Welcome to the December Carnival of Natural Parenting: Let’s Talk Traditions
This post was written for inclusion in the monthly Carnival of Natural Parenting hosted by Code Name: Mama and Hobo Mama.
Please read to the end to find a list of links to the other carnival participants.
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Since my kids are quite young I am still figuring out what I want our family traditions to look like. Certainly, I already incorporate a few things that I grew up with and hold dear to my heart, but I want to add on a few things that are uniquely ours. Here is where I am at so far.
Birthday Traditions
Can you see my Happy Birthday banner?
Last year I made a Happy Birthday banner and now every time it’s someone’s birthday we hang it up. You know how some people get sentimental about Christmas ornaments? Well I plan on a big sentimental cry fest over the Happy Birthday banner for many years to come. I may even make another one so when the girls move out they can both have one to take to college with them.
Christmas Traditions
I always start off the Christmas season by going to the Waldorf Christmas Fair. With the opportunity to buy from local artisans and craftspeople, I get a lot of my Christmas shopping done, make a Christmas wreath with my daughters, travel into a sweet-smelling Cookie Cavern for a sugar cookie hanging from the ceiling and walls, and hear a magic and wonder-filled story or two while basking in the spirit of the season. I haven’t missed a fair in five years and I hope I never do. They are soul-filling-ly beautiful.
I grew up with fresh baking. My mom bakes, my step-mom bakes, my grandma bakes, and I bake too. I try not to overdo it too much but I bake at least 5 different kinds of cookies and squares to have on hand for visitors. I start this around mid-December and keep them in the deep freeze. Sometimes I sneak one or two, or three or four…. I have a couple of standby’s, compliments of friends with talent who shared their recipes a few years ago. I also like to try something new.
When we were kids my mom always bought my brother and I advent calendars with the cheap little chocolates inside. I loved them until I was about 20, and then I realized how gross the chocolate is and made sure I didn’t get one again – plus, hello, I was 20! Time to stop the advent calendars mom! My kids got them for a couple years until I put a stop to that. I like the idea of making my own and while we haven’t ventured further than the paper chain advent that you snip off each night up until December 24th, I really want to find a meaningful way to count down to Christmas. Last year we made a couple last minute advent calendars. We tried a giving jar which was awesome, but we found it hard to keep up with doing each good deed each day of the month. Maybe I made some of our goals too difficult to attain, so I’ve shelved that idea until I can’t find something better. One idea I like that I found at Living Peacefully With Children is this Solstice calendar. I just need to start sewing in October to make sure it gets done by December 1st!
Decorating the Christmas tree and our ornaments are a very important part of past, present and future traditions. For one, Christmas music must be playing! Every year growing up my brother and I received a new ornament so I have passed this tradition down to my kids. Of course this means we can never have a designer tree. Instead, it’s filled with stories of Christmases past, old loves, cherished relatives who have passed on, good friends and fun times. In fact, I think the most at home I have felt in our new home came when I opened the box of our ornaments this week and fondly remembered my years of doing daycare and the many, many ornaments and decorations we made when my kids were toddlers.
When I was growing up my brother and I created the tradition of not being able to see the Christmas tree until our parents were awake on Christmas morning. There was something about us all seeing the presents under the tree for the first time that was special for us, and I still do this, even though everyone thinks I’m crazy for wanting to continue with it.
Last year's Santa and reindeer offering.
On Christmas Eve I help the girls write a letter to Santa and leave a plate of Christmas baking and a glass of water for Santa and a bowl of water for the reindeer. (Mommy Claus doesn’t like milk and we tell the girls that Santa is probably tired of milk and would like a glass of water instead). When the kids are asleep I eat the cookies and leave a thank you note. I get around the outright lie about Santa by telling them that he is magical, just like fairies, just like real magic. We don’t know how it works, we don’t ever see the “real” Santa, we just choose to believe in magic, and if grown ups can choose to believe in magic then they can believe in Santa forever. Do you believe in Santa? I do.
My oldest poses for her requisite stocking-opening photo in her new pajamas.
The kids get to open one present on Christmas Eve and it is always a pair of pajamas. My mom did this for me and I loved knowing I was getting some nice fresh jammies to wear for Christmas photos the next morning. This nicely allows my husband to check something off his list regarding Christmas traditions too. He grew up with French Canadian traditions where they had their big meal on Christmas Eve and opened up presents after Christmas Mass. Yes, as in 1:00 in the morning! I don’t get it. What’s the point of Christmas if it’s over before it starts? One gift, that’s it, is what I say. Lucky for me he isn’t tied to his traditions like I am!
Because it's important to look foolish at the dinner table.
For Christmas dessert I make my famous Vegan Pumpkin Pie. Even though I don’t really eat tofu anymore I will make this again anyway because it is so good and is something I have always done, or at least since I was about 19.
