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Dec

14

Christmas traditions – and a giveaway

You really wish you were at my house right now. Because I have this guy:

Making these yummies:

These are my favorite holiday treats. Nolan started making them a couple of years ago, and it’s become his tradition. He makes some for us and some to take to my in laws house when we visit after Christmas. He takes his job very seriously.

And I agree, I don’t think there are too many things that are more important than making covered pretzels at Christmas time. He’s very good at it too.

But then he kicked me out of the kitchen. All because of this:

I thought I was the official taste tester, but apparently the chef had other ideas.

What are some of your favorite holiday traditions? I’d love to hear what your family does to celebrate the season. And, I’d love to give someone a prize!

To Enter to Win a $50 Visa gift card:

Open to US addresses only. One entry per person, but you can earn additional entries.

Leave a comment here telling me your favorite holiday tradition.
Mention this giveaway on your blog.
For an extra entry, sent a tweet on Twitter about this giveaway. Leave your Twitter name in your comment.
Stumble this post

For each thing you do leave 1 comment ( 1 comment telling me your favorite holiday tradition, 1 comment for a tweet, 1 comment for a Stumble, 1 comment for mentioning this on your blog)

This giveaway will end Monday December 22 at midnight CST I have notified the winner and will announce here as soon as I hear back. Thank you everyone who entered.

Good luck!

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Some things should never change
I think I’m over Christmas
Counting down til the big day

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Filed Under Family, Fun, Giveaways, My boys | 650 Comments

650 Responses to “Christmas traditions – and a giveaway”

I make Chex Mix – about about 12 double batches for gifts and get-togethers. And I make Christmas cookies of various kinds for gifts and gatherings also.

Thanks for the giveaway

Harley

Chocolate covered pretzels are one of my traditions too. My husband’s grandfather requests them every year.. I use the sticks and just pour them in a bowl, cover then with melted white chocolate, then make little piles on waxed paper

Charlotte (Life's a Charm)

wow! the pretzels look good and Nolan too. it’s so nice to seee kids participating in family traditions. it’s inspiring..

my favorite tradition that we do in our family is dressing up as Santa family on Christmas Eve. We could dress up as Blessed Family during christmas time as Joseph, Mary and Baby Jesus, but I thought we could never do them justice and it may seem inappropriate. But dressing up as Santa Family is fun and we can make fun of ourselves that way. You can see our photo as Santa Family last year from this link: http://lifesacharm.net/?p=164

Charlotte (Life's a Charm)

stumble/reviewed by charm32

Love to make kolachy’s at Xmas time. Very good cookie

Julie Neff

We made some of those around Thanksgiving, but they are long gone! I’d better make some more, yumm!
One of my favorite traditions growing up was going to a movie as a family Christmas morning after opening all our gifts

Has to be decorating the tree after Thanksgiving! We skip shopping! Our family also goes to the movies when we are done! We look at each ornament and talk about it and believe it all of our ornaments are Disney!
Carla
cpullum(at)yahoo(dot)com

me and baby boy make cookies together and deocrate them.
scrtsbpal(at)yahoo(dot)com

Mikki

Too cute! And so YUMMY looking!!

LOL at the missing tester!!

I love just listening to random Christmas music while trimming the tree! It’s nice to pull out all of the old ornaments and think about when we got them. We also make tons of chocolate crinkles, which are so yummy! =) I love Christmas time.

Stumbled this post!

username: keeerried216

Morgan

One of my favorite holiday traditions is getting everyone in the car, going through the drive thru at Starbucks (peppermint mocha for me), then driving to the big, fancy neighborhood and looking at the Christmas lights. With Christmas music playing in the car, of course. Simple, but so much fun!

Morgan

I twittered (tweeted?) about the contest. I’m mamalovespapa

My favorite holiday tradition is making Cranberry Gravy. I don’t know anyone else that make it. Half my family won’t touch it and the other half smother their entire plates with it!

Our tradition is to place a dated ornament on the Christmas tree to represent something special we did during the year.

My favorite holiday tradition is reading Twas the Night Before Christmas and How the Grinch Stole Christmas right before bedtime. Seems that no matter how old my kids get, they LOVE this and I do too.

Susan S.

We gather the family and troop out to a street a few towns over that is completely decorated in TONS of Christmas light displays. Each house appears to be trying to outdo the other. Put it all together, and it is amazing to see!

Our chritmas tradition in ,y family has always been to make christmas tamales. I remember doing this since I was very little. I was always in charge of putting the carrots and peas and olives in the tamales. As I got older, I got to do other stuff until I finally graduated into making the masa (dough).

