Christmas family traditions, this is one of my favorite things to learn about my friends. I love hearing what they do! Christmas is my favorite time of year (if you hadn’t gotten that already), so bring on the hot cocoa and let’s talk traditions!
- Secret Pajama Santa
- At the end of October, or beginning of November, my family draws names for Secret Pajama Santa. This is just my immediate family, parents, siblings, and us! The pajamas always range from wonderful PJs you’ll love forever (thanks, mom), or insane ones you’ll wear Christmas morning and then never again (*cough* my partner in crime likes to gift these). We open them on Christmas Eve and then run to put them in the wash so everyone can wear them on Christmas morning. It’s hilarious because you wait in anticipation to see who your Secret Pajama Santa was… and then break out into nervous laughter when you open to see if you got some nice soft PJs you’ll love, or crazy panda onesies. #truestory
- White Elephant
- We do this with both sides of the family and it’s always a lot of fun.
- Watch The Santa Clause movies, The Grinch, and Elf
- These must be watched every year.
- Christmas breakfast
- Always consists of homemade donuts or monkey bread, eggs (or an egg casserole), and lots of coffee.
- Take a picture in front of the tree on Christmas morning before we start opening gifts.
- Kids
- Mom & Dad
- All of the above
- When you open presents on Christmas morning, you have to open one at a time.
- And I mean, one person at a time. We go around in a circle so everyone can see what you got. We also don’t start opening gifts until at least 10am, because we are not a morning family. sorry babe. And we usually last well into the late afternoon. It’s fabulous.
- Big stockings!
- We save them for last, and always take a short break to get some food because we’re always starving by that point!
- The dogs help us open gifts.
- Until they get bored, then they fall asleep.
- Everyone has to sit on the floor when we open presents.
- Baking… all the baking.
- Way too many sweets, that leave you craving green juice smoothies. But we just can’t stop baking all the things!
- Drive around and look at Christmas lights
- You must bring hot cocoa with you, or drive through Starbucks.
Things I love but we don’t always do:
- Decorate a gingerbread house
- Bake cookies for the neighbors
- Take pictures in the snow
- Christmas morning pranks
- Storytime: One year we (me, the partner in crime, and brothers) found over half of my sisters presents under the tree, took them out and put them in the basement. When morning came and we started opening gifts it kept getting harder and harder for my dad to find Jess’ gifts under the tree. (remember how we all go around in a circle and open one at a time?) Well, we kept getting to her and they had to dig and dig to find her gifts. My mom kept saying “this doesn’t make any sense” (because she always buys the same amount of gifts for everyone). Eventually, we were had, and crying laughter ensued.
Tell me some of your Christmas traditions. I love to hear them!
