(we're not going to talk about how long it took me to figure out how to get that button. blonde moment, absolument)
Linking up with AP (and others!! love the multiple hosts) over at I Love You More Than Carrots to share about family memories and traditions during the Christmas season. We do have a couple, and I love to share.
Christmas Eve: This one is only semi-recent, but (one of) my father's brothers has a Christmas Eve party every year. It's not all family, but their friends and my cousins' friends. The big thing to note is a) the excellent food (duck wrapped in bacon done on the grill and served with real Maple Syrup for dipping?? YES) and b) the caroling. Yes, we go caroling throughout their neighborhood. Thankfully there are some pretty decent voices in the mix, so it isn't too embarrassing.
Movies: My dad is surprisingly a big fan of Christmas movies, but we so aren't the "traditional" movie types. As in, I hadn't seen "It's a Wonderful Life" until within the past 3 years or so. Movies like "Scrooged" and "A Christmas Story" are big winners in our house. 24 hours of "A Christmas Story" on TBS is my dad's favorite thing.
Stockings: When we were little, the only way to appease us kids when we were up at 6-7 am was to let us get our stockings. Everyone ran downstairs, grabbed their stocking, snuck a peek at the goods beneath the tree then took the stockings back up to my parent's room for opening. A more recent tradition (aka, started last year and I'm forcing it to continue because I love. it.) is that the stocking stuffers include airplane bottles. We're all grown up now, it's allowed, haha.
Christmas Day: Dad plays Santa (Except for his own gifts) and usually there is some sort of crumb cake or pastry to go 'round. Lots of coffee, as well. My brother's wife is coming this year and is making Strata, so that looks like a new tradition, as well! It seems like a lot of people have a "stay at home all day in pajamas" tradition, but for my family, Christmas Day is the big family party.
Around 1 pm or so everyone changes (though nothing fancy-jeans and a sweater totally works) and we head to my father's other brother's house. Christmas seems to be the agreed upon holiday for everyone to come home, so it's a massive gathering. we've graduated from two tables to three-adult, cousins, and children. Lots of gifts, white elephant, excellent food, the most amazing bread pudding ever, crackers with paper crowns, toys and riddles inside...It's so great to know that at least once a year, the majority (if not all) of us will be together. Not to mention with 11 kids under 10 (or so), plus 10 cousins, 5 husbands and 1 wife, plus 4 siblings, 3 significant others, and a couple of adopted in-laws, the chaos can't even be explained.
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