We load up the RV and head to cousin.....no, that was a movie. I think having the septic tank pumped Monday made me think I was cousin Eddie.
Our traditions are pretty basic, but they work for us.
On Christmas Eve, we head to a children's church service at 4:30. Would love to go downtown to the Mass Mick mentioned, but somehow we're always preoccupied right now at midnight. Probably anxious about Santa, I guess.
Afterwards, we have dinner with close friends of ours at an Italian restaurant. Has been Macaroni Grill for several years, but this year it's a new place over by where Mick lives that is supposed to be very good. Reservations for 13 (my family of 7, and theirs of 6).
We arrive back home--kids are always anxious to get this done very quickly--because when we come back home, we have "family" Christmas exchanging of gifts. The big day is still Christmas Day and Santa, but this is a good warmup act, with extended family gifts being opened, the kids who drew each others' names (one for each) give their gifts, and my wife and I give the kids our one--and only--gift that we give them each Christmas. I give my wife heck about this, but I am very proud of this tradition.
We give each child an ornament. It's a nice ornament, usually something from Waterford, Lenox, something like that, always dated, sometimes signed, whatever. My oldest child has 20 of them from us, and this year will be # 21. Each year my wife spends weeks looking for the perfect ornament, and we buy 8 of them--5 for our kids, and 3 for godchildren. Our stupid ornament bill is crazy each year (they can range up to about $40 each!), which is why I give my wife heck, but the kids look forward to what theirs will be each year, and they are put away so that they will have them for when they begin their lives away from ours, and hopefully continue that tradition.
Christmas Day is for Santa, and contrary to when I was growing up, Santa generally wraps all the gifts. I'd be interested in seeing what Santa does at your house--I know he varies from place to place. When I was a kid, it was like "excitement overload" coming into our den, and seeing all the gifts immediately. Our kids are like those time-controlled capsules, where the excitement is parcelled out gift by gift.
The kids and their parents have a deal we strike on Christmas Eve on what time they will get up. A few days prior to Christmas Eve, we try to acclimate them to staying up late and getting up late. You may note that last night I took my 9-year old and 10-year old to the UAB Butler game. Then took them to have blizzards at Dairy Queen thereafter, and they went to bed at 11. They slept in a little today, and will stay up late tonight, and then again, on Christmas Eve, with church, dinner out, then presents, it'll be a little late again.
Christmas Day we have sausage balls, Dr. Pepper (well, for some), cheese balls, and any holiday fare you'd want for breakfast, including cake, because, hey, it's Christmas. The kids don't overdo that because they think anything like that is a treat anyway. For me, Santa usually brings me a box of chocolate covered cherries. I've always loved them, never buy them, and only get it once a year. So guess what I'll be having to accompany my breakfast?
At some point during the day, naps will ensue--I usually read a book beginning at this time, or sometimes, I'll take a drive out myself just to enjoy 45 minutes or hour driving around with almost nobody else out. I usually combine it with finding a place that has a newspaper, or getting batteries Santa forgot to get, or whatever. If somebody wants to ride with me, they can, but usually toys or naps prevail over getting in the car, so it's time I have to myself to think about everything, give some private thanks and appreciate the many blessings that have been bestowed. My heart will be a little heavy this year without the normal telephone call to my Mom, but I'll probably have a little chat with her during that drive, too.
We'll have turkey, broccoli cheese casserole, green bean casserole, and some normal family favorites for "dinner," which will be around 2:00 usually. Turkey is a Bates house of turkey fully cooked smoked turkey, courtesy of the place I teach on Tuesday nights. They have one delivered to me each year, Fed Ex'd in dry ice in a styrofoam cooler, and it is greatly appreciated by my family.
This year we'll add some packing for the trip to the Music City Bowl, as we'll be leaving the next morning.
That's about it. I miss the old time trips we used to make to either my parents or my wife's parents, but as time evolved, with all of our kids and their activities, friends, etc., it just seemed that it was time for us to create our own traditions.
