Traditions

With the holidays, there are certain traditions that we hold to faithfully. Christmas dinner, altho we have changed that to Christmas Eve so the "women folk" aren't spending the day in the kitchen, but with family.






When ever we can find them, we get Christmas Crackers to pass out at dinner. The kids of all ages love the popping sound as these are pulled open, then there is invariably the changing of crowns because someone wants a different color. Each cracker contains a paper crown which must be worn at dinner, a joke which is read aloud and a toy, things like tangrams, puzzles etc.



From the birth of the oldest in 2000, we have always chosen an ornament for each child. I started doing that and then their mom decided to do it as well. Each ornament is initialed and dated. By the time the littles are adults they will have enough ornaments for their own tree. What joy as we pull these out each year and each child gets to hang their own. These are some of the ornaments from this year.

The "pepe le pew" and penelope was given my to me by my beloved, and the teapot from my mother (this is the china pattern for her china, which one day will be mine)



This little clown is our oldest ornament. My dau got it as a gift when she was only 4, so it is now 26 years old. He use to hold balloons, but they are long gone, and it still plays "Jingle Bells" when we push the bottom.