Holiday Traditions

What are your treasured family holiday traditions?

Growing up, many of our holiday traditions surrounded food.  The making, and consuming of food was considered to be the ultimate way to show our love for each other.  The more calories something had, the more we made.

The Christmas tree never went up until Dec. 20, because my Dad's birthday was on Dec. 19.  Let me tell you, waiting until the 20th to put up the Christmas tree was one of the hardest parts of every Christmas season.  Christmas Eve, we would drive around the neighborhoods and look at Christmas lights.

When I started my own family, I wanted to have a deeper set of traditions for the kids.

We put our Christmas Tree up the weekend after Thanksgiving.  (Except this year, because the living room is full of daughter's college stuff - she's still making space in her room for some of this.  The rest is going to have to go in the basement soon.)

We have a Playmobil Nativity set that I bought when the kids were little.  This always goes out on the coffee table where the children could play with it whenever they wanted.

We spend a day making cookies and candy.

We go to a concert at the Arts Center for "A Charlie Brown Jazz Christmas".  The Art Center shows A Charlie Brown Christmas, with the live music provided by the Eric Byrd Jazz Trio.  The movie is followed by a live jazz concert provided by the Eric Byrd Jazz Trio.

Christmas Eve, we go to one of the candle light services. As the kids have gotten older, we've been able to go to the later services.

On Christmas Day, the kids go on a hunt for their presents.  We send them on a very detailed hunt for clues that has taken us all over central Maryland over the years.  We've ended up at Grandparent's houses, church, hotels, and the homes of Aunts and Uncles.  Who knows where this years' challenge will take us?

Sprinkled in these traditions are visiting the Symphony of Lights, the Christmas Cantata at church, driving around to see Christmas lights, and watching Christmas Movies:  How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Rudolph, White Christmas, Christmas with the Cranks... the list goes on.

What are your family's Christmas traditions?