| Author | |
Becky Parker
Forum All-Star
Joined: May 23 2005
Location: Michigan
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 2582
|
| Posted: Dec 12 2014 at 9:24am | IP Logged
|
 |
|
We have many traditions for Advent and a few for Christmas like cinnamon rolls Christmas morning, cutie oranges and a new ornament in the stockings (plus a few other items like the raspberry jam my oldest son gets every year), and 3 gifts for each child. But, really, except for a nice Christmas dinner, we don't have many traditions for after the presents are open. My husband and I are trying to get away from the focus on presents for Christmas morning. This is partly because we are trying to cut back on what we spend, but there are other reasons as well. What things do you do on Christmas day? We would like to start some new traditions to make it a special time, not focused on the next gift to unwrap.
__________________
Becky
Wife to Wes, Mom to 6 wonderful kids on Earth and 4 in Heaven!
Academy Of The Good Shepherd
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Aagot
Forum All-Star
Joined: Aug 06 2010
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 649
|
| Posted: Dec 12 2014 at 10:10am | IP Logged
|
|
|
Does anyone in the family play an instrument? If so, you could have a family "concert". Or you could sing carols.
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
JodieLyn
Forum Moderator
Joined: Sept 06 2006
Location: Oregon
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 12234
|
| Posted: Dec 12 2014 at 10:55am | IP Logged
|
|
|
Well, we decorate the tree on the 24th. Because of where we live we do usually bring the real tree inside the day before so it has time to thaw out and relax it's branches before we decorate.
We usually have some sort of soup and snacky items for dinner on the 24th.
We attend Midnight Mass.
We give the kids a time that they're not allowed out of bed until.. otherwise we can get way too little sleep (like 1-2 hrs) so we insist on a time that gives us at least 4 hrs 
We open stockings first and then take a bit of a break, get some breakfast going (we often have a pre-prepped item that just goes in the oven) and get coffee or tea for those that want it.. Then we do the presents under the tree.
If time and energy allow, occasionally my oldest daughter and I will go to the 9am morning Mass to sing with the choir.
We try to have a family movie and/or board game under the tree so that gives us something nice and relaxed to do after breakfast. We do have a pretty relaxed day, we're usually all somewhat tired with less sleep than usual. We do a nice dinner that night.
I don't really want to add anything into that. With the tree up fresh for Christmas Day we aren't "tired of Christmas" by then so it's all new and fun still. We try and add in other bits of tradition (admittedly usually food) in the days following Christmas. Our Parish is Holy Family so we have a fun day after Mass for that day, and we have a few things on New Year's Day and we try and do something for Epiphany.
We may keep up the evening reading like we do during Advent with Christmas stories.
__________________
Jodie, wife to Dave
G-18, B-17, G-15, G-14, B-13, B-11, G-9, B-7, B-5, B-4
All men who have turned out worth anything have had the chief hand in their own education.
-Sir Walter Scott
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
pumpkinmom
Forum All-Star
Joined: March 28 2012
Location: Missouri
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 1028
|
| Posted: Dec 12 2014 at 11:12am | IP Logged
|
|
|
We try hard to keep Christmas less busy. I make sure nothing gets scheduled (I do have one doc appointment this year though), no formal school, even not do normal activities (scouts or sports), and I try to limit shopping and errands. We spend this time as a relaxing family.  No stress! That way we really can enjoy our togetherness and focus on things that normally get pushed to the side in our normal busy lives (family movie night or game night or work on a puzzle together). Not really a tradition but a change of lifestyle for a few weeks. It makes the normal burn out in February nonexistent or less apparent too.
We stay home on Christmas Day (Mass on Christmas Eve and we visit family on Christmas Eve too). We just do nothing! Play around with new stuff and enjoy some simple food that I keep out all day for grazing. Listen to Christmas music or watch movies.
We wait to make Christmas cookies until the 26th (sometimes we have to make cookies for events ahead of time, but this is for our personal consumption!). We also have the three wise men (Playmobil version) travel around the house until the Epiphany. Everyone enjoys finding them in the morning. We take turns hiding them too.
That is all I can think of that we do.
