Oh wait, we did...
So in honor of a new month, I've got a new group of swaps this month. Yep, six (the more the merrier, right?) wonderful ladies that I'm blessed to call friends. Nope, not just fellow bloggers, but friends.
Here's how you can meet them. I asked them one Christmas-y question that I wanted them (and you) to answer. Here's what they said in response to this question:
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CHRISTMAS TRADITION?
I honestly love the whole month of December. I love listening to Christmas music all month long and enjoying tons of Christmas activities leading up to the big day. My favorite part of Christmas festivities is Christmas Eve where my huge family gets together. We always have a ton of fun together...and my cousin, sister and I pick out a crazy Christmas outfit to wear each year! :)
Every year, the weekend of Thanksgiving, my dad and I go get our Christmas tree together. We look through several to find the right one, twirl them to make sure there aren't too many bad spots, and then I carry it to the car. My dad, always being the gentleman, always offers to carry it, but I, being the independent woman that I am, politely refuse. ;) My mom stays home and starts decorating the porches, my dad puts on the tree lights, and we decorate the tree together that night while listening to classy christmas music. On Christmas Eve, we sit down as a family, read Luke 2, and have an "official" lighting of our Christmas tree (even though we've been enjoying the lights for a month). Because Christmas day is usually spent with extended family, over the past few years we've done our gifts and stockings on Christmas Eve. Oh, and we always ALWAYS have a Happy Birthday Jesus cake. :)
This Christmas I'm looking forward to spending time with the two families I have: my biological family and my husband's family. I can't wait! Christmas is super fun for us because, unlike Thanksgiving, we get to spend whole days with each family. Being Norwegian, my husband's family celebrates Christmas on Christmas Eve. It's so great to know we can have that whole day and night with them, celebrating the birth of our savior. Then the next day, because we've already loved on his family, we get to devote Christmas solely to spending time with my family. It's just the best. Plus, my sister cooks some awesome food!
This Christmas, I'm actually looking forward to setting my own traditions! It's my first time living in an apartment away from home, so I want to really indulge in all the holiday festivities. :) AKA get crafty with some red, green, and my personal favorite, gold, bake elbow deep in cinnamon and powdered sugar, and play Christmas carols on repeat. Can't wait!
On Christmas morning, before my brothers and I run upstairs to open presents like we're 5, our whole family gathers to read the story of Jesus birth. It's a simple way to remind us why we celebrate Christmas and what the entire day is really about!
So I want to know your favorite Christmas tradition--or maybe one you're hoping/planning to start in the future? I know for a fact that when I have kids, we'll be carrying on the tradition of searching around the house for a little plastic Mary and Joseph as they make their way to the nativity scene like I did as a kid!
p.s. Want to swap with me in January? I have three spots left and one of them is calling your name!
I loved reading everyone's traditions. :) Our steadfast tradition growing up was to always put the tree up the day after Thanksgiving. Since being married, I've made a specific dish for breakfast every Christmas morning; however, I lost the recipe during our last move. :( Hoping to find it in time for Christmas this year.
ReplyDeleteP.S. I'm getting so tired of this random "switch-Christina-back-to-no-reply" stuff blogger's got going on. I THINK I fixed it. again. Also, I'd love to swap for January. :)
That is such a good tradition! Our family usually puts our Christmas tree up a week or so into December so you could say I'm kind of dying to get ours right now.
DeleteAnd I hope you find your recipe soon! I love Christmas traditions and I can see how important it must be to find it. :)
p.s. I think you did switch it back finally! That no-reply commenter thing is so annoying and frustrating.
p.p.s. I saved you a spot for January! Excited to swap with you again, Christina!
Our family Christmas traditions mostly involve food...LOL. Sometime before Christmas we like to hop in the car for a night and drive around (mostly in the 'rich' areas) looking at all the beautiful Christmas lights. We call it 'light watching'...how original. On Christmas Eve we always eat pizza for dinner. Then on Christmas morning we have Mom's homemade caramel rolls for breakfast (YUMS). We then sit on the coach and Dad reads several passages from the books of Isaiah, Matthew, and Luke and we pray together. Opening the stocking comes next and following is the blessed gift unwrapping :) ahhhh...I just love Christmas!
ReplyDeleteI would love to swap with you in January, Kiki! :)
Umm, any tradition that involves food is a good tradition to me. Seriously, what's the holiday season without amazing good? :) Thanksgiving would definitely not be the same without it!
DeleteAnd I love your Christmas traditions--especially the Christmas lights one. We used to hop in the car and drive around at night, too. I'm secretly hoping we pick that tradition back up again this year.
Oh, and caramel rolls (yummy!), reading the Bible together as a family (same in this house, too!), and then opening presents together are perfect traditions to me. ;)
Girl thanks for the feature! Excited to "be here" this month. :)
ReplyDeleteYou are so welcome (and so welcome to be on my sidebar, too!). :)
Deleteoh this is so fun!! I LOVE CHRISTMAS. i serioulsy get giddy at christmas time. basically i'm a 5 year old at heart. love love love everyone's traditions. um and running around the house trying to find mary and joseph?? that sounds like the best!
ReplyDeleteYessss. Christmas is definitely the best. I'm pretty sure I smile way more often and I also have an extra pep in my step (especially as Christmas draws nearer). :)
DeleteAnd that's exactly what my sisters and did! They (including the donkey, of course) were hidden harder and harder each year and each day they also journeyed closer to the fireplace mantel which holds the little manger scene. It was a pretty intricate tradition that I honestly wouldn't mind if it came back to life now! :)
Ah! :) Absolutely love this post and am thrilled to be back. Thanks so much for the feature! You seriously have the sweetest soul and a natural gift for words, it's honor to be called a friend. (: I know Thanksgiving is over but we can always be more thankful, right? So thankful for you, Kiki. Thankful for your open arms into the blog world, your honest and powerful words, and online presence. Keep on, sista!
ReplyDeleteXO.
Girl, I am thrilled to have you back! And oh my goodness, those words of encouragement were so sweet to my soul--and that is no exaggeration! I am honored to be your friend as well, Jenny! Your natural gift of encouraging others, your eye for design, your love for Jesus, and your amazing writing voice are going to take you far (as they already are). So grateful for our friendship! And you're so right, we can always be MORE thankful, no matter the season. :)
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