The holidays are approaching!

[peekawho]

What are your holiday traditions?  What special things do you do with your family and children to help them remember the "reason behind the season" and to help them develop warm memories of your family holidays?

[peekawho]

All of the Peek family traditions involve food.  So its no doubt why I got into the shape I did!

[BabyHardiman]

Cool question!  I need some ideas.  =)

[peekawho]

I wondered about this after watching Jon and Kate the other day...she always has such fun things she does with her kids, developing family traditions for each holiday.

If I were her, with all those kids...I think I would just lay there in a lump all day.  How does she do it?

[kjbutcher]

I thought I'd share what my husband and I did with the santa presents last year (and plan to do this year).  Since our son was 3 months last year and 15 months this year, we decided to shop seperately for him.  He bought half of the gifts and I bought half.  I help AJ open the ones from my husband and he opens the ones from me.  It keeps the surprise in it and helped us have a fun time even though AJ had no idea what was going on.  

[CYW]

Well last year was awkward because my grandmother wasnt around. But we always got together x-mas eve and ate some food.. LOTSA food...and around 8 we would open gifts....(when i was younger it was at 12am-until my new cousins came around and things changed because they let them open their gifts) we all had a stocking..the kids...including me!! hehe...i remember whining one year because i didnt have a colouring book...lol...my poor gramma i was 20...right before i foung out i was pregnant...there i am being a suck...ahh the memories...

my gramma would all buy us some xmas scratch tickets and after the lil kids were in bed around 11 we would allscratch our tickets and play cards or some games and EAT!!! lol


xmas day my dad would make breakfast for everyone and my mom would make toasts and my gramma would cook the eggs...we had tuckey and ham and mashed poatatoes etc for supper...yummy food... well i hate turkey...

last year was different...we had xmas at my moms...it was nice but was definately different...my ex and i had went to his moms for supper the night before xmas and slept there and opened cam;s gifts...then off to my moms...

it was definately one emotional year last year...my mom had made xmas ornaments with my grammas pictures...for everyone and i made a movie with alot of her pictures...it was really nice..really sweet...

this year, well i promised my ex mil that xmas day cameron would be there...:S i did this last year...xmas is at my aunts about 20 mins away from here so my parents are coming in on xmas eve for a sleep over and gift openings and then from what i know, since i AM spending the xmas day with my son as well...we are going over at her place for supper...we will see though...

traditions...i dont know...it seems as though we have lost all of ours..but i have began my own...buying an ornament every year for cameron...i got one with his name on it...and baby's 2nd xmas...very sweet.

[babyprayers]

well my mom died on 12/22 and my dad died christmas eve 5 years later, so christmas has always been hard. but we did the  normal traditional things, however, last year I found out on christmas eve I was pregnant,. this year,,,, My girls are getting dedicated on christmas eve, the minister of the church agreed to it for christmas eve, I am so excited, I feel it will be really special and in memory of grandma and grandpa who will never meet their granddaughters. as a kid we always a huge family get together.  

[Renogirl]

My mom always let us open one gift on Christmas Eve - that she picked - miracle of all Christmas miracles, she always picked a present that had pajamas in it - usually a red flannel gown with the granny cap to match - and we got to wear them to bed and for pictures Christmas morning - she is already making a red flannel gown and granny cap for Abby this year - so guess that tradition moves on - lol

Our Christmas this year will be so special not just because of Abby but we are going HOME for Christmas - going to New Jersey for a couple of days to see hubby's family and then on to Ohio to see mine - this will be my first time to be home for Christmas in five years!!!!!!!!  I cannot wait!!!  Christmas at home has a lot of food traditions, sweet potatoes with marshmallows and Mom always makes homemade yeast rolls - when my grandmother was alive, she always made one extra big roll and gave it to Granny - Granny has been gone for 25 years now and Mom still makes a granny roll and its a special reminder to whoever gets the granny roll from the basket!

[Cheyenne_08]

Christmas morning, Mike Ashtyn and I have our christmas together. We get him up at 6 am, and do our individual christmas because we have to be at Mike's mom's by 8am. So, then at Mike's mom's we have breakfast and open presents. Then, around 4 in the afternoon, we head to my parent's and eat dinner, and open presents. I take presents for Ashtyn to each christmas so that he does not get bored sitting around for an hour or two opening all the presents from his dad and I and we can space them out. This worked great last year and we plan to do things the same way this year as well. Also, on christmas eve we sprinkle "reindeer food" all over the front lawn (sprinkles, fruity peebles, glitter, and oatmeal) so that the reindeer have something to eat.

[vsentz]

Well my family tradition is put on about 10 pounds each.
We like FOOD... and everything involves yummy things my mom cooks.
Usually they are here with us on the holidays, so we put the Xmas tree together, play some holiday music, die laughing.... =))
We visit some good friends (she's latina married to american as well) of ours, spend Xmas eve and open presents there (again... EATING!).
Then we go see grandpa (our 86 year old womanizer 'grandpa Sentz') on Xmas day and open presents there while.... guessed it... EATING! =)
Then we go to visit our friends again and drink.... and EAT! LOL
This year with Maddie, I am not so sure we'll be jumping from place to place, but sure as hell is gonna be THE BESTESTEST OF THE BEST XMAS I have ever had in my life!!!! =))))))
I'll dress her up and we'll let her open her first Santa present! =))
My finger is gonna hurt from snapping all those pictures! =)))