It’s really interesting to visit others during the holidays. Some folks have advent calendars, some have fake snow on the windows, heck some even have dying pine trees sitting in their livingroom decorated in a morbid mockery of their death. (At least that’s what I assume the trees are for, we have a fake tree…)
Here at Chez Powers, there are a few things we do this time of year. I’ll tell you ours, if you tell me yours. Unless you do some creepy public urination tradition or something. In that case, let’s just pretend you just play in the snow. Anyway, here are some of the things we do:
Burnin’ Down the House
This was actually a tradition we started last year. I don’t recommend it. The plan is to make it a one time thing, as it’s a very expensive tradition, and makes for a rather rotten new year. (Yes, it’s been long enough to joke about. Quit yer cryin.)
Coins In Shoes on December 6th
December 6th is St. Nicholas Day, and every year we buy chocolate coins to put in our girl’s shoes. We read the story of St. Nicholas, and start the holiday season with chocolate, which is a very good way to start it. Unfortunately, we forget almost every year. So we mostly remember around December 10th, read the story, and just hand out chocolate coins. It’s a good plan, but for some reason we forget. Still, we get chocolate, so it’s all good.
The Scavenger Hunt
This is a Powers Family favorite. Every Christmas Eve, Mom and Dad create an elaborate chain of hidden clues. The girls work together solving the clues and searching for the next clue, in order to find the final destination. That final clue leads to a family gift, usually a game of some sort, that they open and we play. It’s a great tradition, and as the girls get older, the clues get more and more difficult. It’s so much fun to watch them work together to solve the clues, and at the end, we all get to play a game together. It’s really cool. We try to do this tradition on Christmas Eve, because it’s usually just our family. It makes it special.
The Christmas Photo
Every year, we take a Christmas photo. Actually, every year we take 6,328 Christmas photos. Donna is really passionate about pictures, so we end up taking many photos, trying to get dogs and kids to pose correctly. We all act like we’re upset by it, but really it’s sweet. Donna loves the Christmas photo, and we love her – so we’re happy to oblige.
So there you go, some Powers traditions. What are some of your traditions? Perhaps we want to steal one or two! (Also, if you’re looking for an idea from us – I highly recommend the scavenger hunt, it’s full of win)
Happy Holidays!
Some of ours…
We don’t decorate the tree until Christmas Eve Day. It can come into the house (and kinda has to where we live) and it can have the lights put on, but decorating the tree happens Christmas Eve day.
Baby Jesus doesn’t get to enter the manger on until Christmas eve. When we were kids, it was right before bed. The wise men do NOT belong at the manger until Epiphany–they can, however, travel around the room slowly towards the manger. Sadly for the wise men, with our house as small as it is, decorations usually get taken down before the wise men make it to the manger. I hope we haven’t given them a complex.
When my brother and I were little, our stockings were hung on our bedroom doors. This was an effective ploy that kept us entertained so my parents could sleep in a little bit later.
Toothbrushes are ALWAYS a stocking gift.
Over the course of a few days, I try to watch A Christmas Story, How the Grinch Stole Christmas (the animated one with Boris Karloff – NOT the Jim Carrey one), National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, and It’s a Wonderful Life. I usually get to actually watch at most half of each. :/
The family goes to the midnight service on Christmas Eve, then it’s home to bed. Presents can’t be opened w/o everyone present (heh) so the first person awake gets everyone else up. Usually at the buttcrack of dawn.
The scavenger hunt thing is awesome.
For decorating, we put a wreath up on the front door. Decorating the wreath depends on the year, but no lights — we don’t have a convenient outlet. We’ve kinda given up on trees inside because the cats just like dive bombing it.
On Christmas eve, we spend the night eating a massive variety of appetizers. This goes on for about 5-6 hours and we open presents spread out during the evening. (The cats get a huge pile of paper to play in until the next morning.) We also end up on the phone with GF’s family about 12 times during the night.
Christmas morning is for stocking stuffers and big breakfast(s).
Nathan, I’m sure it makes me religiously hateful, insensitive, etc., but I had no idea you celebrated Christmas at all. I have seen pictures of the WREATH (it’s so big it needs to be in caps), but I thought that’s where it ended. Cool!
Like Nathan, we graze our way through Christmas Eve, although we open prezzies on Christmas morning. Depending on how many people there are and the age of the participants, sometimes we do stockings, sometimes we don’t.
P.S. Yes, I celebrate Christmas, too, and you’re not religiously hateful.
P.P.S. It tickles me that I see some familiar clothing in that Christmas photo.
Janiece, I guess someone without religious affiliation celebrating Christmas doesn’t surprise me as much as someone with a religious affiliation significantly different from that which celebrates Christmas doing so. Still, I think it’s cool. Besides, to argue that Christmas hasn’t become just as much a secular “good will toward men” holiday as it is a religious one would be silly. 🙂
Shawn,
There isn’t really all that much religiosity(?) involved. Although I suppose the shrimp platter kicks it over the edge into serious non-kosherness. 😀