I blame thank my mom for my rigid tradition following ways. Stockings before presents. Family must all be gathered before opening gifts can commence. Silly paper hats must be worn at the dinner table. Tree not to go up before December 10th (no reason by the way). While I am not interested in breaking any of the traditions I already follow I do desperately want to include some more. I know I know. I’m crazy for wanting more work for myself but some of the small things that other people do are so cool. And its the small stuff that interests me.
Some families I know have the most awesome traditions. My friend Victoria hides a pickle in her Christmas tree and the first child to find it gets to open the first Christmas present. I LOVE this game, but unfortunately I don’t have a fake pickle and don’t relish (pun intended) the idea of a real one dripping pickle juice on my fir boughs.
Another friend celebrates Christmas on Winter Solstice so she and her family can have a separate meaningful day together and then enjoy Christmas Day with extended family a few days later. Since I too celebrate Solstice I thought I might adopt this tradition myself but I can’t come around to it since my own traditions are so tightly wound up in December 25th.
I’m dying to read about and hear about your holiday traditions. I may have to steal some of the really good ones. Can you suggest some for me? Tell all in the comments section.
Tags: Christmas, holiday traditions, last minute advent calendars
I love traditions, so much so that I blogged about them not long ago
Our traditions include putting up the tree the first week in December over at my mums with my kids and all my siblings, so much fun! Making mince pies on Christmas Eve with my children, we make paper chains with last years leftover wrapping paper too.
As for counting down advent, each child has a ‘magic box’ and every morning in advent, inside it they discover a little treat like a chocolate coin plus a figure to stick on our Nativity scene, so the last one is baby Jesus. I’m sure that idea has plenty of scope for adaptation!
Michelle´s last [type] ..Wordless Weekday
[...] Emerging Family Traditions — Melodie at Breastfeeding Moms Unite! shares some of her favorite birthday and Christmas traditions. (@bfmom) [...]
[...] Emerging Family Traditions — Melodie at Breastfeeding Moms Unite! shares some of her favorite birthday and Christmas traditions. (@bfmom) [...]
[...] Emerging Family Traditions — Melodie at Breastfeeding Moms Unite! shares some of her favorite birthday and Christmas traditions. (@bfmom) [...]
[...] Emerging Family Traditions — Melodie at Breastfeeding Moms Unite! shares some of her favorite birthday and Christmas traditions. (@bfmom) [...]
It struck me as funny when you said “I blame thank my mom for my rigid tradition following ways.”
Just this week I was telling a story to my coworker about our Christmas traditions and I started by saying, “Well, you know how I am… rigid… about traditions?”
Anyway, this is the first Christmas that by husband and I are married and own our home, but we have established a few already. Nothing Christmas can happen until after Thanksgiving. That Saturday, though, all bets are off. It is Christmas music galore! The weekend of Thanksgiving we “winterize” the house and do a deep clean to prepare for the season. Then, the next weekend, we get our tree and decorate. While we decorate, we watch Christmas specials from 1988 (because that is the year I have on VHS from when I was a kid. I love the commercials more than the shows themselves! And yes, we saved a VHS player for this very reason.) and drink hot chocolate or eggnog.
My mom always bought herself a Hallmark ornament with the year on it. We have carried it on ourselves, with special ones for our first Christmas (2006), a special “love” one when we got engaged (2 weeks before Christmas), and a “new home” one for this year. It is so nice to take them out of the boxes each year and remember a little bit about every year together.
Jackie @ Crest Cottage´s last [type] ..Pizza!
Melodie Reply:
December 14th, 2010 at 7:31 pm
I have a few hallmark ornaments in my collection too. Although it wasn’t until I became an adult that I realized how expensive they can be. Yikes! I love that you still have videos from the 80′s that you watch! I have a couple tapes lying around that I enjoy seeing the commercials on too. So neat!
We did the PJ’s on Christmas Eve too – I wonder where that started, because I think it’s pretty common. Also, I’d love to have your cookie recipes
The birthday banner is such a cute idea! I have been wondering what to do for Kieran as he gets older. We’ve been keeping his birthdays fairly low-key – just family, no “parties,” but I want to do something special! Thanks for the ideas.
Dionna @ Code Name: Mama´s last [type] ..Acupuncture for Fertility
[...] Emerging Family Traditions — Melodie at Breastfeeding Moms Unite! shares some of her favorite birthday and Christmas traditions. (@bfmom) [...]
[...] Emerging Family Traditions — Melodie at Breastfeeding Moms Unite! shares some of her favorite birthday and Christmas traditions. (@bfmom) [...]
[...] Emerging Family Traditions — Melodie at Breastfeeding Moms Unite! shares some of her favorite birthday and Christmas traditions. (@bfmom) [...]
I love the Happy Birthday banner! I, too, am very sentimental about birthdays. They’re a big deal here.
We’re trying to incorporate a solstice celebration here also, but not sure what we’ll do yet this year. I’m hoping for a dry day, but we’ll see.