__________________
Cassie
Homeschooling my little patch of Ds-14 and Ds-10
Tending the Pumpkin Patch
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
JodieLyn
Forum Moderator
Joined: Sept 06 2006
Location: Oregon
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 12234
|
| Posted: Dec 12 2014 at 11:13am | IP Logged
|
|
|
Remember that traditions should help you connect as a family as well as celebrate the seasons. Spending the day at home getting to enjoy the gifts under the tree with the people in your family may be much more meaningful than "doing more".
That doesn't mean that you can't add in things especially if they don't feel too contrived. Like we find going to Mass before presents sends a powerful message about the priority of each. If for some reason we do need to attend a morning Mass, we will only do stockings when the kids first get up.. everything else waits until after Mass.
We usually do a round of letting everyone say what they're thankful for at dinner.. we do this on special holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas and Easter. It can add a good bit of time into our blessing on the meal so we don't find it to be something we do every evening.
I also find it helpful to remember that it's ok to be excited about presents. Ask kids about Christmas at other times of the year, before they get into the "Christmas is coming and we'll get presents" mode and see what they tell you. That will help you know more about what they're internalizing than just the excitement about presents that is so obvious.
__________________
Jodie, wife to Dave
G-18, B-17, G-15, G-14, B-13, B-11, G-9, B-7, B-5, B-4
All men who have turned out worth anything have had the chief hand in their own education.
-Sir Walter Scott
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
JodieLyn
Forum Moderator
Joined: Sept 06 2006
Location: Oregon
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 12234
|
| Posted: Dec 12 2014 at 11:17am | IP Logged
|
|
|
Another thought. Christmas is a joyful season. We should be doing fun things in celebration. Advent is the season for preparing ourselves for that celebration. So perhaps the time to reflect on what Christmas is for should be coming during Advent and maybe we should be playing during Christmas after the deeper contemplations of Advent.
__________________
Jodie, wife to Dave
G-18, B-17, G-15, G-14, B-13, B-11, G-9, B-7, B-5, B-4
All men who have turned out worth anything have had the chief hand in their own education.
-Sir Walter Scott
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Pilgrim
Forum All-Star
Joined: Feb 28 2007
Location: Wisconsin
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 1286
|
| Posted: Dec 13 2014 at 8:05am | IP Logged
|
|
|
pumpkinmom wrote:
We also have the three wise men (Playmobil version) travel around the house until the Epiphany. Everyone enjoys finding them in the morning. We take turns hiding them too.
|
|
|
I love this idea! I'll have to remember this. 
__________________
Wife 2 my bf, g14,b8,g&b6,g4,g3,g1 1/2,4 ^i^
St. Clare Heirloom Seeds coupon 4Real 20% off
St. Clare Audio
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Pilgrim
Forum All-Star
Joined: Feb 28 2007
Location: Wisconsin
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 1286
|
| Posted: Dec 13 2014 at 8:19am | IP Logged
|
|
|
I know it's not exactly "kosher", but we tried it last year and it worked so well we're doing it again. We opened our presents the Sunday before Christmas. We are thinking that we will keep it this way, either the Sunday before, or at least a couple days before. That way by Christmas the super excitement of gifts and main focus on that has calmed some, they've had time to enjoy them, and we can really focus on Christmas then, and what it means. We also explain the reason for gifts is in memory of the Wisemens gifts to Jesus and in representation of what a gift Jesus is to us.
We also started a new tradition last year of having a Birthday Cake for Jesus.
Also, we have faithfully kept to only Advent songs before Christmas last year and this year. So, on Christmas we all can't wait to sing our favorite Christmas songs. Each evening at Family Prayer Time we sang 2 or 3 favorite Christmas songs from The Reader's Digest Christmas Songbook, which we were able to borrow form the library. We actually kept this up all through until Candlemas, to help see that the Christmas Season lasts. In the secular realm Christmas happens, it's done, think of Boxing Day. They box everything up and it's over. For us Catholics it's really just beginning. I didn't realize that growing up.
__________________
Wife 2 my bf, g14,b8,g&b6,g4,g3,g1 1/2,4 ^i^
St. Clare Heirloom Seeds coupon 4Real 20% off
St. Clare Audio
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
|
|
Forum Locked) 
4Real Forums : Tea and Conversation
Topic: Christmas Traditions
