Traditions

Christmas is one of my favorite holidays. I love the winter, snow (when we get it, which we haven't this year :( ), Christmas lights, giving people gifts, cold weather and warm coco (with Kahlua), and Christmas music. I love remembering how excited I used to get (and kinda still do!) waiting for Christmas morning, and the traditions my family had.

One of my favorite Christmas traditions growing up was on Christmas Eve, we would all pile in the car and go to get milkshakes, although EVERY year they were already closed. We always knew they would be, but it almost became a tradition to go anyways! Then we would drive around town looking at all the Christmas lights and decorations. There were a couple places that always did big displays with villages and stuff set up, and we would brave the weather to get out and look at them. The last place we always went was a drive down this long road that all the people living on it lined with luminaries. Every car that went down it turned off their lights and drove by the glow of candles.

After that was time for the midnight church service. When I was really young I would stay home and sleep while my parents went, but as I got older and was able to keep my eyes open, I would get to go too. I loved the midnight service because at the end they gave everyone a candle, turned out the lights, and we stood circling the church signing Christmas songs.

We went to bed right when we got home and tried to sleep so Santa would come. In the morning my sisters and I went through our stockings while our parents showered and got coffee. Then one by one we took turns opening presents.

Another favorite of mine is for the month of December we had this calender that told us what day it was and counted up to Christmas. It had a little mouse that you would move each day, and my sister and I would always fight about who's turn it was to move the mouse! I looked forward to it every single day for a couple reasons. One, it showed how much closer we were getting to Christmas, and two, I loved to get to move that silly little mouse!

Now that we are all "grown up" and living in different parts of the country with our own lives, our traditions have changed a little. When my sisters are in town, we buy stockings for my parents to have also. We no longer go to the same church, and we don't do the family outing to look at lights. But I am passing on some of these traditions to my children.

Christmas Eve is spent with M's family (hence the reason we don't go with mine to look at lights!), so we drive around looking at lights one night usually the week before Christmas. We sometimes go to church Christmas Eve, but usually not the midnight service. We still do presents Christmas morning, but its not always at my parents' house with the whole family.

One tradition I did pass onto my kids this year though is the mouse calendar. My mom gave it me (probably since I am the only one with kids!) and gave me the idea to put little Hershey Kisses in the pouches so that when we move the mouse we get a kiss. Pumpkin loves this! He is so excited to get to move the mouse and eat a kiss! It really reminds me of being a kid.

Mouse Calendar!!!

I am excited to pass on more family traditions, and start new ones, with my children, especially as they get older and understand more. It is fun to relive these things through your children and watch them as they get so excited and anxious.

What are some of your favorite traditions from being a kid? What have you passed on to your children?