12 Days of Chirstmas - Day 2

Day 2 - Christmas Traditions

Here are a few of my family's favorite Christmas traditions:

Movies - Beginning now all the way up to Christmas, my family loves to watch Christmas movies. Some of our favorites are Elf, The Grinch, The Santa Clause and Miracle on 34th Street.  We try to watch a few each week.

Baking - A week or two before Christmas I get together with my mom and/or sister to bake cookies.  We make Sugar Cookies, Sandies, Magic Bars, Snicker Doodles and more!  If I have the finances, I love giving baked goodies to friends and co-workers.

Christmas Eve - Christmas Eve is always spent at my younger sister's home. The family comes over and we each bring something to contribute to eat.  The adults each buy a $10 gift, bring it wrapped with no name and we play the "steal it" game.  The children normally draw names in advance and buy a small gift for the cousin that they chose.  

Also on Christmas Eve, my children open up their new PJs, not necessarily Christmas ones. They all look so adorable on Christmas morning in their new PJs.

After the children go to bed on Christmas Eve, I bring out their presents (which I never put under the tree ahead of time, because they normally only have a few) and stuff their stockings.

Christmas Morning - I lay in bed as long as possible.  My oldest son, who is 16, is usually the first one up, sometimes as early as 5:00a and I make him promise to not sneak a peak into his stocking while waiting for the other kids to get up.  My younger two, ages 10 and 7, usually are up between 6:30-7:00a and I normally have to wake up my oldest daughter (19) and my husband through bribery.  We love to sit with our children and read about the birth of Jesus and pray together.  Then the kids open their stockings and gifts and hubby and I exchange gifts.  Afterwards, I make breakfast which normally consists of Cinnamon French Toast, Bacon, Hash Brown Cassarole, juice and coffee.

Christmas Day - We normally spend Christmas Day at my parents or sister-in-law's home.  We take turns so it depends on whose turn it is, and for the life of me, I can't remember!

Link up to the 12 Days of Christmas with Cait at The Blessed Life!