Christmas Traditions

Ever since I can remember, we have always put our Christmas tree up the afternoon of Thanksgiving.  Mom would make a big meal, dad would nap, and then we would hound him until he finally got the tree and lights up.  I think it was his favorite tradition. Not.  When we were older, we started putting the tree up the Friday after Thanksgiving.  This is what we do too.  Although since I've started working outside the home and have Tuesdays off, I put the tree up in our family room downstairs and decorate.  I LOVE that!

The girls help with all the other decorations and the other 3 trees we put up.  Our family room tree is the wildlife/outdoorsy style tree.  (See the pheasant and ducks back there???)  The living room tree is filled with ornaments that we've collected over the years for Brad and I and the girls.  I have a tall thin tree in our entryway that has the girls' homemade ornaments on it, and another similar tree in the dining room/kitchen that has candy and baked good ornaments.  I LOVE my trees.  I plan on putting one in our bedroom next year with all my racing medals on it!!!

 When we put up decorations, we crank the Christmas tunes and drink hot apple cider.

I love this pic, this is what you see if you're standing on our front porch...

 

You have to have several mugs of hot chocolate of course!

 

Making a gingerbread house is a must.  It always cracks me up how all 3 of the them start making it, but Rachel eventually takes over the duties and barks orders to the other 2.  Classic. And sometimes, hot glue is needed, just sayin...

We always like to make some homemade things for friends.  The girls had a lot of fun this year coming up with ideas.  Oh wait, they came up with ideas and I vetoed them because I already had it all planned out.  Wonder where Rachel's bossiness comes from???

The elusive cut outs.  I seriously don't know why we make these, no one eats them. 

We also watch every Christmas movie known to man....our favorites are National Lampoons Christmas Vacation, Elf, The Grinch and my fave, The Family Stone.  That is always one of my saddest parts of Christmas being over, not watching the movies.

Christmas morning we make the girls stay in their rooms until 6, which gives Brad and I some time to relax and drink coffee.  Love that!  I always make cinnamon rolls for breakfast and Brad makes eggs and liver sausage (nasty).  The last couple years we have gone to mass Christmas morning at 9:30 instead of Christmas Eve.  We really enjoyed having more time on Christmas Eve, and since they are up at the butt crack of dawn, 9:30 service isn't so bad...