Christmas Traditions

Joseph donning his weather appropriate garb topped with Santa-inspired fashion. 

Here's Joe holding the pole that ensures our selection will fit through our front door. 

Joseph chose the tree we purchased this year. 

Here is our tree decorated after a three-day marathon of trimming. Dad is always strict.  No television viewing until the tree is complete. Jacob had difficulty with the ornaments at first. It's actually cruel if you think about it. To a toddler it makes no sense to put toys on a tree and expect that they not be played with. 

December is here and I can't seem to keep up with the rapid passing of the days. There are so many things to do and only 24 days or so to get them done:

1.  Buy a tree.

2.  Decorate tree and house.

3.  Hang lights on house.

4.  Ride the Santa Train to tell the big guy what the kiddos want under the tree this year.

5.  Select, purchase, stuff, address, and stamp Christmas cards.

6.  Shop for gifts.

7.  Bake cookies.

8.  Hold cookie decorating party for Joseph, Jacob, and their friends. 

9.  Purchase matching jammies for Christmas Eve.

10.  Write holiday letter for Christmas cards.

11.  Sort through toys and clothes to make room for new toys and clothes.

12.  Watch every Christmas movie we own- Charlie Brown Christmas, Disney's Prep and Landing, Elf, The Santa Clause(s), Love Actually, The Family Stone, Sleepless in Seattle, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, Scrooged, and Little Women.  Some are just for adults and others for the family. 

13.  Clean house for Holiday Party.

14.  Take boys to Mt. Ranier for sledding. 

15.  Purchase one Hallmark ornament for the boys' collections. I'm particularly fond of this tradition because it was passed on from Joe's side of the family.  We have all of Joe's ornaments (lots of Star Wars and Star Trek) and it's such a fun way to chronicle the boys' interested through the years. The first ornament each boy gets is one that features a picture of their first Christmas. So far we have lots of Thomas trains and Cars ornaments- just what you'd expect from two boys. 

16.  Drink lots and lots and lots of hot chocolate. 

17.  Purchase advent calendars- the chocolate ones. 

18.  Make fudge, seven layer bars, Indian Christmas cookies, kissy cookies, sugar cookies, and gingerbread cookies to share with family and friends. 

We hold true to these traditions with the hope that our boys, as adults, will enjoy the same activities with their own families.  When we're long gone, our immortality will be secured with the passing of each successive generation.