Traditions

I love holiday traditions. Love them. Every year I decorate my tree on the day after Thanksgiving. While doing it, I listen to Johnny Mathis Christmas music, which is what my mom and I listened to always at Christmas time when I was a kid, particularly when we were making no-bake cookies (her specialty back then). I allow my hubby to put on some Charlie Brown Christmas too, since that's his traditional holiday music, and we rock around the Christmas tree. We eat creamed eggs on my family's Christmas morning and my mom and I watch "Heidi."

Last night we opened our home gifts, since we're leaving for the Farm tonight. My hubby and I opened our gifts for each other and Miss opened the gifts for her and Lass that are too big to take with us to be from Santa tomorrow night, like her easel for her learning tower and the big paper pads and box of art supplies that go with it. We also opened the traditional gifts for the girls.

Last year, I started the tradition of giving Miss an ornament every year. I gave her a silver rocking horse ornament with a plaque signifying her first christmas. I got a matching one for Lass this year. Miss's ornament this year is a little snow-baby-type thing, holding a baby that says "I'm the Big Sister." I will continue to get the girls each an ornament every year, relating to something we did during the year.

I got the idea for a new tradition I started this year from my dearest Auntie (she also does the ornament tradition for my cousins, so maybe I got that idea from her too?). My mom told me about it and I thought it was the coolest idea. My Auntie gets each of my cousins a children's book every year for Christmas that relates to something significant that happened in their life that year. So, not only do my cousins have all these cool books from her that commemorate their lives and contain a note from my aunt, when they have kids they will have a great start on a fabulous library for their little ones! I love this idea so much I had to start it with my girls, and I even gave Miss a book for last year. For last year I got her the beautiful book "On the Night You Were Born."

Her book for this year is "Big Sister."

And she opened Lass's book, "On the Day You Were Born."

I am so excited about the idea of getting an ornament and a book for my girls for each year. My favorite part of it is the note I wrote inside each of the books. I hope they will love these books always. This year I also started two other traditions. I will give the girls new jammies to wear on Christmas Eve (you can see these in my last post) and also will try to get a picture of them with Santa. This year, I was not terribly successful with this second tradition, despite trying twice. On my first attempt, I took the girls to a craft show where they had a Santa. Miss was very interested in Santa, but did not want to get close to him. She was so timid, I didn't try to push her too much to sit on his lap by herself, so I just sat next to Santa with both of the girls on my lap.

Then when we were visiting my parents last week I took Miss and Lass to the story time at the library (my mom is the children's librarian). They had a Santa come to story time and give gifts to the kids.

Miss was still kind of shy, but I thought I'd let her try to sit on his lap. Okay, I didn't really let her try, I picked her up and plunked her on his lap just long enough to get this photo.
That Santa sure does look enthused! Tonight we leave for the farm. Some traditions for my husband's family include having oyster stew and chili on Christmas Eve and having Santa come, as described in my last post. Tradition makes me feel nostalgic and warm and fuzzy. I'm sure my girls and I will continue to add other traditions in years to come. Perhaps making and decorating Christmas cookies will be one. That's my project with Miss for today!