Wednesday, November 30, 2011

'Tis the Season for Family Fun and Tradition

I love the holidays! Sure, some years are better than others financially, but the spirit of the season always captures me.

I love the idea of taking a drive and looking at the wonderful home decorations with my family, and I actually like the hustle and bustle of the crowds doing last-minute shopping. Seems funny, doesn't it? Any other time, I hate crowds, but not during the holidays!

A few years back, my husband started the tradition of cooking our Thanksgiving turkey and our Christmas ham on the charcoal grill. It started out as a necessity--since our oven was broken--but it became a tradition that we all love. There's something about grilling the meat that adds a lot of flavor, and it doesn't take any longer to roast the turkey or ham outside. Also, it allows me to use the oven for other parts of the meal...like dessert!

Another tradition that I treasure is decorating the tree with my husband and my two boys. I definitely don't have a designer tree, but I love it just the same. I have a terrific mishmash of decorations...some made by my boys, some that hold sentimental value, and some that were given as gifts. It's so much fun to unwrap each ornament and reminisce about our Christmas memories.

When I was growing up, one of our traditions was to decorate our tree with lights and bulbs, then add tinsel...one piece at a time! That's one tradition I haven't continued with my own family. I'm not sure if it's because I don't really like tinsel or because I've hung my life's quota already. Regardless, my boys have never asked about tinsel, and I never offered it up!

One tradition that caught on in my own family is the Christmas Eve present. It's always the same. The tradition originally started because the boys begged to open a gift on Christmas Eve. I obliged because I wanted the boys to look half-way decent for pictures in the morning. The compromise, and now the tradition? Pajama pants!

What about you and your family? What are some of your holiday traditions? I'd love for you to share them with us...no matter which holiday(s) you celebrate!

-Lisa Bakewell






2 comments:

  1. We start off the Christmas season with celebrating St. Nicholas Day. My mom is from Germany and my dad is from Holland, I wanted to share with my boys a little about their customs.
    The boys each have a wooden shoes which they put out the night before St. Nicholas day, we read The Bakers Dozen and watch a Veggie Tales movie about the real Santa Claus and then in the morning they get a baggie of gold coins (chocolate), a walnut and an orange.
    It's a lot of fun and they enjoy it!

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  2. That's really cool, Steph! I love reading about other families' traditions. I actually have friends who celebrate St. Nicholas Day, but, until I moved to IL from MI, I hate to admit that I didn't know anything about it.

    -Lisa Bakewell

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