Our traditions are pretty basic, but they work for us.
On Christmas Eve, we head to a children's church service at 4:30. Would love to go downtown to the Mass Mick mentioned, but somehow we're always preoccupied right now at midnight. Probably anxious about Santa, I guess.
Afterwards, we have dinner with close friends of ours at an Italian restaurant. Has been Macaroni Grill for several years, but this year it's a new place over by where Mick lives that is supposed to be very good. Reservations for 13 (my family of 7, and theirs of 6).
We arrive back home--kids are always anxious to get this done very quickly--because when we come back home, we have "family" Christmas exchanging of gifts. The big day is still Christmas Day and Santa, but this is a good warmup act, with extended family gifts being opened, the kids who drew each others' names (one for each) give their gifts, and my wife and I give the kids our one--and only--gift that we give them each Christmas. I give my wife heck about this, but I am very proud of this tradition.
We give each child an ornament. It's a nice ornament, usually something from Waterford, Lenox, something like that, always dated, sometimes signed, whatever. My oldest child has 20 of them from us, and this year will be # 21. Each year my wife spends weeks looking for the perfect ornament, and we buy 8 of them--5 for our kids, and 3 for godchildren. Our stupid ornament bill is crazy each year (they can range up to about $40 each!), which is why I give my wife heck, but the kids look forward to what theirs will be each year, and they are put away so that they will have them for when they begin their lives away from ours, and hopefully continue that tradition.
Christmas Day is for Santa, and contrary to when I was growing up, Santa generally wraps all the gifts. I'd be interested in seeing what Santa does at your house--I know he varies from place to place. When I was a kid, it was like "excitement overload" coming into our den, and seeing all the gifts immediately. Our kids are like those time-controlled capsules, where the excitement is parcelled out gift by gift.
The kids and their parents have a deal we strike on Christmas Eve on what time they will get up. A few days prior to Christmas Eve, we try to acclimate them to staying up late and getting up late. You may note that last night I took my 9-year old and 10-year old to the UAB Butler game. Then took them to have blizzards at Dairy Queen thereafter, and they went to bed at 11. They slept in a little today, and will stay up late tonight, and then again, on Christmas Eve, with church, dinner out, then presents, it'll be a little late again.
Christmas Day we have sausage balls, Dr. Pepper (well, for some), cheese balls, and any holiday fare you'd want for breakfast, including cake, because, hey, it's Christmas. The kids don't overdo that because they think anything like that is a treat anyway. For me, Santa usually brings me a box of chocolate covered cherries. I've always loved them, never buy them, and only get it once a year. So guess what I'll be having to accompany my breakfast?
At some point during the day, naps will ensue--I usually read a book beginning at this time, or sometimes, I'll take a drive out myself just to enjoy 45 minutes or hour driving around with almost nobody else out. I usually combine it with finding a place that has a newspaper, or getting batteries Santa forgot to get, or whatever. If somebody wants to ride with me, they can, but usually toys or naps prevail over getting in the car, so it's time I have to myself to think about everything, give some private thanks and appreciate the many blessings that have been bestowed. My heart will be a little heavy this year without the normal telephone call to my Mom, but I'll probably have a little chat with her during that drive, too.
We'll have turkey, broccoli cheese casserole, green bean casserole, and some normal family favorites for "dinner," which will be around 2:00 usually. Turkey is a Bates house of turkey fully cooked smoked turkey, courtesy of the place I teach on Tuesday nights. They have one delivered to me each year, Fed Ex'd in dry ice in a styrofoam cooler, and it is greatly appreciated by my family.
This year we'll add some packing for the trip to the Music City Bowl, as we'll be leaving the next morning.
That's about it. I miss the old time trips we used to make to either my parents or my wife's parents, but as time evolved, with all of our kids and their activities, friends, etc., it just seemed that it was time for us to create our own traditions.
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