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That's so cute! I love the idea of the stocking stuffer surprise gifts for the kids.
What kind of cookies ya baking?
@belle: chocolate chips... and m's son has requested brownies so i'm making both lol
This will be our first Christmas as a married couple. We are coming back from Jamaica on December 24th (FIs b-day). We plan on spending the rest of the night with the kids. We are driving down to Florida Christmas morning b/c it's his family's year to go to FL. I am excited b/c our family is complete this year (FI found out he fathered a son w/a HS GF in October. So now in addition to his 19 yr old...he is the proud papa of a 24 year old bouncing baby boy...LOL).
We won't be doing a tree and stuff until next Christmas but just having all of us celebrate together is the start of a beautiful tradition.
MY FI has been really great about letting me incorporate some of my family traditions into our new family traditions - tangerine in the toe of the stocking followed by Hanukkah geld (the gold coins). For me, the thing that's new is waiting until December 6 to get a tree and go crazy with decoration's - FI's birthday is 12/5.
Luckily, FI's 10 year-old son just goes with the flow at Christmas. We have him this year (every other year for Christmas) so we're working on building new traditions together as a family!
We get the our tree the first weekend of December. We always have to cut it down ourselves, which I also love to do. We go back to the house, the kids play and go through our 'just pulled out of storage' Christmas stuff while FI and I get the tree in the stand and dressed in lights. I get to have my two kids Christmas eve when we go to our family holiday party, then we come back home to put out cookies and milk for santa; carrots for the reindeer, then to bed. Well, the kids go to bed, once they are asleep FI and I get to work on getting ready for Christmas morning. FI doesn't have any kids of his own so he truly enjoys this aspect of parenting, who wouldn't?! The kids rise with the sun and we do gifts and breakfast, then relax together with hot cocoa. Around noon we meet up with my ex and the kids go off for a couple of days with him and his family to do their Christmas thing.
I'm so excited for tonight too! There is a very small 'city' near my house (Westerly, RI) and they have the nicest, quaintest Christmas night tonight. Carolers, lighting of the tree, Santa, hay rides, etc. this is going to be part of our family tradition for years to come. I have fantacies of dragging my two kids (now 12 and 8) when they are in their 20's home from college to go see the lights. I remind myself as often as I can to slow down and enjoy each moment like a poloroid shapshot. Every year I say a small prayer out to the universe asking for insight and guidance in helping to create the most happy, joyful memories for these kids that I can. The universe is very generous because we all end up with wonderful memories :)
Happy Holidays everyone!
The first Christmas my kids went with their dad was really hard for me. In previous years after our divorce, I would be able to get up early and go to his apartment/house for them to do Santa presents. Last year the X got married a few weeks before Christmas so he and his live-in GF could keep them.
My mom and I hatched a plan to help the kids feel better about being gone... They were really unhappy and begging not to go.
The day that they return from their dad's (or the day after) is PAJAMA CHRISTMAS DAY... We spend the entire day at my parents and being in PJ's is a requirement. We eat leftovers or breakfast/brunch and usually make a pot of soup or chili. We play board games and watch old home movies or my mom's black and white Christmas movies. Since no one is "hostess" that day, we can all really relax. My kids LOVE Pajama Christmas and don't feel like they are missing Christmas with us.
During the times the kids are with us - we always:
That's a great idea Querida!
I love how you make the holiday switchoff so fun.
I know Christmases and holidays are difficult when you have to do the "switch". Bddt.
X and I used to split Christmas day. 1/2 day with each parent. Now it's just me and I love it, but when he gets his life together, hopefully he will, then I'll be happy to let him resume things.
Tonight my son began decorating our tree before me (one at my house..we do T's tomorrow night at his house) and all the ornaments are now on one side. It looks hilarious!
I should take a pic of it. It's too funny :)
We also have to do "the switch" with FI's kids. This year their mom will be dropping them off with us on Christmas Eve so they'll be waking up Christmas morning with us! My son's father is technically supposed to have him every other Christmas, but he lives out of state, and although every year he says he is going to come down and see him for christmas, he never has. Last year, he couldn't even manage to send a card or a gift... but that's a story for another time...
Anyway, I know the "switch" can suck, but we just celebrate Christmas whenever the kids are all here. Last year we didn't get them until the night of the 25th, so they just woke up the morning of the 26th and we celebrated that day like it was Christmas morning. It's not so much about the actual date, but everyone being together as a family.
Some of our christmas traditions:
Playing christmas music and decorating the tree (This weekend!)
Going to our town's tree-lighting ceremony, where they shoot off fireworks and have games and treats for the kids (also this weekend!)
Reading "The night before Christmas" on the night before christmas (tradition from my childhood)
Going for walks through the neighborhood after dark to look at all the lights
Eating pancakes and chocolate ice cream for breakfast on christmas morning (FI's tradition)
It's all about the kids, and it's so great to see them enjoying traditions from their father, and introducing them to new ones from my family. I can't wait!!
I'm super scared about Christmas next year... I can't imagine anything worse than having to spend Christmas away from my family. Ever. I realize this makes me selfish but oh man, it makes me cry just thinking about it. Thankfully, I think we're going to try and get our families together for Christmas! Hopefully, they'll come down to Atlanta btu I don't know if that would be possible since the grandmothers are old and can't travel. We'll see, but it's a tradition I'd love to see happen.
My family has a party on X-Mas Eve every year (a tradition started by my great-grandparents). I mean, a full on party, party. When I was married, I took that over once I became an adult, so we're doing that.
We're also going to decorate stockings to hang up for Santa with the kids (his and mine).
We'll decorate the tree together.
We'll make a gingerbread house.
We'll make presents (for his kids mom) and grandparents (for my kids).
oooo we're doing a gingerbread house too! This weekend!
That sounds so much fun!
Gotta run, we're doing homework (son) and finishing doing the tree!
Thought I'd post some pix of our new Christmas Eve tradition. We never got to do this when I was a kid... But now on no matter where we are this is our tradition...
I give you the glorious mansion of a gingerbread house built by two 8 year olds and a six year old... 
their house... yeah their roof is caving in but I think it's the cutest thing EVER!! lol!!!
later we'll finally be baking our cookies, that i promised I'd do weeks ago...
Oh Cre, they are ADORABLE! Beautiful kids and their smiles say it all. They love you and are so happy!
I think they're pretty good gingerbread architects if you ask me! Much better than my son and I at our first attempt a few years back!!!
Such cutie patooties!!! Give em' a kiss from me!
LOL aren't they cuties?! They had sooo much fun with their Christmas crafts!! The little one just wanted to eat the decorations but the big kids wouldn't let them! They are playing with remote control toys right now and won't sit still long enough to get kisses but I'll blow a few at them for ya :D
Not a blended family but my favorite Christmas tradition is picking one night, changing into pajamas and slippers, putting some cocoa in travel mugs and riding around looking at Christmas lights.
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Beekeeper
I'm going to be an encore bride and my guy is an encore groom. We're also parents and lovin' the holidays b/c it's so much fun for them!
We have a few traditions we're going to do always and we love them.
1)we visit lake lanier island lights and see santa (check! Did it last night)
2)go to the living nativity at our church (so fun! Cant' wait to roast marshamallows and make s'mores there)
3)go all shopping together for the Christmas tree and then go for cocoa after at the neighborhood coffee shop
4)after Christmas is over and done, we find a place when it's cold enough and go snow tubing!
Tell me some of the new traditions you're creating together as a family! Even if it's just a family of 2.
Happy Holidays!