Holiday Traditions (Friday Five)

Tulsa, OK  -  Route 66 Half

I'm linking up today with the DC Trifecta for Friday Five. 

 

Today's topic is Holiday Traditions. 

I haven't posted anything about Christmas, so 

I thought I'd take this opportunity!   We have many

traditions but I only listed five (just following the rules).



Disney World 

Letters to Santa

My mother-in-law started this long ago.  After thanksgiving dinner, all of the grandchildren write letters to Santa.  The first few years they were thrown into the fire.  How else would they travel to the North Pole?  At some point, she realized she wanted to keep them.  She began making up an excuse to burn them later (too warm for a fire tonight kids!). We got them out this Thanksgiving and it was so funny to see what they had written when they were younger.  The kids now range from teens to thirties...and they still write their letters.



Candy Making Weekend

My two kids at home (teens!) help me make candy, cookies and other goodies.  Some years, I even let them invent their own.  Some of our favorites include White Chocolate PB Ritz, Puppy Chow, Candied Pecans, Honeycomb Candy, Peanut Butter Cornflake Balls, Haystacks, Chocolate Peanut Clusters, Yee Haw Toffee...you name it, we've probably made it.  Oh, and eaten it!


Ornaments from Travels

I started this on our honeymoon way back in the dark ages {wink-wink}. I buy an ornament from every place we visit.  It brings back wonderful memories when I see them hanging on our tree.  I've missed a few places because I just couldn't find one, or they looked so hideous I couldn't put them on my tree.  I do have standards, well somewhat. A few are scattered in this post.

New York, NY          Williamsburg, VA          St. John, USVI



Countdown to Christmas

We've had this chalkboard in our house forever.  It's pretty beat up, eh?  It is the exact same spot every year.  It's funny when your decorations find a spot in the house, they never move.  You can't change tradition, right?  My youngest is still in charge of counting down the days. 




The Big Event

Monarch Mountain, CO


It is all about family.  We spend Christmas Eve at my in-laws, enjoying appetizers and exchanging gifts.  We play games and it gets loud and wacky...a very fun time.  When the kids were little, we watched for (and found!) Santa in the sky on the long drive back home. On Christmas morning we open stockings, see what Santa left and exchange gifts within our immediate family.  My DIL makes a wonderful breakfast casserole and takes that burden off of me (and I so appreciate that!).  I then host Christmas Dinner for my side of the family.  I took over for my Mother about 10 years ago, when it became too difficult.  We eat early, exchange gifts, and have a dessert course later in the afternoon.  It is a long, crazy, wild & wonderful two days spent with family.  My sister stays with us during the holidays and helps me stay sane...um, that may be up for discussion.

 

 

 

Thanks to Eat Pray Run DC, You Signed Up For What?!, & Mar on the Run! for hosting the Friday Five.  

 

 

What is your favorite tradition?  Happy Holidays!