Gilly Bean
Princess Spanky Pants
- Joined
- Aug 29, 2001
- Posts
- 7,173
On Christmas Eve, we have several traditions, seeing as how there are so many extended families between myself and hubby. We alternate on which ones we do each year.
This year, we are spending Christmas Eve at my Aunt's house, because she has no family of her own (other then parents, and neices, nephews, and sisters.., no hubby, no kids). She hates being alone at Christmas, and loves to spoil the kids, so we like to let her. And hell, she spoils us as well. (We got presant number one already, in preperation for baby... brand new camcorder!)
Anyway, she leaves the tree bare, except garland, and lights. The kids get to dig into the ornaments, and decorate. She buys them a dated ornament each year as well. We order pizza, and watch Christmas movies afterwards, until 9, when it's the kiddo's bed time. Now, since they are only 3 and 5, it's hard to get them to sleep. We have aid in this. A large belt with HUGE jingle bells on it goes with us, and we tell them after a bit that we thought we heard/saw santa, and that he can't come till they go to bed. We do that through out the night until they are asleep, thensneak out and put all the presants under the tree, and fill the stockings.
Last year, Raegan woke up, and had to go to the bathroom while we were doing this, so we made her hide under her sleeping bag while we carried her in there, so that Santa would think she was still asleep.
Christmas morning has always been the same for me. When I was growing up, I split morning between my dad, and mom. Waking up at one or the others, doing christmas gifts there, then going to my grandparents. Over there, all the family congrigates. The adults cook, and drink screwdrivers, or cocoa w/buttershots. Presants pile up under the tree from all the people, and then finally, we all eat, usually between noon and 1. Then, we clean up the table, and put away left overs, making the kids squirm more and more as they wait. Finally, we let em dig into the presants. That is a hectec mess. There are currently 21 members in the immediate family, all burrowed into small nooks n crannies in the living room, while the older kids try to figure out which grandma is which, cause there are two there (counting mine, plus my mom) and trying to figure out whose name is what. The one kid, Tyler, is 10, and can't read to well, but insists on playing santa. We usually have around 10 mixed up presants each year.
The adults just more or less watch the kids, or help the smaller ones, while the kids go hog wild, throwing paper and ribbons about.
After the ordeal of presants, comes picking up the presants, putting them in piles per kid (to avoid confusion), and getting all the wrapping paper and ribbons off the ground.
Next, comes nap time for the adults (since most of us are up before dawn on Christmas) and the kids are banished to the basement, to play with new toys, fight and bicker over who has what, and to generally be kids.
I love Christmas, because I get to be with my family. We have lots of traditions, and they mean alot to me. With hubby's family, they have no solid traditions for holiday's, and most of them act like they would definatly rather be elsewhere. They are not comfortable, Nick's mom is usually bitchy, his sister as well. His aunt tries to keep the peace, but there is almost always a fight between princess and someone. Nick's grandma has this habit of inviting in people off the street, who don't have any where else to go, so there are usually about 5 to 10 strangers there. They are all just as uncomfortable, and sit around staring at each other. Over all, I would rather be with my family then his on the holidays. Even he would, as things like family get togethers are just not happy fun times for his family, and never were, even as kids.
This year, we are spending Christmas Eve at my Aunt's house, because she has no family of her own (other then parents, and neices, nephews, and sisters.., no hubby, no kids). She hates being alone at Christmas, and loves to spoil the kids, so we like to let her. And hell, she spoils us as well. (We got presant number one already, in preperation for baby... brand new camcorder!)
Anyway, she leaves the tree bare, except garland, and lights. The kids get to dig into the ornaments, and decorate. She buys them a dated ornament each year as well. We order pizza, and watch Christmas movies afterwards, until 9, when it's the kiddo's bed time. Now, since they are only 3 and 5, it's hard to get them to sleep. We have aid in this. A large belt with HUGE jingle bells on it goes with us, and we tell them after a bit that we thought we heard/saw santa, and that he can't come till they go to bed. We do that through out the night until they are asleep, thensneak out and put all the presants under the tree, and fill the stockings.
Last year, Raegan woke up, and had to go to the bathroom while we were doing this, so we made her hide under her sleeping bag while we carried her in there, so that Santa would think she was still asleep.
Christmas morning has always been the same for me. When I was growing up, I split morning between my dad, and mom. Waking up at one or the others, doing christmas gifts there, then going to my grandparents. Over there, all the family congrigates. The adults cook, and drink screwdrivers, or cocoa w/buttershots. Presants pile up under the tree from all the people, and then finally, we all eat, usually between noon and 1. Then, we clean up the table, and put away left overs, making the kids squirm more and more as they wait. Finally, we let em dig into the presants. That is a hectec mess. There are currently 21 members in the immediate family, all burrowed into small nooks n crannies in the living room, while the older kids try to figure out which grandma is which, cause there are two there (counting mine, plus my mom) and trying to figure out whose name is what. The one kid, Tyler, is 10, and can't read to well, but insists on playing santa. We usually have around 10 mixed up presants each year.
The adults just more or less watch the kids, or help the smaller ones, while the kids go hog wild, throwing paper and ribbons about.
After the ordeal of presants, comes picking up the presants, putting them in piles per kid (to avoid confusion), and getting all the wrapping paper and ribbons off the ground.
Next, comes nap time for the adults (since most of us are up before dawn on Christmas) and the kids are banished to the basement, to play with new toys, fight and bicker over who has what, and to generally be kids.
I love Christmas, because I get to be with my family. We have lots of traditions, and they mean alot to me. With hubby's family, they have no solid traditions for holiday's, and most of them act like they would definatly rather be elsewhere. They are not comfortable, Nick's mom is usually bitchy, his sister as well. His aunt tries to keep the peace, but there is almost always a fight between princess and someone. Nick's grandma has this habit of inviting in people off the street, who don't have any where else to go, so there are usually about 5 to 10 strangers there. They are all just as uncomfortable, and sit around staring at each other. Over all, I would rather be with my family then his on the holidays. Even he would, as things like family get togethers are just not happy fun times for his family, and never were, even as kids.
