Christmas Is Coming, HORRAY!

So I want to talk in this post about some of my favourite Christmas traditions. The first one of the season, other than spending a small to large fortune on gifts, is Christmas baking, YAY! Now I don't know about anyone else, but I LOVE Christmas baking. It smells great, it tastes great, and since everyone else is eating it too, you don't feel nearly as guilty intaking those extra calories. This year I'll be doing all of my baking on my own for the first time. It's exciting, but also kind of sad, because I've been blessed the past few years to be able to do the majority of my baking with my brother. So let me know, what's your favourite recipe for Christmas baking. E-mail me at blynikki@hotmail.com or send me a message on Facebook, I really need more ideas for this year:)

On the first Monday of December we put up our tree. We usually get a new ornament each year, however we made our own last year, and that was lots of fun too. We do this as our FHE activity. When I was growing up it was the first Sunday of December, but that doesn't work in the church with the First Presidency's Christmas Devotional being the same night, so I bumped it to Monday as an FHE thing and it works great.

The next tradition I guess is probably that we would go out looking at Christmas lights on Christmas Eve, each of us with our hot beverage of choice in hand (mine is either hot chocolate or a flavoured steamed milk when they're available). The past few times that we've done this in Wainwright or Edmonton we all pile into a van, grab our drinks from 7-11 and off we go. Christmas music is optional, but if I had it my way we'd be listening to Christmas music for about half of the year, ha ha.

After we get home from looking at lights it's time for an oldie but a goodie. We each get to open one present. As I was growing up, it was whatever gift we chose, as long as it wasn't a major gift, but John and I have changed this to a new pair of pyjamas. This year just the boys are getting them, since John and I have enough PJs to choke a dead horse. There is usually a book involved as well. I think last year Caleb got Tales of Beetle the Bard. Then we put out a cold drink and snack for Santa before tucking the kids into bed.

I realize I could be opening a can of worms here, but John and I have decided to give Santa a little space in our home. Enough for him to stop, have a snack and leave a movie for each of us. I think that's a pretty good amount of Santa. He's there, but he doesn't overshadow anything.

In the morning we'll be reading from the scriptures about when Christ was born before we head downstairs. I'm hoping this will remind the kids that their Savior should come before anything else in all things. Then it's downstairs to open presents and to have a nice big family breakfast followed by a nice holiday supper that night. This year we're having steak instead of turkey. Mutual decision that I'm very happy about. We'll also have perogies, cabbage rolls, stuffing and some other stuff with a birthday cake for dessert to remind us that we are celebrating the fact that our Savior was born. I'm thinking about doing a cake for April 6th as well.

Boxing Day was also a big day in my family growing up. That was the day that we went and visited extended family and did our Christmas with them. I really enjoyed it, since we got 2 Christmas Days in a row.

So what are your favourite Christmas traditions?