Starting Your Own

Christmas can be the most magical time of year or the most stressful, right? While I love to indulge in all things Christmas, this time of year always wears us thin. Between the parties, traveling, and holiday chaos it can be easy to lose sight of what is most important.

This year my husband and I made a joint decision to stay at home for Christmas. While this decision benefits our sanity, it is honestly all about our girls. We want them to remember the reason for the season, spend quality time together, and enjoy the comforts of being at home on Christmas day.

I love reminiscing about my childhood traditions. We got to play with our new gifts, indulge in a home cooked meal, and relax in our comfy clothes most of the day. Now that I am a parent, I want to create memories and start our own traditions with our girls. My husband wants to pass down his own set of traditions too, so starting our own family traditions allows us combine our favorite childhood memories with our girls.

The memories we have created thus far are traveling several hours in a vehicle and our girls seeing mommy and daddy utterly exhausted after a road trip. Then, we get home and the cute little dictators want us to unload a packed car and put together their new toys in record time?! No thank you. My oldest daughter turned three in July, so this is the first year that she is old enough to fully grasp what Christmas is all about. She knows that Santa comes (or “ho ho” as she lovingly calls him) and leaves presents under a tree. She knows she will spend time with her extended family members. She is interested in helping us wrap presents for friends and family, baking Christmas cookies, decorating a tree, and all the other season festivities.

So, while up until this point we’ve been able to “get away with” a random mix of holiday events and no real traditions, we decided to change that. I have a feeling that I am not alone in this thought process! I began to realize that many families try to do it all.  They travel to every family get-together and try to do all the traditions from both families. It is hard to find balance without hurting anyone’s feelings, but at the end of the day it is about the comfort and happiness of our kids. This year we are going to focus on the starting fun traditions instead of packing suitcases.

Speaking of traditions, here are two of my personal favorites:

  • North Pole Breakfast: This is as much fun for me the Elf as it is for my girls! If you play along with Elf on the Shelf , then this is a must do for your elf’s inaugural morning. I decorate our kitchen table with festive plates, decor, and Elf. You can make the breakfast as simple or elaborate as you wish. Your littles will be  grinning ear to ear with excitement.
    npb
  • Christmas Eve Box: Your Christmas Eve box will look different depending on age, but I like to fill each box with: themed pajamas, a new book/movie, and a treat. Who doesn’t love the opportunity to open a gift early?

Have you started your own Christmas traditions?

 

 

 

 

 

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