carols

Christmas Traditions

Christmas traditions have always been important to me. My family had a few over the years that stuck with me and now that we’re getting closer to starting our own family, my husband and I are starting our own to share with our kids. While some of these may not stick, here are some ideas for Christmas traditions to bring everyone together during the season.

Drive around to see Christmas lights
This is something we did as kids – packed up in the van and drove to the fancy side of town to see how the big houses were decorated for the holidays. Now that we’re out of the city and in the nice suburbs, this is something I look forward to doing.

Start a Christmas Village
My great-grandmother had a big Christmas village with sweet, lit homes and an ice skating rink with magnetic skaters. I have one of her old churches and plan to build upon that over time. I love having it next to me on the shelf and keeping it lit next to my favorite candle.

christmas-village-misty-morning

Buy new Christmas pajamas

What better way to look your best on Christmas morning than in a brand new pair of themed pjs? Last year I got a nice Tommy Hilfiger pajama set from my mom that I wore to open all my gifts.

Make (or commission) personalized holiday cards

Every year we try to send out custom holiday cards, it’s always a fun project to work on for me. My favorite one (so far) has been our gingerbread men from 2011.

Gingerbread-Christmas-Card-Misty-Morning

Host a Christmas movie night
I’m planning to add this tradition to the list in 2014 (and will blog about it later!). Grab a group of your friends, make some shareable snacks, and pop in your favorite holiday movies. I hope it will be a great, low-key way to celebrate with loved ones.

Add something new to your Christmas decor every year
This is a new tradition that my husband and I started when we got married. Our first year together, we bought a Mickey and Minnie newlyweds ornament while on our honeymoon at Disney World. For our second Christmas we added a musical snow globe. Year three was the addition of our handmade ceramic nativity set. This year we bought a beautiful hand-crafted ornament from Poland while visiting Bronner’s in Frankenmuth, MI.

christmas-snow-globe-misty-morning

What are your favorite Christmas traditions?

 

December 2014 Edition // Wonderful Christmastime

dec-edition-christmas

Twinkling lights. Mistletoe. Cookies. Stockings. Parties. Carols. Presents. What’s not to love about the holiday season?

This month is about celebrating and spoiling the people you love. It’s especially celebratory this year as both my BFF and I are turning 30 (what?!) in a handful of days. There isn’t a free weekend between now and New Year’s – and I couldn’t be more excited.

I have a lot to look forward to this December:

  • Holiday party in downtown Baltimore (I love getting dressed up!)
  • Getting my first real Christmas tree (hopefully a big fat one)
  • Singing along to Christmas carols (N’SYNC has the best holiday album ever – haters gonna hate)
  • Buying special presents for friends and family (I’ve been keeping lists of ideas all year long)
  • Watching all my favorite holiday movies (it’s too hard to pick just one)
  • Celebrating Ashley’s birthday – twice! (day drinking/movie/hookah lounge and then a night of clubbing – can’t wait!)
  • Celebrating my birthday (it’s a surprise)
  • Baking the best Christmas cookie recipe in the world (I’ll post it later this month)
  • Having our annual Married Christmas celebration (it’s a tradition I look forward to, matching shirts and all)
  • Visiting friends in St. Louis for New Year’s (days of good food, awesome people, and lots of laughs)

What about you – what are you looking forward to this holiday season?