Christmas Traditions

When I was first married my mom gave me a book to read that was a self help happy marriage book. In that book it suggested to fill your home with pictures of you and your spouse, your family etc. Things that depict the good times and the love you have shared over the years. As my family grew the importance of family traditions to help create some of those moments became obvious. So I made a concentrated effort to build family traditions. Family traditions don't have to be huge expensive productions, just something your family does that holds some meaning every year. For us we have a few for the other Holidays. We have always watched fireworks together as a family for the 4th of July, we go to church on Easter and then my mom and/or dad's for an Easter egg hunt for the kids and dinner on Easter, we carve pumpkins and I bake the seeds for Halloween, but Christmas though has the most traditions. Every since Lizard and Bear were small we have decorated and baked cookies together. We all look forward to the fun and the yummy treats. Another tradition is going to go look at Christmas lights as often as possible. Now this has gotten a little more costly thanks to gas prices but still a fave. We load up, turn on Christmas music, sometimes bring along some cocoa and go. We look in some of the neighborhoods known for putting up lights and go to the actual displays as well. Coyote remembered this tradition from last year and when she saw the lights going up around a business center near us before Thanksgiving she squealed with excitement with the anticipation of going to look at lights.   We of course had to explain that it wasn't time yet, that they were just working on it. We have gone on a few spins now and she is just in love with them. She says it looks like candy. Another tradition is that every year we pick a day, usually Christmas eve, and spend all day watching our fave Christmas movies. On Christmas Eve night my husband tells the story of Christs birth and we have cake and sing happy birthday to Jesus. Then that night the kids are allowed to open 1 gift. We of course have Santa for the little ones but he only gives small things in their stockings. No bikes from Santa here. Christmas morning my husbands parents come over and we have homemade Blueberry coffee cake ( I rarely make it outside of Christmas morning making it an extra special treat) and open presents. Then off to the races of going to my mom's house and then my dad's. These traditions are small but are something brings us together. They remind us of the joy of being a family that is sometimes is over looked in the day to day of life.This year I am wanting to add creating awesome DIY gifts for my kids to give to their cousins.  Of course I am using Pinterest to inspire this new tradition. Well that is all for now thank you for reading.