What we did this Christmas that I hope to continue for years to come:
Cruise a nearby neighborhood where each house is lit up like a winter wonderland. We get the kids all cozy in their PJs and make a loop or two. We probably make this drive 3-4 times per week. I love to take drives and the kids love looking at the Christmas lights. This is definitely a win-win outing.
Letting the kids pick out a new ornament each year. This year Big Brother chose a fancy looking bus that says “relax” on it. Little Sister chose a larger than life pink swirly candy ornament. For my husband and I? An Eiffel Tower ornament. I wrote our respective names and the year on them with a Sharpie.
The kids decorated our Christmas tree. After assembling and fluffing out our fake Christmas tree, my husband and I were beat. The kids were so excited to put the ornaments on, so we let them have at it. They didn’t stop until every last ornament was hung. Sure the decorations were relegated to the bottom half of the tree and some branches had three ornaments clumped on it but it still looked beautiful.
I was surprised that I didn’t have the urge to rearrange or “fix” the tree. Nope, not this year. I actually love our fake and clumpy Christmas tree.
What did you do this Christmas that you hope to continue for Christmases to come?
I love your idea of letting the kids pick out their own ornament. Too cute!
Sounds like the beginning of some wonderful traditions! I'm so impressed that you let the kids decorate the tree and then left it that way! Marvelous!
the girls each get a new ornament that represents them for that year. we have been making some sort of gingerbread kit, too. this year was a train that we bought at target.
Thank you for this post! It reminded me of traditions we had that I had forgotten! We used to do all of those things, look at lights, get a new ornament, and decorate the tree
I couldn't wait to read a "fake and clumpy" post! We do ornaments, too, and I love looking at them all every year (I have mine from when I was a little girl.)
We also decorate sugar cookies, complete with mammoth piles of sprinkles that don't stick on the cookies, because Abbey doesn't use enough icing
They're still cute!
We just soaked up our daughter's unadulterated joy. I hope we get to do that for many years to come.
Merry Christmas!
Fake and Clumpy…I love it! I let the kids pick out a new ornament each year, too. We drive around and look at houses that are all lit up, read "The Night Before Christmas" before bed on Christmas Eve, and have two different advent countdown things, so they switch off who does each one after dinner each night.
And they still like to do these things, even though they are older!
Merry Christmas to you!
getting out own Xmas tree (fortunately there was not snow, and we were able to take the toddler along in a back carrier), it was so much fun!!!
decorating the tree of course.
making xmas cookies. we invited my son's "girlfriend" and they had so much fun! i let them pour and mix and knead and roll out and cut, we didnt even notice how 4 hrs went by! made for a good nap too.
reading the night before xmas on the night before xmas.
making ornaments. i bought these 5 cent wooden shapes at michaels and gave my son some paint and a brush, then we hung them on the tree.
this year on our trip to colorado we took Polar Express. it was a lot of fun, they served hot cocoa, we sang carols, saw santa and at the end everyone got a bell from santas sleigh. FUN!!!
We always drive around to look at Christmas lights, it's so much fun to see how creative and festive some people are. I really like the idea of letting the kids choose an ornament every year. I'll try it with my daughter next year when she will be almost two years old.
Thanks for visiting me! I love the clumpy Christmas Tree! This year we set out luminaries on Solstice for the first time. It was so fun and sweet and my tot loved it. We will definitely be doing this every year.
Love your blog!
Best,
Tina
That's great that you came up with some new traditions. Loved them!
That's what I love about Xmas.
The kids…and how I can help to give them the kind of Xmas I always wished for.
Cookies and all.
Peace and love to you, dear Dr. Mom.
Lovely getting to know you.
I love Christmas! When my husband and I first were married, we decided to buy a Christmas ornament from every trip or big adventure. We've kept it up for 15 years and our tree is full of memories. The kids ask me about each ornament as they hang it on the tree, or they share the ones that they remember. It makes decorating the tree a walk down memory lane. I love it!
They decorate their bedroom trees and then help on the big ones, but I haven't been able to let them do it all yet. Wayne and I dig decorating it way too much! We're bigger kids than they are, I'm afraid!