Tammy Lessick

My favorite tradition is to get all of the previous years handmade Christmas ornaments and put them on the tree.

Linda Stewart

I get up way WAY early on Christmas Morning and make a fresh batch of homemade biscuits. While they are cooking in the oven I fry sausage and as soon as the biscuits come out of the oven I split them open and add a piece of sausage. I stack them on a plate then cover the entire plate with foil. I then make hot chocolate, chocolate milk, and get out the OJ so it will come to room temp (the only way my kids will drink it!). I then wake up the family, we open gifts and by then the biscuits are just perfect for eating with the cocoa, milk, and juice.

Linda Stewart

I tweeted http://twitter.com/NCBelle36

mary

First of all, these pretzels look delicious!

My husband and I have been together for only 4 years and married for just one. So, we haven’t yet really developed any traditions, but our tree-decorating ritual is one that has always been important to us. We put on the Christmas tunes, get out the Bailey’s , and take our time putting up each ornament.

I know that many couples and families do the same thing, but there’s something about hitting the brakes in our hectic lives and really just enjoying a simple task together.

Catherine @ Evolving Mommy

Every year my sister and I spend an entire day baking cookies with our grandma. This year we made hundreds of cookies, it is always so much fun! My daughter has also become a part of this tradition although at a year old she doesn’t do much of the baking! Thanks for the chance!

MaryAnne

mine is doing exactly what these pictures show..letting kids be ‘grown up’ for a while..giving them the heads up to do stuff, enjoy, have fun…

ps, I’m a sucker for these pretzels! they’re SOOOOO good!

Making wire beaded angel ornaments to sell at a school fundraising crafts bazaar.
Watching “The Grinch” cartoon on TV.
Watching “A Charlie Brown Christmas” on TV.
Avoiding crowded stores!!

Those pretzels look really good!! Our family tradition is making the good ole Buckeyes!!! We have to make a batch for us to eat and then a batch to give to friends!!! Happy Holidays!!

My favorite holiday tradition is making latkes on the first day of Hanukkah!

Our holiday tradition is that my boys and I make cookies for Santa on Christmas eve. They love it!

I am new to Stumbling but I think I stumbled it.

I tweeted it! simplyandreah

Diana's Daily Ramblings

Gingerbread houses are my FAV tradition. Here is a post on my blog with photos of one my kids made recently! http://www.dianarambles.com/2008/12/ffff-4-homemade-holidays.html

Diana's Daily Ramblings

I stumbled this! ID: freestylemama

Diana's Daily Ramblings

I twittered this! ID: freestylemama

Diana's Daily Ramblings

I posted about this giveaway on my blog: http://www.dianarambles.com/2008/12/win-50-visa-gift-card.html

Mechelle

Yummy! My daughter and I usually make a gingerbread house every year~ It’s usually gone by the Day after Christmas. LOL
It’s fun and we get to spend time together.
Oh ~ I also love Dark Chocolate dipped coconut Macaroons.

Mechelle

I stumbled you ~ Mrsc357

Valerie Mitchell

we love to put food on the roof for Santa’s reindeer

Valerie Mitchell

blogged it
http://sweeps4bloggers.blogspot.com/2008/12/unexpectedbliss-visa-card-giveaway.html

Valerie Mitchell

twittered it
http://twitter.com/valerie2350/status/1059470733

This is probably what a lot of people do but we all get new pj’s to wear the night before Christmas….that’s it so far..

tami lewis

our tradition- giving nightgowns and pjs for christmas eve. they all look so cute on christmas morning! (and cordinated!)

tami lewis

i blogged about you

my favorite holiday tradition is putting up the christmas tree thanksgiving evening. it helps us exercise a little after such a big meal

I blogged your giveaway and your site

http://hubbynotcheapenough.blogspot.com/2008/12/dont-come-up-short-this-christmas.html

I love making cookies on Christmas Eve with my family. We always save a few for Santa!

now that I am the grandma, and not just the mom and the family is bigger, we started a new tradition of having everyone over for soup cookies and decorating grandma’s christmas tree. very relaxed and alot of fun. hope we can keep up the new tradition

Sharla

Those pretzels look so yummy and they’re one of my favorites too! My family has always been musical and my favorite part of Christmas was always when we’d go caroling or sit by the fire and sing together. It’s a tradition I’ve started with my little family and of course I still love it when we’re all together again to sing. I love this time of year!

Lauren

A lot of the “traditions” we can’t do this year for various reasons, but we do go out to eat (us girls) to this nice restaurant and we did that this weekend. It was great!

