Traditions

So this is the time of year when we are all thinking about traditions: those we already have in place and those we would like to add..... I have been reading a lot about different holiday traditions that other families have and as part of my Year to Remember class, Heidi asked us to jot down some of the traditions we have in our own family and to make a list of a few new traditions we would like to incorporate into our celebrations.

Gussio Family Holiday Traditions
1. Unwrapping our matching family pjs on Christmas Eve and having our picture taken in front of the tree
2. Visiting Santa Claus at Northpark and going to see the trains
3. Hosting the family Christmas Eve party in our home
4. Driving around together to look at Christmas lights
5. Going to the candlelight Christmas Eve service at church
6. Setting out cookies and milk for Santa and a little something for his reindeer (this will be the first year for this one...Sienna is slowly starting to catch on to the whole Santa thing)

I will add to the list as I think of more, but here are some ideas that I have heard about recently...maybe I will add one or two to our celebration each year.

1. Setting out a basket with all of our Christmas books by the fireplace
2. Getting a giant hat box and filling it with the new pair of pajamas, a new Christmas book and an ornament that the kids get to open on Christmas Eve....then they get to take the box with them when they leave home and it will be filled with the books and ornaments to start their own Christmas celebrations
3. Making little paper ornaments before the Christmas party, setting then out, and letting each guest write down their favorite memory from the year, signing it and then hanging it on the big tree or even a special "memory" tree

I also want to start a tradition of doing something service oriented each year as well as something that specifically relates to the true meaning behind Christmas (going to visit a Nativity, reading Bible stories together, etc...) still working on some of these ideas :)

Happy Holidays!!