Friday, December 12, 2008

holiday traditions

We love this holiday tradition! We enjoyed hot Wassail & waited on the corner by our house. What were waiting for you ask...Santa of course. Santa drives through our neighborhood every December. The boys so look forward to this. Thanks to the police department & the electric company, Santa cruises down our street. He brings the elves & they pass out candy canes. It is a night that lets us share the holiday spirit with our friends & neighbors.



{boy do i need to learn how to take better night shots-Santa is there, top left}

We added a new twist to a tradition that already exists @ our house. On Christmas Eve, the boys open new Christmas Jammie's. After reading my friend Stephanie's blog (I think it was her SIL's idea) I had the boys open their new Jammie's last night after watching Santa zip through our neighborhood. It make sense to have them open them now so they can enjoy them before Christmas too. I found these cute Jammie's @ GAP. They have Christmas words/sayings on them(presents, naughty, nice, Santa, etc...). They are pretty stinkin' cute if I do say so myself. Thanks for the new tradition Steph! Here are the boys in their Jammie's! How long do you think they will continue to let me keep this up? I am hoping forever-LOL!










On to our next tradition(it is a fairly new one too), we are going to watch the movie ELF & giggle ourselves silly! What are some of your favorite traditions?

14 comments:

Laurie said...

How smart that you took pictures of Santa visiting the neighborhood. It never even crossed my mind to do so. My kids LOVE it when he comes. Laurie C. told me if you go to the start of the route they let the kids climb into the firetrucks etc before they begin...mental note for next year.

Our favorite "unique" christmas tradition is a pinata on Christmas Eve. It is fun to let them get out some energy, and run up to be with a bag of candy. Shhh don't tell the dentist.

erin said...

So cute Raimi. Your older boys are good sports still. My boys are now to the "let's just wear sweat-pants" stage. My sister has a great tradition w jammies. One of Santa's elves leaves their jammies on Dec. 1st every year with a note reminding them of things Santa is watching for! Lasts year Santa's elves were in a hurry, so they just threw the package w/ the jammies out of the sleigh. After much looking, they found it on the roof and their dad had to climb up and get it! I wish I had thought of that one! It's so fun for her family. Looks like fun for you guys too!

Barb said...

Wow are you guys luck to have Santa drive by every year.
Love the PJ's.
We are just now trying to start some family traditions at our house. But it is hard when the only Ryan's family had on Christmas was to go out to eat on Christmas Eve. Not the best thing to do with little kids.
Loved to hear some of yours. We need all the ideas we can get.

mj said...

your big boys are so good to you! I love how sweet they are. I also loved your cabbage patch baby story. I am so glad that santa pulled through for you and your sisters ;o)

Kim said...

You have such cute kids!!! Kim Morris

Lisa said...

One of the traditions since I was little, is "Count down to Christmas". Since there were so many in my house, my mom had several.(Advent calendar-1 with and 1 w/o chocolate. Chocoalte bells, Santa bag w/ chocolates, Elf bag w/chocolates) At my house we have a santa bag w/chocolates, an Advent calendar w/chocoaltes, Santa falling down the chimney and a snowman with a Christmas tree, you put an ornament on each day. So my kids each get to do something each day (Dec.1-24).
We open 1 gift on Christmas eve(when I was little, it was from a cousin) This year we started a new tradition, we went to grandmas and helped put up their decorations outside. It's getting harder for them. The kids also racked their leaves(service!). Love to bake and have the kids deliver to neighbors. The kids like to help decorate the tree and I hide the green pickle somewhere for them to find. (A Germany tradition - you can buy them at Hallmark)

Jyll said...

Way cute jammies! And I love how Santa cruises down your street. How great is that?

Amy said...

We must have just missed you guys! We drove down and waited at Elliott park. We ran around the block following him and then he ended up in the parking lot. We love it!

Our new tradition is already one of our favorites. We got the "elf on a shelf" this year and it is sooo much fun! My kids immediately wake up to see where "Eddie the elf" is in the morning. He flies away every night to report to Santa how the kids in our home are doing. It helps to have a real elf from the north pole in our house. We love it!

The jammies are cute!

Annie said...

love the pictures! i buy dan and i each an ornament every year with our names on them. it is fun to pull them out each year...i write the year you got them on the back of them. i know this is only year 4, but i have done it every year!

for a long time we did go to dinner on christmas eve, but since lots of grandkids, we haven't! katie and mike host a FABULOUS breakfast. everyone wears their new pajamas (except the men...they think they are too cool for it or something!). it is great.

oh, and my mom always put deodorant in our stockings...most people do oranges, not my mom!

Anonymous said...

You have the best looking, sweet family ever! I am sooooooo proud of you Tanner and Carter! How important these family traditions are and how wonderful that you have them all photographed and documented Raimi! Amazing. All the traditions have faded in my family so it is wonderful to see you keeping these things going. It will mean a lot to all the boys. Love to all of you!!
Free

Stephanie said...

Cute jammies! We missed Santa> I completly forgot. I have to get into the swing of things around here again.

Eve said...

I LOVE those jammies.
We got the kids new robes this year.....

Meridee said...

Your boys look so stinkin' cute!

SheMilazzo said...

My favorite traditions.

12 days of Christmas – you leave 12gifts on 12 nights leading up to Christmas. It was fun coming up with the rhyme for each one.
PJ’s – we also did the PJ thing. We opened them on Christmas eve with the cousins.