Home for the Holidays

My family and I enjoy participating in a variety of customs and traditions at our home during the holiday season. They are festive activities that we take pleasure in every year during Christmas time.

Christmas Tree

A few weeks before Christmas we start putting up our holiday decorations. My husband is in charge of getting the tree setup and stringing it with lights. Then my children and I decorate the tree with all the homemade ornaments that we've collected throughout the years. Many of the ornaments have been made by various family members and friends, some of whom are no longer with us. The kids ask questions about each ornament, and who made it, as we place each one on the tree. This is a terrific way to walk down memory lane and remember all our loved ones.

Swags and Garlands

After trimming the branches off the bottom of our tree we have the makings for a variety of swags and garlands. I like to make a swag for our front door by bundling together sections of branches then embellishing the bundle with a variety of pinecones, miniature ornaments and festive looking silk ribbons. We live in Florida, which is not known for its indigenous population of pine trees. A couple of years ago we decided to buy a faux tree so I no longer have access to the materials for making my own swags. This is one tradition I certainly miss.

Holiday Beverages

My daughter and I, and my son when he was younger, love to make a variety of hot beverages to enjoy throughout the holidays. There is nothing like making a mug of real hot chocolate out of milk, sugar and cocoa powder and topping it with mini marshmallows. See my article, Hot Holiday Drinks, which contains recipes for spiced hot chocolate, cinnamon coffee and peppermint mocha.

Oma Bag

For the past 15 years my mom has been staying with us from upstate NY to visit for 2-3 weeks while the kids are out of school for their Christmas vacation. My mom, whom the kids call Oma, started a tradition that very first year. Besides the usual gifts she brings that get opened on Christmas day, she also brings a variety of small presents to fill the Oma bag. My son and daughter each get to choose a present from the bag everyday leading up to Christmas.

Holiday Baking

My daughter has inherited my love of cooking and enjoys helping me make various holiday desserts. Some of the traditional cookies that we make include Russian tea cakes, mini pecan tarts and peanut butter kisses. She has even cajoled my mom into helping out with her baking endeavors, and looks forward to putting together a gingerbread house every year while her grandmother is down here.

Christmas Stockings

Even though my children are getting older, they still enjoy going through their stockings on Christmas morning. The stockings are filled with a plethora of small, unwrapped gifts such as gum, candy, lip balm and gift cards. I give my kids their stockings first thing in the morning as the rest of us are waking up, waiting for the coffee to finish brewing.

Christmas Breakfast

After all the presents have been opened on Christmas morning my husband makes us all a delicious holiday breakfast. He makes every ones favorite foods including hash browns, cheesy scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage and biscuits. We usually skip lunch this day as we will be eating both a larger than normal breakfast and an early and bountiful Christmas dinner.

Movie Night at Home

During the Christmas break we pick a night or two to have a family movie night at home. Before my mom comes down to visit each year we pick out a few movies from our collection that we know she will enjoy watching. She's not a fan of horror movies or sophomoric humor so we let her decide which one to watch each night. We gather together a variety of snacks and drinks beforehand so that everyone, including our kids, can snack on their favorite treats during the movie.