
we'd run out of chairs at the table and my son in law with his small behind would sit on the step stool at the table. That became known as his seat. (laughing thinking back on it)
After dinner about 6:30 or so..everyone would open their gifts. We'd have snacks..w/punch. By 10 o'clock night had came to an end.
They'd go home to wait for santa at their house.

Next day.. my B'day, we always had a celebration all over again.

Now..those grandkids have kids and their life style has to be split between parents and in laws. (but I also have a younger age of grandkids)

God has been good to me over the years. Can't complain.
We still do a big dinner somewhere and B'day cake for me. I'm never left out just because my day comes on the King of kings day!
I've received some great gifts from my husband who has always remembered me and made me feel special!!

We started a tradition when our youngest kids were 1 and Roy was 5. On the weekend before Christmas, we would go through ALL of their toys and clothes and pick out many items to be given away. They would all be in good condition - it was NOT a way to get rid of any broken "junk".


Then, on Christmas Eve, before we gathered to open our gifts, we would load everything up and go to the home of a family(s) that were not going to have much for Christmas.


Being in a small town and managing a grocery store allowed us to have knowledge of who needed help, whether they asked or not.



We would leave the items on their porch, along with food for a Christmas dinner, knock, and then run as fast as we could so we weren't seen.



The kids LOVED the giving and looked forward to this and started making their choices weeks before Christmas. Many times they would put certain toys away in a "safe" place so they wouldn't get broken when friends cave over to play because they wanted to be sure and share certain items with others for Christmas.


Our 2 kids who have kids of their own are continuing this giving tradition. It makes a dad/papa PROUD!!!

my kids were excited this year, we spent a little more time at my parents house at Thanksgiving, and they got to take part in a couple of old family traditions in preparing for Christmas, icing sugar cookies (multiple colors of icing and all the artistic and creativity you can muster) and also wrapping carmels (My mom makes homeade carmels every year at Christmas, her grandmother's recipe) my sister and I have always helped cut and wrap, but this year the kids helped wrap too, they were excited, I even had my son get on to me when he found out we wrapped another pan after sending him to bed one night instead of waking him up to help!

Growing up, we never did Santa (Mama always said, if I tell you Jesus is real, and I tell you Santa is real, then you find out Santa ISN'T real, then how will you believe me about Jesus?). I think we had MORE fun with Santa because it was a story and a game to us. "We'd better hurry up and get into bed! I think I hear reindeer on the roof! *giggle giggle*"

Then we would sing Happy Birthday to Jesus before opening our presents on Christmas morning.

My husband's family had a tradition of making a little wooden manger, and placing a small bale of straw beside it. Everyone tries to secretly do something nice for a family member, and when they do, they get to put a piece of straw in the manger. The goal is to have a nice soft bed of straw for the baby Jesus to lay in on Christmas morning.

When our kids are older, I want to incorporate the two traditions!