-lauren
lauren51990 AT aol DOT com

Carolsue

We make cheese fondue and hot chocolate on Christmas Eve.

Jazzy

My favorite tradition is making sugar cookies with my son, it is such a mess…but such a joy watching him feel accomplished!

Cindy B. in Montana

It’s become a tradition for me to get my grandson something new to wear when he sees Santa. This year he turned 6 just before Thanksgiving and I was there for Santa pics. (He lives in another state.) So I took him shopping with me and let him pick. We had fun! I agreed with him that the Christmasy things we found were pretty cheesy. We ended up with a cute zipped sweatshirt in bright blue with pirates and guitars! Doesn’t get any better than that!

At our house it’s tradition that I put up the outside lights….and take them down! And I do know it’s appreciated

My family tradition is to get together with all my children and grandchildren a week before Christmas to celebrate with a nice meal and gift exchange. I do it the week before to make things less hectic for them. It works out really well for all of us. Thank you so much!

Ashley Barnhart

it seems simple but driving around looking at christmas lights with my boys. it is the one time where they are both quiet!

We always watch white christmas on xmas eve

My family always goes to the candlelit service at our church on Christmas Eve, and then we come home and open our stockings

My family…well my mom….does the 12 days of christmas, where we get to open a gift for each of the 12 days leading up to Christmas. Now I do this for my wife.

Last year I started a new tradition. I bought an advent calendar that has little doors for each day, and i put a wrapped gift inside each box. My husband opens one a day starting on December 1st.
(i have to be ready early )

Liz

I enjoy the tradition of putting up the tree the day after Thanksgiving, and getting in the Christmas spirit. We listen to Christmas music, eat snack foods, and all get in a festive mood!

Liz

I sent out a tweet on twitter!
My user name on there is lizzydear!

Jennifer Voss

Our favorite holiday tradition is exchanging ornaments on Christmas Eve while we drink hot cocoa and eat Christmas cookies. We try to pick ornaments that have meaning or represent something that happened during the year. For example, my oldest daughter joined the high school marching band this year so she is getting a clarinet ornament. When the kids leave home and have their own tree, they will have a box full of ornaments (and memories) to take with them.

Our favorite holiday tradition is making and decorating Christmas cookies with my mom on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. As my kids get older it’s fun to see how much more involved they are getting – this year my two oldest even helped roll out the dough.

cheryl

Our favorite tradition is on Christmas Eve. My husband and I make a nice dinner and then open our presents together. That way on Christmas day we can concentrate on all the family craziness.

jenny

We have many traditions, my favorite one is we always have gumbo on Christmas eve, and get to open one present. Yum!

My favorite tradition is opening Christmas Crackers (the British kind). Thanks for the giveaway!

We sing around the tree

I posted on my blog: http://wutgives.blogspot.com/2008/12/unexpected-bliss-christmas-traditions.html

*mindi*

we always get new Christmas pajamas and a book on Christmas eve.

I tweeted: cmgnbox01

Spending the weekend before Christmas making cookies and other goodies with the kids.

I stumbled: cmgnbox01

We make ornaments for family members and fudge.

The weekend before Christmas, my mom comes over and we make fudge! Last year my daughter was able to help, and she loved it! We also open one present of X-mas eve which is always pjs, and watch a chirstmas movie together. I love Christmas time! Oh, and hot cocoa, lots and lots of cocoa!!

My favorite holiday tradition, is chopping down the Christmas tree. My entire family…brother, sister, parents…we all go together on the Saturday after Thanksgiving and cut down our own trees. It’s such a special day, that we’ll continue as long as we live! THANKS!

We have three generations of church musicians in our family, so we celebrate big the day AFTER Christmas. I have seven services to play between Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, so our traditional day after get-together is what we do every year. The musicians in the family take naps on Christmas afternoon!

Standing around the piano singing carols.

Putting our Christmas tree up after Thanksgiving and setting out all of the collectibles that I have bought or have been given through the years. Wonderful memories!

My favorite tradition is going to my grandmother’s house the weekend before Christmas and making nut horns and spritz cookies with her. No matter how many times I try to make them myself, they never turn out like my grandmother’s.

I stumbled
http://auntiethesis.stumbleupon.com/

We chose one Christmas performance to go to each year during December…theatre, concert, Nutcracker, etc.!

I tweeted
http://twitter.com/auntiethesis/status/1061078294

we have a birthday cake for Jesus every Christmas morning before it all- so yeh to cake for breakfast!

