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My favorite part is our tree – always real and always decorated with ornaments people in my family have made for generations – I love looking at our tree and seeing a specific ornament that reminds me of my great grandma or my grandfather, etc.

Cute pics and I love traditions!! 🙂 Thanks for the chance to win a GC! 🙂

Great post. My favorite tradition is my father waking us up at 6am every Christmas morning ringing sleigh bells and telling us “He’s been here!” He still does it even though I’m 39 and my sister is 42! Just a little memory from my childhood that I will always treasure.

I love your comment about getting the kids to take a nice picture in front of the tree and their not cooperating and you “don’t even care”. Exactly how I feel! One day they’ll be happy you made them do it! Merry Christmas!

Great traditions! We exchange stocking gifts on Christmas Eve and regular presents on Christmas Day. Thanks for the chance to win!

Although it can be exhausting trying to get the best shot, I love the Christmas card photo shoot. Thanks for the chance!

great blog post!

We don’t have traditions as such but one is we always make our own mince tarts/pies from scratch as well as shortbread.

One I started this year was reading Christmas books each day. The kids have loved it and I can’t wait to find more books for our Christmas collection.

Great list of traditions!

love Christmas traditions, but gingerbread houses and lights on houses are on the top of my list! 🙂

Those are some great traditions, Aly, I especially love the dinner one. I may steal it. We do the Christmas countdown, bake cookies and gingerbreads, we have some items of decorations that I have cross-stitched myself. For next year I’m thinking about Nativity Advent Calendar – putting one figure up every day (I’m thinking felt finger puppets or crocheted). Merry Christmas!

We started Elf on the Shelf last year and the kids love it. Every morning they run down to see where “Duke” is – and it’s usually my 4 year old that finds him first. Now my 20 month old is pointing at him all day yelling “Doot, Doot”. Helps keep them in line – for a few weeks anyway!

We might do Elf on the Shelf next year. I never really knew what it was but I’ve seen so many Facebook pictures of them this year that I want to give it a try because it looks so fun! We got Advent calendars for the first time but the kids usually forget about them so we’re a bit behind. When I had Advent calendars as a child, I don’t remember EVER forgetting a day of chocolate!!!!

Thanks for sharing your traditions and pictures. You’ve given me some ideas to add to our family traditions. We started the Elf on the Shelf here a few years ago and it has been a big hit, especially with my 3 year old this year.

Putting up the tree is always a family affair, despite my OCD. I try not to move what the boys put on.

We have quite a few traditions. We read a Christmas book most nights in December. We do the Elf on the Shelf and have had a lot of fun with it this year, although I’m running out of ideas, and if we can we go to the Christmas Eve service at our church.

My favorite tradition is when I get together with my mom and two sisters and do some christmas baking. When we are done we take plates to neighbors and friends.

I love Christmas, its my favorite time of the year! The decorations, the smell, the smiles on everyone..our family traditions throughout the month..and the REASON why we celebrate. Merry Christmas to all and have an awesome new year!

My favorite tradition is driving around looking at Christmas lights. We pick-up some hot chocolate. Another night we went out to a local ice cream parlor for holiday ice cream flavors. It’s been a great Christmas season because of our Advent calendar.

Thank you for sharing your traditions. I love hearing about the traditions of others. My favorite tradition is buying a new ornament each year for our tree that summarizes our year as a family. Merry Christmas!

I love gingerbread houses lol! My kids do this activity each year with their grandpa so it is special! I love our Jesse Tree. What I don’t like is making roll out sugar cookies!

Great traditions.
One of our traditions that we started a couple of years ago, is not buying gifts for everyone, instead making them something homemade. We also take the kids shopping to buy gifts for other children on a giving tree.

I love taking a moment to slow down and appreciate the small stuff of decorating. I hate how everything is attached to one day – I wish this cheer could really be spread out more.

My eldest is 2.5 so were in the process of trying to start new traditions with him. We made a gingerbread house (disaster!), did some christmas crafts, got him an advent calendar (he loves those waxy chocolates too!) and tonight were going to look at christmas lights. Next year, elf on a shelf for sure! i cant wait for that!

love reading about all of your traditions and you totally need to add Elf on the Shelf to it 🙂