Christmas Traditions......Outs ide of Daycare.

[BrightEyes]

LOL mimi!! I would def be doing it for the extra gifts

bright sparks, growing up we always went and cut down our tree too!! Every year my mom would decorate the inside of the house like crazy starting the beginning of December usually, and my dad would put tons of lights outside!!! We'd have lights on almost every tree on our property!! lights on the roof and lights in all the windows!! LOL My mom is good at drawing/painting cartoons/characters so she would have my dad cut the shape she wanted for "santa in his sleigh" from plywood and then she would paint it as santa and his sleigh full of toys. My parents then made the reindeer out of logs and tree branches and set it all up on the front lawn with a red spot light shining on it.

Usually 2-3 weeks before Christmas we would go on our "Tree Hunt" hehe....sometimes my father made us wait until only one week before Christmas....that SUCKED!!!!!!!! LOL We would go out to the tree farm, get a wagon ride back to the trees....it would take what felt like FOREVER for my mom to pick a tree...(like bright sparks LOL)....and usually it was the first tree she said she liked lmao....we helped by giving our opinions on the trees Then we'd put our tree on the wagon and head back to the farm house. Outside we would gather around the bon fire drinking hot chocolate and roasting marshmallows/hotdogs! Then we would put the tree on top of the car or in the back of our truck and head home (many many many "now funny" stories about the tree hunts AND the drive to and from the farm....not knowing if the truck would make it up the icy hill road!) Once home we would laugh as my dad and uncle would bring the tree in. Then they would sit on their butts having a drink...or two...or three etc lmao while us kids and my mom would decorate the Christmas tree while listening to Christmas music and we would have chilli for dinner and Christmas cookies for dessert! (lots of lovely arguing amongst us three sisters as we decorated of course )

And of course we would do lots of Christmas cookie baking through out December. Christmas eve we would watch Christmas movies/shows and go to bed early. When we were teenagers we would get to open a one gift on Christmas eve. Christmas morning my dad would get up really early...like 5-5:30 and put the turkey on if our family dinner was at our place and not a relatives. I of course was the one child who would be up all night excited for Santa and then fall asleep just a half hour before my sisters would wake me up! We would walk down the dark hallway into the living room where my dad would be sitting in the dark with the Christmas tree all lit up, the window lights on and "the burning Christmas log" on the television. Sooooo exciting!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!! LOL

Christmas morning as kids we'd all just rip through our gifts....my dad always hated that because he missed out on seeing exactly what everyone got since my mom did the shopping...lol As we got older we would all open one at the same time and then we would take time to see them or we would open one by one. We would usually have a late brunch and then either we'd head out to our relatives for Christmas dinner or our relatives would come to our place which we preferred so we could spend time with our gifts!! (one year we would have Christmas with my mom's side of the family and the following year my dad's)

Growing up my dad would always dress as Santa for our Christmas dinner with relatives because he really did/does look like Santa Big belly....big white beard haha So many young relatives really thought he was Santa! When we were a bit older we would dress as his elves And we'd pass out the gifts!

One of the most exciting things for me was at school when we would have a Christmas assembly and sing Christmas songs!!! It always got me sooooo excited for Christmas!!

Now: Yes...there IS more haha....

As adults we were still going to my parents place first thing Christmas morning to open gifts followed by getting together with our relatives.

Last year my daughter was 3mths old so we had Christmas dinner with the relatives at our place. My husband, daughter and I had our own gift opening and then my husband got things ready for the dinner while baby and I went to my parents for gift opening (brought hubby's gifts back with me).

Since I left home my hubby and I have gotten a small real tree the first year and artificial trees ever since.

So this year, I put our tree up mid-November (wanted to do it at the start LOL), we put a few lights outside and I put Christmas stickers on the window (which my daughter LOVES). I put Christmas music on every day and my daughter and I dance to it, play musical instruments to it, play with it on and do crafts with it on too! We are taking my daughter this weekend with my parents and one of my sisters to go get my sister a real Christmas tree (we may start getting a real one next year). I can't wait to see her reaction when we go for the wagon ride around the farm with the horses pulling the wagon!!! I hope the weather is nice and we have some snow!!!!!

Christmas eve we will put Christmas movies/shows on as usual. This will be the first Christmas that I won't be going to my parent's place to open gifts in the morning. I am a bit sad to be breaking the tradition but I told my family it is time for my hubby, daughter and I to start our own tradition! Christmas morning we will open our own gifts and then my parents and sisters will come to our place to exchange gifts and spend the day together and have a nice Christmas dinner. We aren't getting together with relatives on Christmas day this year, my dad just wants to have a small get together with my family. It's too bad because I really love and look forward to Christmas because of the time we get to spend with family (relatives included). We will try to see them at some point over the holidays though.

With my family (hubby, daughter and I) I plan on each year, celebrating Christmas as family time, spending time with friends and family, helping one another, doing things for our community and just really enjoying the time we have together and all of the little things in life

Wow....I can't believe how long my novel is haha...but...bright sparks...YOU ASKED!!!!! hehe (If anyone even read this far!!!!!!!! LOLOLOL!!)

P.S. Did you know you can only have 8 emoticons in a post??!! It was so hard for me to narrow them down LOL!