Kristen @ Adventures in Mommyhood´s last [type] ..Holidays- food and family
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[...] Emerging Family Traditions — Melodie at Breastfeeding Moms Unite! shares some of her favorite birthday and Christmas traditions. (@bfmom) [...]
We do Christmas Eve jammies too! I love that tradition. It’s very practical
I have heard about the pickle thing. We used to have a pickle ornament . . . I wonder what happened to it?
Also I love the tradition of baking. That is definitely something I want to do more of with my girls. I am gluten-free for the first Christmas ever, so we’ll see how tricky it is to bake within those guidelines.
So glad I found your blog through CarNatPar!
Sybil´s last [type] ..December Carnival of Natural Parenting- Family Traditions
[...] Emerging Family Traditions — Melodie at Breastfeeding Moms Unite! shares some of her favorite birthday and Christmas traditions. (@bfmom) [...]
[...] Emerging Family Traditions — Melodie at Breastfeeding Moms Unite! shares some of her favorite birthday and Christmas traditions. (@bfmom) [...]
[...] Emerging Family Traditions — Melodie at Breastfeeding Moms Unite! shares some of her favorite birthday and Christmas traditions. (@bfmom) [...]
My husband and I have started a tradition of picking out 1 ornament together each year that fits our lives at the time. Our first year, we got a little brass one that had a kitten coming out of a stocking and the year on it. (We had his two cats.)
I believe last year probably has “Baby” and the year because it was Sasha’s first Giftmas. This year we had trouble finding one, but settled for a picture frame baby block with the year on it.
I really used to dislike hodge-podge looking trees, but I’m loving the idea now. The tree will become a history of our life together.
The jammie thing is brilliant! Everyone gets their pic taken Giftmas morn – this way you know they’re not wearing stained clothes or anything. heh
Oh, and when I was a kid we had to wait for the parents, too! We would sit at the top of the stairs and the oldest child still living at home would go try to rouse the parents. Then they would come wait with the rest of us until the parents got their coffee, settled into their seats, and called us down to see what Santa brought! I carry on this tradition, too. I want to see the faces when they see what Santa has brought!
And you are the first other person I have found that mentions water. I told my daughter milk might taste sour by the time Santa arrives. We also vary what goodie we leave. Sometimes we leave fudge (because we have it and I’m too warn out to bake fresh cookies), and say that he’ll appreciate the change of pace from all those cookies!
Thank you for sharing your traditions! I had never heard of an advent calendar until I was grown, but it is nice to find someone with some of the same (apparently) quirky traditions from childhood as me!
Momma Jorje´s last [type] ..Family Tradition Origins
[...] the link to read more about my family’s emerging Christmas traditions. Share and [...]
I’m excited to try your vegan pumpkin pie recipe! I typically eat a vegan diet 5 days each week, and I love finding vegan recipes that everyone likes!
We have a number of family traditions, although Christmas books and Christmas movies were definitely some of our favorites. And watching a Christmas movie on Christmas Day afternoon or evening is essential – often A Christmas Story or National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.
Deb Chitwood @ Living Montessori Now´s last [type] ..Homeschool Christmas
I am super rigid about traditions too. My sister laughs at me but I can’t help it. Maybe it’s because we moved a lot when I was little but Christmas was always the same.
As an adult, I’m finding it difficult to allow room for my husband’s traditions but I’m working hard at that. So far we haven’t completely hammered it all out.
Nice to know I’m not the only one who gets a bit nuts about it.
Bluebirdmama´s last [type] ..Mindfully Creating Family Traditions
I think it’s great to stick to traditions that bring cheer and joy to this time of year! I love your idea of leaving water for Santa too!
One thing we do that I haven’t heard of many people doing is to do a Secret Santa gift exchange with my hubby, kiddos, parents and brother. Instead of everyone getting everyone gifts we draw names (they stay secret until Christmas Eve) and we get that person a meaningful, thought-filled present. I just love this because we really get the chance to buy something special for someone.
You’d get along well with my husband’s family. Tradition is very important!
I think I have to adopt your silly paper hats at the table idea. I like that one a lot. The pickle idea is cracking me up. I think that sounds like a lot of fun, too.
Lauren @ HoboMama´s last [type] ..Wordless Wednesday- Naughty or nice
I am super rigid about traditions too. My sister laughs at me but I can’t help it. Maybe it’s because we moved a lot when I was little but Christmas was always the same. As an adult, I’m finding it difficult to allow room for my husband’s traditions but I’m working hard at that. So far we haven’t completely hammered it all out. Nice to know I’m not the only one who gets a bit nuts about it.
You’d get along well with my husband’s family. Tradition is very important!
I think I have to adopt your silly paper hats at the table idea. I like that one a lot. The pickle idea is cracking me up. I think that sounds like a lot of fun, too.