Christmas Traditions

So I'm a little late, but I thought I'd go ahead and post a few of our Christmas Traditions!

My favorite Christmas tradition came about by accident. When I was about 7 years old, we began a tradition of making my parents breakfast in bed Christmas morning. It sounds very sweet, but it was really quite self-interested. Mom and Dad had a rule that we had to eat breakfast before we could open our presents! So when the kids woke up at 5 am, we excitedly examined our wrapped gifts, checked out the contents of our stockings, and then trooped off to the kitchen to make breakfast for mom and dad. At first it was just a bowl of cold cereal and a glass of orange juice on a tray, but we got more complicated as the years went on. French toast was the very first thing I learned to cook on my own, all because of our Christmas morning tradition.
Last year we had Christmas morning in our own home (the second time in the seven years we've been married), and my husband helped the kids make me breakfast in bed! So I'm hoping that this is a tradition that will continue for generations.... :)

Another of my favorite Christmas traditions is a classic: the kids acting out the Christmas story on Christmas eve, dressed in old sheets, curtains and towels toga-style. As you can see, last year baby Jesus was a doll with a pink checkered bonnet - you pick your battles, right? We also include Samuel the Lamanite's prophecies -- my little nephew nearly exploded with excitement when he stood tall on Grandma's coffee table and yelled out, "Repent!" And of course, all the other grandsons had a blast pretending to shoot at him with imaginary bows and arrows.

When we're with my parents, we also read "Davey and the First Christmas." It's a sweet old children's story my mom's family read when she was a kid. She had memorized it, so at first she would just recite it to us, because the book has been out of print for years. But a few years ago, she found a copy on ebay! So now we read from an original 1950's edition pop up book with a game on the back. :) It's a classic. I googled it and found the story here if you want to read it.

We also do Christmas Eve pajamas, a silly gift passing game (where you pass the gift to the left or the right every time you hear the word left or right in the story), several years we've done a 12 Days of Christmas Secret Santa, and we always do lots and lots and LOTS of singing around the piano. All told, I think it's the music that makes Christmas Christmas for me. The Christmas music starts after Halloween in my house, decorations go up the Friday after Thanksgiving. My husband rolls his eyes, but helps me anyway. :)

Anyway, there's a few of our traditions I love. Two years ago, in an effort to feel a little less frantic, I used bits and pieces from www.organizedchristmas.com. Some of it is a little over the top for me personally, but it's always nice to start with a ready-made plan, so you're not reinventing the wheel. You might check it out if you're a list person. :)