Things We Love to Do Each Year for Christmas

I actually had it in mind to do this before I got the Christmas Traditions Tag, but we had

to wait on the gingerbread house :)
(Christmas overload, I know, I love the season though!)

How do you explain to your curious child how SANTA comes in the house when they say..."but we don't have a chimney."?

We have this "special" key that only works for SANTA to unlock our door.

CHOCOLATE calendars!!!! My kids LOVE these. Grandma usually makes sure we get them.

The Gingerbread House. Ah, that's always a story. This was actually the second attempt. Luke destroyed the first one and I couldn't go without one.

"I'll run and run as fast as I can, you can't catch me I'm the Gingerbread Man." We love to make gingerbread cookies. The magic really begins when the children go to bed. They can't believe how the cookies come alive after they've gone to bed and hide somewhere in the house with foot-prints and a clue left behind.

The Polar Express. This is something we do multiple times through-out the week. And of course it wouldn't be The Polar Express without a cup of hot cocoa!

CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS TAG


1. Egg nog or Hot chocolate? Hot Chocolate.....YUMMY!

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? Wraps the presents unless it's too BIG to wrap.

3. Colored lights on a tree/house or white? White lights, but I know the kids really like COLORED.

4. Do I hang mistletoe? OOOHHH.... I haven't. Good idea, thanks!

5. When do I put up my decorations? When my dear hubby can pencil me in. Usually first week of December.

6. What is my favorite holiday dish? HAM.....love the ham. Actually pretty much all of it. Especially when I'm prego.....can't eat enough!!

7. Favorite holiday memory as a child? Visiting with all the family. Wondering if Santa fulfilled my request and of course sleeping in the same room as my sisters.

8. When and how did I learn the truth about Santa? I honestly don't remember. Come to a surprise to some of you ;) !

9. Do we open a Christmas gift on Christmas Eve? PJ's on Christmas eve and gifts on Christmas morning.

10. How do I decorate our tree? I let the children and Scott take control. If anything needs to be adjusted I will do it later!

11. Can I ice skate? Yes, but I don't get to do it that often.

12. Can I remember my favorite gift? Probably my bike. I rode it to school for the first time, after my family and I moved from Provo to Kearns, and I came out to find that someone had stolen my handlebars. I was in second grade. I've had MANY wonderful gifts since then.

13. What is the most important thing about the holidays for me? FAMILY. Understanding the TRUE meaning and not getting caught up in all the hub-bub.

14. What is my favorite holiday dessert? If anyone serves up Strawberry Pie I'll eat it all up. Otherwise I really like sticky chex-mix and anything chocolate.

15. What is my favorite holiday tradition? Being with family and being able to pull off a surprise.

16. What tops my tree? An Angel holding a star.

17. What do I prefer - Giving or receiving? Definetely giving. I LOVE to see their faces when they get something they love and unexpected.
18. What is my favorite Christmas song? Silent Night. (used to be Silver Bells when I was a kid)

19. Candy Canes? Yummmm

I tag: Mom, Sarah Epps, Danielle and Joy

O Christmas Tree

Many people have the tradition of decorating their Christmas tree the weekend or day after Thanksgiving. We do not. We get it up and decorated when we can. Don't get me wrong, my motto is the sooner the better, but it can be a bit impossible at times. Since we've moved to Arizona we've been back to Utah to celebrate Thanksgiving every year but one. So, that usually means we are traveling the weekend after Thanksgiving. Then Scott is crazy-busy when we get home to catch up on anything he may have missed from the week before. He happened to store the christmas tree up in the attic and so yours truly had to climb up there and drag it out. It was not a pretty sight and I was not a happy camper. ALL the kids were happy to try to climb the ladder and hoist themselves up into the attic. I got it all set up and then we waited a few days when Scott had a night free so we could decorate the tree as a family. It is a precious memory....one that I truly love.

Last year Scott found a killer deal on a multiple color, pre-lit tree. I prefer all white lights, but who could resist a brand-new, $25, 7foot tree? Besides I decided if I don't like the colored lights I don't have to plug them in. I could wrap the white ones around.

.....and for the final touch......