My Kind of Holiday - Our Christmas Traditions

Although it seems as though much of the blogword is focusing their attention on Christmas home tours {cough, cough, guilty}, as fun as it is to get our home holiday ready, Christmas is all about the traditions.  That is what excites me most about the season.  The warm fuzzies.  The kids doing good deeds.  Making a list and checking it twice.  And for once, not a "To Do" list!

I don't always take a moment to switch gears from this organizing and project heavy blog, but it is nice to share a few stories that fill the walls of our home I am always writing about.  And until I sat down to write this post to share with you #mykindofholiday, it never occurred to me how many fabulous traditions we have built into our Christmases, year after year.  I just may cry while writing this and reflecting on some favorites... I am a sappy one...

Yesterday, I shared my new wrapping station setup. 

Although gazing at it just may become my number one hobby, it means more to me than pretty and functional gift wrap.  It also represents one of my most favorite Christmas traditions.

 
This tradition has carried on from my childhood.  And it is funny, as a kid, it kind of annoyed me.  But now, I look back and know my mom was a freakin' genius... and I completely appreciate it. 

There is a reason why they always use the saying, "Like a kid on Christmas morning".  It is one of the most exciting and magical mornings of the year.  Like most kids, my brother and I would wake up earlier than normal, and tip toe out of our rooms and start rummaging through our stockings, and shaking the packages under the tree.  There may have even been mornings when I went as far as unwrapping my gifts to peek inside, and then fixing them back up before my parents woke up.  I know, such a rotten kiddo.  My mom caught on to this and decided to keep the magic and mystery of Christmas morning alive.  Thus, the Santa numbering system was born.

Santa got sneaky and started putting a number on each package under the tree, leaving a letter with the key in the hands of my parents.  All of the sudden, my brother and I had no idea who the presents were for, and the excitement and mystery of Christmas morning returned.

Thinking back on all of my Christmas mornings growing up, I may not recall each and every gift I received, but I do remember the pure exhilaration of sitting in a circle with my family, reading the letter from Santa and realizing which of the packages I would get to tear open.  And even once my brother and I were in high school, the tradition stayed alive and brought us many laughs.

Each day leading up to Christmas, I will plan out the gifts {with my super awesome gift planning printable} and stash them away in secret hiding spots all around the home.  Then, on Christmas Eve, my husband and I turn into Santa's Elves.  We put on holiday tunes and spend time together wrapping all of the gifts.  Then, the really fun part, creating the letter from Santa!

The presents are sweetly tucked under the tree, and we head to bed with giant smiles spanning from cheek to cheek.  Once morning rolls around, we lie in bed and giggle as we listen to the kids playing guessing games and wondering which gifts are theirs, all while we hold the key.  And the best part is that we get to be "present" when the surprises are revealed.

Although the gift numbering tradition is a long time favorite, we have a few more, which we cherish as well.


Christmas Pajamas

This is another tradition that was started during my childhood.  Every year my mom would purchase me a special set of pajamas to wear on Christmas Eve.  From plaid, to penguins to Christmas trees, I rocked it all.  Now, one of my warmest moments each year is watching the boys open their pajamas and letting them wear them much of Christmas day.

Christmas Countdown

A few years ago, we started our Christmas countdown tradition.  I love pulling out a fun activity from the box each day and drinking hot cocoa, having dance parties, blasting Christmas music, crafting, decorating and purely unplugging to enjoy simple moments with one another.

O Christmas Tree

As I mentioned in our holiday home tour, our tree also carries special meaning.  Each year, we head to the very same tree farm and pick out a tree as a family.  Every last member must agree on the tree, and the owners of the tree farm are always excited to see how much the boys have grown from year to year.

Ornaments with Meaning

Each year on Christmas Eve, the kids take a trip down memory lane and tell stories of all of the ornaments they have created, crafted and collected over the years.  We look at their small handprints and toothless smiles, and hang all of our meaningful ornaments all over the tree.

'Twas The Night Before Christmas

When all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.  On Christmas Eve, no one in our home is stirring because we are all listening to dad read us The Night Before Christmas...

Cookies!

I wish I had a baking bone in my body.  Sometimes we attempt to make Sugar Cookies and usually just eat them straight out of the oven when they are still soft and warm.  Most of the time, members of Bryan's sweet family bake us a plate of delightful treats, and sometimes, I depend on Target.  Regardless of how we acquire our cookies, Santa appreciates them just the same!

Miracle on 34th Street

A movie the entire family can snuggle in and enjoy, each and every Christmas day, while wearing our Christmas cozies, we tune in to watch Miracle on 34th Street.

So there you have it.  A few of our Christmas traditions which we hold near and dear to our hearts.  Now it is your turn.  I would love to hear what makes your home so special to you during the holiday season.  Any traditions that you have been carrying on since childhood, or even longer?

 
As a member of the Target Inner Circle, this post was written as a collaboration with Target and their #mykindofholiday campaign.  All opinions are mine.