Oh Christmas, Christmas…how happy I am to see you again. I am for sure that person that counts down to Christmas time every year. It’s just such a magical time where everything feels right in the world and the joy is overwhelming around you. I’ve always loved Christmas the most out of every other holiday but it’s even sweeter when you have children because you get to witness it through their eyes and that is really special to me.
Family Christmas Traditions:
- Decorating the tree & house || This is the most important of our family Christmas traditions. I’m totally the person who decorates the day after Halloween. Don’t judge me. I just wanna enjoy my Christmas decor and mood as long as possible. The year we got a new tree from Balsam Hill and I love it! It’s the closest to a real tree I’ve ever had, such great quality. You seriously won’t believe how much their trees mimic a real win… They carefully craft the branches, the silhouette and the texture and colors of the tree. Their trees also come with premium commercial grade lights so if one bulb burns out the rest will stay lit as opposed to an entire string being out like our previous trees. We opted for the 7.5 foot tree that honestly had enough room to go up a few feet more… They have every type of size you are looking for with width and height, there’s a perfect tree for every type of space. We also decided on the candlelight LED lights and looked at it as an investment. The tree also came with gloves, a tree storage bag and all the necessities you need for set up and tear down. I completely changed up our ornaments this year and went for gold, white and silver and took out all of our red accents because I wanted it to be neutral for our living room since we have kind of a Glam BoHo theme going on. I opted for the silver and gold glass ornaments that along with the Champagne metallic berry picks to add dimension. Growing up I always admired my stepmom and my grandmother’s tree and I never knew how they made it look so gorgeous, so this is the first year I actually felt like I could compare to them. The gold and silver set comes with 35 ornaments and is not only stunning but the perfect thing you could pass down, as they are extremely high quality. The berry picks come in a set of 12 and add something glam and extra to the tree. I love to stuff picks and different textures to the tree. I also added this tree topper that I am obsessed with. I also got a new faux cedar garland that also mimics the “natural form, color, and texture of this popular ornamental evergreen.” I also picked up some ivory and gold flameless LED candles for the holiday season that mimic the flicker of real candles eliminating the hazard of an open flame and the mess of dripping wax. You can find the rest of my holiday decor on my SHOP page.
- Christmas Eve Eve feast || Last year Keatyn and her dad decided to go to Publix and just get a bunch of random stuff for a feast. I decided to make it a tradition. When I say they basically got everything I mean it. Frozen pizza, cupcakes, mozzarella sticks basically anything Keatyn decided she wanted and we are going to let the girls choose every part of the meal.
- Secret Santa Christmas || I’ve been doing this since high school. I think it’s a great way to be creative. If you haven’t heard of a secret Santa, what it is is you draw names from a hat and you buy a present for that person with a particular financial cap. Everyone gets together to open your gifts not knowing who your secret Santa is. I think instead of buying a bunch a random presents for your friends, it actually helps you get them something that they might really need because you were doing more investigative work to make the present meaningful. It’s also wonderful to get everyone in the same room together and I really think it just helps you feel closer overall.
- Christmas Morning PJ Breakfast Feast || This is a heart warming memory for me that my stepmom does every year. She always made a hash brown casserole, breakfast sausage, bacon, eggs, biscuits and gravy…THE WORKS. everyone ate breakfast together in their pajamas after opening Christmas presents. It’s such a wonderful memory that we still do every year and I’m excited to make it a tradition for my kids as well.
- Nutcracker || I’ve been going to see the Nutcracker ballet since I was a child myself but I started taking Keatyn when she was 3. Thinking she would act up, I almost regretted the decision but I’ve never seen her more mesmerized. There is something magical about watching the dancers on stage telling the story of the nutcracker while sipping on your hot chocolate. It’s been a lovely tradition her grandmother and I repeat every year and I’m excited to start taking Charlie next year.
- Watching Hallmark Channel on repeat || This is a given during the Holiday season. It’s basically where you can find me any given night of the week. I watch all of the old ones that show throughout the day and I watch every single one that comes out that year and mark it on my calendar and set my DVR. This year I was pumped to see Balsam Hill collaborating with the Hallmark Channel for three of their Christmas movies. There’s just something about if that gives you that small town feel.
- Christmas Movie Galore || Speaking of holiday movies there is barely a night in my home from November to December 25 that you won’t see a Christmas movie on my TV. I have a list of favorites but then I will randomly watch other movies as well. A few of my favorites are Love Actually, the Grinch, Elf of course, Santa Claus and The Holiday, just to name a few.
- Hot chocolate & Eggnog || This is definitely a stable during the holiday season. Who doesn’t want to feel all warm and cozy with their hot chocolate on the couch or by the fire. Also, there are so many different recipes you can experiment to spice it up.
- Volunteering || There are so many ways you can volunteer during the holiday season. A few of my favorites are hosting a toy drive or canned food drive, volunteering to serve meals to the homeless, adopt a family to buy their Christmas. Holidays are a wonderful time to give but I really hope you continue it throughout the year.
- Elf on the Shelf || Glitter and Sparkles or basically a part of her family now. Keaton seriously counts down throughout the year to their return. The only negative is mornings like this morning, I forgot to move the elf and questions were asked.
- Black Friday & Cyber Week Deals || Black Friday and cyber week or basically a notion that the holidays have fully started. Thanksgiving is over, it’s time to save money and buy all of your Christmas presents during some of the best sales of the year. I love the tradition of people going at midnight to lineup and get the best deals.
- Roasting Marshmallows by the Fire || OK maybe I’m selfish about listing this one because we recently got a fire pit for the first time but there is something special about a chilly night and sitting by the fire, roasting marshmallows that brings me back to living in the country.
What’s you favorite family Christmas traditions during this time of year? Maybe I gave you some ideas 🙂 Xo.
