Friday, November 14, 2008

Christmas of Dreams Day 2


Sponsors: LaPlates and Lets Go Strolling and Natitys Design

I do have some family traditions that we share in our household.

First off, we celebrate Yule, which is on the winter solstice, usually around the 20th of December. This year it falls on the 21st, also the first day of Hanukkah.

For Yule get handmade or spiritual items to one another. We invite all of our friends over, and talk, it is one of the most relaxing days of the year. An evening of reflection, good friends and wonderful gifts that we all know means something to one another.

We also make oranges, lemons and limes with cloves in them. They smell amazing and look great within the branches of the tree.



Now, I still have Christmas with my kids.

Christmas Eve we decorate cookies for Santa, then we track Santa on Google Earth and when he gets close to Colorado everyone gets into bed. Then I read to them "The Night Before Christmas" the same book I read every Christmas Eve as a kid.



We wake up Christmas morning and then everything stops. No one is allowed to open presents until Issa opens all of her birthday gifts. It is not fair that she has to share a birthday on a huge holiday, so we make sure she know that SHE is special.

Then we all separate them into piles for one another, and slowly open gifts until we all just have one left. It is a lot of fun to see what one another gets, and they always get one gift from each person in the family, so they are really fair on the amount of gifts.

I love this season.. it keeps me warm and happy most of the year.

6 comments:

Amanda said...

Those sound like nice and relaxing traditions! I can almost smell the fruit with cloves.

Staci A said...

How sweet that everyone makes her birthday special too!

I remember making the oranges with cloves when I was little, they smell so wonderful!

Charlotte said...

I LOVE your family's way of making Issa birthday special in spite of Christmas. I hear so many people say how the child would get 'jipped" or forgotten about with a birthday near Christmas, and this is just not true!! My son's birthday is Dec. 19, and despite all the craziness, we still give him his special time as well. Thanks for sharing your family traditions!

Kate said...

Goodonya for keeping her birthday separate! I know too many people whose parents handled this kind of thing wrong, alas. :/

Debbie said...

It sounds like a great holiday for you all. I love the fact that Issa's birthday is celebrated first. Great idea.

Rita @ My Precious Pennies said...

that's sweet that you do your best to separate your daughter's birthday from christmas