1. Bell ornament that my brother and I 'fought' over hanging up..I still will not let the kids do it! I wont even hang it on the tree, I place it way up high out of reach, it is already been broken and repaired once. (broken by my mother)
2. Steak for Christmas dinner..last year we went to the ILS and missed it, this year we may have to do the family thing again, but if so, we are moving steak to Christmas eve. (I want my steak!)
3. Stockings..the best part of christmas morning presents would be the stockings..we also fill one for my mother and mother in law.
4.
5. Placemats, out of last years Christmas cards..gives me something to do with them, and I think the grandmas like them.
6. Decorating two trees..we started this last year, one is 'itty bitty' and is in a pot, the other is a larger normalish sized one, though still small..husband of mine doesn't like large tree hassles..and it is a good thing, I have pared down my ornament collection every year, keeping more important ones and ditching the barely remembered (never mind that the man who wants a small tree is the man who doesn't want to get rid of the ornaments....) Some day we will have a row of cute trees out back
7. Filling a shoebox (or three), I did this when I was a kid and we are helping the kids do it now, operation Christmas child sends them overseas, The kids love to be able to get several things to fill a box, and we all like knowing some kid will have a box of fun to open.
8. Christmas music with all company
sorry yes you get bombarded with it here too...though in my defense, I do not do much shopping after thanksgiving, so I don't get it, I also do not work with it..so the only time I hear it, is when I put it on intentionally..or at church.9. candlelit service....I absolutly love thise, Christmas eve..though NOT at midnight! nice and early, so we can get the kids in bed.
10. Christmas eve book..you gotta have some good reason to go to bed that night! (I used to get one, so this is a continued tradition)
11. pass thru the neighborhood any time we come home after dark (for us that isn't often) to see all the Christmas lights.
12. Fudge! and Pumpkin bread, and Molasses cookies (cookies are Grandma Boo's recipie)...I make some every year, the only things I bake that are consistantly requested by all who know if em.....except my mother in law.....she hates my cooking...
13. Make our own card..ever since we had kids we have included a 'year in review' of some form for Christmas..and we print it on the computer..then we print lables..and don't think I havn't thought most times that it would be easier to hand write them afte trying to mail merge and lables croocked and ect...sheesh..have the card done, but my computer doesn't print..and DH works till late..hopefully before christmas it will happen..I'll edit out full names for a copy to all here if you want.
Living so far away from family the only traditions of my childhood that I truly regret is not seeing my grandmother on Christmas.........and the other side of the family always does Christmas in January..the time of ice storms and unsafe driving for NC...so we never see them either....oh well.