In our ninth year of marriage, Ryan and I have yet to create some really wonderful holiday traditions, the kind that our kids will look back on fondly and force their future spouses to continue. We were talking about it with Mr. & Mrs. Smith the other day and Mrs. Smith said that she takes the calendar and writes in a Christmasey activity EVERY SINGLE DAY. Sometimes it’s something little like making Christmas cookies or driving around to look at lights, and sometimes it’s bigger, like going to a Christmas concert. I wish I had known this before November 7, because I totally would have voted for her to be President of Everything.
From the time we were newlyweds, we have been meaning to come up with some really great ideas, but somehow we never got around to it because……..well, I don’t really know why. I think every time I sat down to plan something, I ended up watching Party of Five re-runs instead.
Last year, we finally did something worthy of re-visiting. We went tubing at Soldier Hollow, and the pure glee on our children’s faces as they flew down the hill, frozen snot strewn across their cheeks, was the highlight of my entire season.
So, after nine years, we have one tradition. And we can’t even really call it a tradition since we’ve only done it once. It’s like a tradition-in-training. With approximately 30 days between Thanksgiving and Christmas, I only have one good idea. Wait, I just remembered—my mom sings in an annual Christmas concert. That’s two. Oh goodie, 1/15th of my season is planned!
At this point, I’m willing to beg, borrow, and steal your ideas, especially those of you who have wee peoples in tow. What are your Christmas season traditions?
my brother is always trying to make up holiday traditions – like bowling on Thanksgiving day (we did repeat that a few times but it has fallen out of fashion of late) or watching Space Ghost Coast to Coast on Christmas Eve (this happened once but somehow he is counting it as a tradition) and I think there is one that involves a late night at Denny’s but I don’t think I was actually there for that one. So my point is, if you want family tubing to be your tradition – claim it and make it your own, a tradition can be whatever you want no matter how often you end up doing it.
But just in case you want something more, here is one we started in recent years after discovering Christmas can be really awkward with 4 adult children at home with nothing planned: The Ugly Christmas Slide Show, a fun and absurdly amatuerish powerpoint presentation with a collection of pictures from Christmas morning and other holiday events – the best ones include half opened eyes, pjs, messy hair and outdated clothes. Most photos are accompanied by quotes and snarky comments (like my sister trying on a particularly ugly sweater from the late 80s with the caption “my cat gave me this sweater”). Oh, we also started a Christmas Eve madlibs tradition and pj bottoms from Old Navy. Good times.
For many years we have caroled in our neighborhood on the back of a flat bed trailer behind a pick up truck driven by Dad. He plants “Mr. Heater” in the middle of the trailer, and a coleman lantern on a stand. Sometimes we have guitar accompaniment. Once or twice we’ve had an accordian. We sit on bales of hay and sing our hearts out. Some or all of us trapse (where’s the spell check?) into the local old folks home and sing a couple of carols. We end up somewhere for hot chocolate after unless we jump ship and walk home before the party’s over. Some of the kids prefer to skate board or roller blade along side, and they’re nice enough to ring door bells and make sure at least some people hear us. They stand freezing in their doorways and listen to us and wave us on with a “merry christmas”.
And yes, I beg my family to come to at least one Christmas concert each year. I’ll put in a plug for one because I know you will love it and you can bring the whole family. It’s the South Jordan Community Christmas Concert, “Sounds of the Season”, Friday, Dec. 2nd, 7:30 p.m. at Bingham High. Santa will make an appearance and it is a really fun program. Suggested donations appreciated: $1 per person or $5 per family.
Christmas is all about music to me.
Then, Tiff, you didn’t mention the tradition you are roped into because you’re part of the family: making a gift for the person whose name you are given each year, and gathering for the gift exchange and a taco salad dinnera week or so before Christmas day. Now, be honest, it’s a lot of fun isn’t it? … if you get your gift finished before the party begins. Everyone know who they have in January, but nearly all of us are rushing to get our gift done in December.
I’m finished. Not really, but I’ll quit.
tubing at soldier hollow is a blast! we have gone the past few januaries. as for christmas traditions, we are looking for one. we always get a real tree and for a few years we even went and chopped one down. but it is just easier to get one a harmons for about $30.00. i love christmas tree lots. other than that…oh well.
When we were young and poor, we started a tradition of giving each of our kids a dollar and taking them to the dollar store where they had to pick out a gift for someone else in the family. We usually did this for the FHE before Christmas.
We would divide up into two teams so that the gifts would remain a surprise. It was so fun hiding from each other as we scoured the isles for those gifts. The dollar store gifts became the traditional Christmas-Eve-one-gift-to-open-before-bed presents.
We have also gone and cut down our own tree–which was a blast when we had friends who got our permit for us. Once we found out what a pain it is to get the permit, we decided that $40 is a really good price for a tree
There are so many things I love about Christmas. On Christmas Eve morning, we take the whole family and go out to breakfast. We’ve always gone to IHOP, but I think the quality of their food has really gone down. We’re trying to talke the kids into trying another breakfast place–but they are really resisting. (I guess that’s the true test of a tradition, eh?)
Freshly baked cinnimon rolls (that would be the Rhodes kind) for Christmas morning breakfast–Yummmmmmm.
Watching It’s a Wonderful Life. Multiple times. “I know I’m going to jail. Isn’t it great!”
But the absolute best–the one tradition I would trade all the others for–is a secret. And that is what makes it the best!
My wife went out and wrecked my new car one Christmas Eve morning a few years back. She was out to pick me up “just one more thing”. Happily, that’s a Christmas tradition she tried only once.
One evening before Christmas, our family goes to the only shopping place in Tooele and everyone chooses a Christmas tree ornament. We put the kid’s initials on their choice and the year. The idea is that when they move away, they will take their own ornaments with them, a starter set of ornaments for their own Christmas tree.
This is not Lindy Lou but will use her comment space. Christmas was always fun with our family even when we were poor as church mice. I loved always trying to have something that nobody else knew about show up on Christmas. I loved our pie project and our family earning the money together for Christmas and then going to the mall together and dividing up and buying for your secret family member. I am glad that Wade introduced eating home made tacos for the Christmas dinner. It tastes so good after all the junk that we eat that day. I love our family gift exchange and the only rule is that “we have to make the gift ourselves”. It is always amazing to me the things that are made and given and the talent in this family. I love that Mom loves to sing and especially in Christmas choirs. I love to go and listen to her sing and see the joy that it brings her. I love going to the Pitts and seeing the nativity and reading the Christmas story together. I love mom’s clam chowder Christmas eve. I love that nobody ever forgets that I bought myself a pistol and put it under the Christmas tree from Santa.