This was originally written for my guest post on NITU that I was awarded for knowin that both Santa and the Jolly Green Giant wee known for saying 'Ho, ho, ho'.
Today (OK, last Saturday) was decoration day. Time to pull all the Christmas stuff out and decorate the house for the holidays. Maria is very into the holidays. Me, not so much. However, I do love the way the house looks when it's done. We've got loads of animated and light up buildings, figures, trees, snowmen and what not. We've got several 'countdown to Christmas' things that the kids really enjoy taking turns doing. Everywhere you look there's something moving, glowing or playing music. OK, mostly the music stays off (gets pretty annoying.)
Anyway, usually the first weekend after Thanksgiving is decoration day. My responsibilities are limited:
- Don't be a grouch. You think I'm kidding? Maybe you remember the icicle light incident of three tears ago ...(Maria every now and then starts singing "It's the most wonderful time of the year ..." or something as I get a little annoyed at the
stupidtree. I appreciate that.) - Plug my laptop into the surround sound so we can play all our Christmas music on random. I love technology.
- Bring all the tubs of Christmas stuff up from the basement.
- Assemble the Christmas tree.
- String the bead garland and put the ornaments on the top part of the tree. Aside from my 6' 1" frame, Maria's the next tallest at 4' 10". If it weren't for me, the top foot of the tree would be bare.
Other than that, it's sit back and enjoy the show. The kids love every minute of it. By the time I'm done with getting the tree together, Maria and the kids have all the stuff out of the tubs and set up around the house.
Then it's time for the tree. One of our traditions is that we buy the girls ornaments each year to set aside for their own trees one day. Either a set of simple ornaments or a single, more expensive fancy one. They've now each have an organizer with their ornaments in. Each year they pick out a certain number to put on the tree, the rest are Mom and Dad's.
This year, we decided to let them go all out. The tree is all their ornaments. I'm not much on hanging ornaments, I'd rather sit back and watch. I enjoy watching how excited they get about finding the perfect spot for that special ornament.
Other traditions we have:
- Santa fills the stockings and brings some of the presents, Mom and Dad bring the rest (but not at the same time). Growing up for me it was all Santa and our stockings were just for show.
- There's always an orange in the toe of the stocking. There's also a new toothbrush, some candy (great combo, eh?) and some other goodies.
- Since we usually head to Grandmas on Christmas eve, Santa comes early. The space under our tree is filled Christmas eve morning. I like that Santa is smart and considerate like that.
- On Christmas eve eve, we read the Bible Christmas story and open family presents. One of them is always new 'jammies for the girls. That way they look pretty for Christmas eve morning pictures. :-D Growing up for me, Christmas eve was for family presents too, but it was Grandma and Grandpa presents.
- Then, on Christmas eve afternoon, we leave for the Schaefer holiday tour. We start with a few days in Toledo with my family, including the traditional Christmas eve gathering. After Church, Mom and Dad open their home to a few friends with no family in town. After the Tom and Jerry's (sweet, hot drink) and snacks, the guests go home and the adults open their presents. We take turns giving, the receiver of a present then becomes the giver next time.
- Then it's a late Christmas with Maria's family. Presents are opened at her brother's house, and as they are you'll find folks hoarding the discarded wrapping paper. Why? Because after they're all opened, the ceiling fan gets turned on and the wads of wrapping paper get tossed into the fan. Her brother finds paper wads behind furniture until summer time.
After Toledo, we head to MO to see Maria's family. Along the way, we stop for the night in IL and our good friends from WI drive down to meet us for a night. Swimming in the hotel pool, cards after the kids go to sleep and lots of laughs. I hope we continue to do this for many years.
I'm sure there are more that I missed, Maria's the tradition tracker. In fact, she's the driving force behind most of them. And I'm grateful.
How about you? What are your traditions?
With all the lead warnings and not having a good plastic tree we started cutting our own last year and did it again this year. It's becoming our tradition. When I was a kid we got to open up one present on Christmas eve. It was always an itchy too hot to wear sweater that you were to wear to the candle light service at church. We also watched "It's a wonderful life" and usually still do or parts of it. We're still making traditions now for my family. We used to travel all the holidays but now it's stay at home and it's fun that way. I love the tradition we have of meeting you guys and have been looking forward to it for several weeks already.
Oh, I cut the tree and set it up, make sure it's watered and hang the lights on it. And, I'm supposed to write the family Christmas letter some time. :)
My mother in law always does stockings and it was some of the best stuff when we were there. So we do it now. It also has a tooth brush, candy and some small toy or something like balloons.
Sounds like a lot of fun, especially the ceiling fan bit. I never had a ceiling fan growing up, maybe Ill borrow that idea ;)
I like the ceiling fan idea, too. Her brother's a genius!
I've never, ever, ever had a tree that gets assembled. Well, other than the assembly God does over a period of a few years. Plus, they smell nice.
Our funniest tradition is the Christmas Eve Present. Ever since I can remember, we've had this ritual on Christmas Eve: kids ask my dad if we can each open just one present on Christmas Eve. Dad says, "I don't see any Christmas Eve presents under the tree." Kids say, "Pleeeeease?" Dad says, "If you can find any Christmas Eve presents, you can open them." Eventually he gives in and we open one present.
We weren't sure where we'd be Christmas this year (insert long story about waiting until tickets to NY were too expensive), so Laura ordered my dad's present online and had it wrapped and shipped to their home with "Do Not Open Until Christmas Eve" instructions on it.
On a different note: my dad baptized their former next door neighbors this week. I'm really grateful to have parents that love Jesus and others.
Growing up, we always had real trees. Mom and Dad still do. When we were first married, Maria had some pretty bad allergies to everything green, so we had to have a fake tree. Later, here allergies got substantially better, and we started having real trees again. Then the fake trees got better, and we thought about not having to spend $30-$40 every year on a tree.
Then they started making them with the lights already on and I was all over that. :-D
I do miss the tradition of getting the tree. Going to the tree lot (or farm, but we usually did the lot), picking it out, strapping it to the roof rack, etc. I don't miss the getting-it-to-stand-up-straight part. Or the needles on the floor part.
BEG - When you say cutting your own, I assume you mean that literally - as in off your property, right? That would be cool. If we had 40 some acres of woods, we'd probably do that too.
Oh, and to be fair, I don't think my brother in law came up with the fan idea. I'm pretty sure it came from his wife's family somewhere.
Actually we have to buy it. Their aren't any pines on our property but I'm going to plant some soon. We've been getting Spruce trees and they don't drop any needles, look beautiful, smell nice and easy to hang stuff on. Soon though we'll have a little forest of pines.
We're empty nested for the first time this year. So we're looking to establish new traditions. My mother is not able to host the entire family any more so this year eveyone's coming here. We'll see if that becomes a tradition.