We collect ornaments from around the world, and buy enough to give out to each of the guests at our various parties.

we go to my aunts and uncles house and celebrae with loads of kids and lots of food!

getting together with friends and family

We shop the day after Thanksgiving, put the tree up and decorate it that weekend and then christmas eve service on christmas eve.

My favorite holiday tradition is exchanging a gift with my brother on Christmas Eve. We’ve done it for 20 some years now. We always give each other something fun to do for the night.

posted on twitter: http://twitter.com/melisaur

Give ornaments with the year and who gave it.

My favorite tradition is just to have the family together and getting along and happy and healthy

My favorite tradition is tree-trimming with the family. My kids get a new ornament every year. So every year they get them out and say, “Mom, Do you remember this one?”
And the reminiscing begins…

Thanks!!

Sonya Sparks

My favorite holiday tradition is baking with my little girl. We bake everything (everything) and then box/bag them up and hand them out to the elderly in our neighborhood. Gracie looks forward to it each year.

My favorite holiday tradition is baking christmas cookies to give as gifts to neighbors!

We just made the chocolate covered pretzels last night.

I was reminded last weekend of how much I enjoy going out and picking the Christmas Tree. It is always a fun outing and definitely a process to find the perfect tree.

We always make sugar cookies and double chocolate brownies at Christmas!

just tweeted! i’m @lboogie3

We make a gingerbread house each year and have so much fun doing it. We also make fudge to give as gifts to family.
Thanks for this giveaway.

Making candy with my mom, my daughter and my sister.

We make a birthday cake for Jesus on Christmas eve!

100

Christmas Tradition: Massive cookie-baking extravaganza with my best girl-friends (sans children!). I’m looking forward to including the kids when they are a bit older! Thanks for the giveaway opportunity!

101

I tweeted this: mayasmom

102

My favorite tradition is making a thermos full of hot chocolate and driving around looking at all the pretty lights and decorations in the surrounding neighborhoods. Thanks for the giveaway!

103

my mother started this tradition, by giving each of my daughters a christmas ornament every year…..and I do as well……it’s fun to reminisce when decorating the tree……each ornament brings a special memory………

104

Making Christmas cookies with my daughter

105

Mary G.

Opening one Christmas present on Christmas Eve!

106

Brooke D.

I fun holiday tradition my mother and I make homemade Tamales every Christmas! They are yummy and fun to do…and I get to spend good quality time with my mom!

Thanks and have a lovely day!

Brooke

107

Richelle F

A new tradition we have started this year with my son, which he already loves, is opening a Christmas book each day of December leading up to Christmas.

108

going to Longwood Gardens Xmas eve

109

My mother and sisters and I played carols at the piano when I was little. I play the same carols today. I can’t imagine Christmas without that music in the house.

Great giveaway. Thanks!

110

Baking a birthday cake for Jesus. Thank you!

111

Tweeted you here:
http://twitter.com/nape9393/status/1061533615

112

Two years ago, I started a tradition of dressing like Santa Claus for the little kids in my family. They love it when I read them a bedtime story in my suit!

113

Gina

We make gingerbread men and decorate them like the kids’ teachers and our neighbors. They come out so cute!

114

Every Christmas Eve we had our traditional dinner, which consists of fondue, cheesey potatoes and peas. For desert we have chocolate fondue. It is so yummy, we look forward to it all year!

115

One of our favorite traditions, is putting out goodies for the reindeer to eat. Shhh, don’t tell the kids – its actually bird feed – but they get a kick out of it.

brn2lisn(at)gmail(dot)com

116

Every Christmas morning, after opening presents, we make brunch-Eggs Benedict and left over Christmas cookies from the night before.

117

Every year we deliver homemade goodies to our neighbors and friends. Our treats change, this year we took pumpkin bread, but we love to wish our friends a happy holiday season!

118

My mom and I make cookies and candies to ship off to loved ones with their presents. It’s a lot of work, but lots of fun too!

119

Getting the tree up is my favorite holiday tradition. I know that once that’s done, the rest is coasting.

120

we eat tamales on christmas eve — our fave tradition!

121

I like making choc covered oreo balls every year with my girls.

122

I always make Snowball cookies and we open our presents on Christmas Eve in the evening. That has always been our family’s tradition.

123

I make batches of various goodies. This year it was buckeye bars, fudge, chocolate chip bars, truffles, and peanut butter chex. Ohh so yummy!

124

My son and I just started making Florentine cookies and different types of Christmas cookies together. He’s old enough now to help me and he loves it, and I really look forward to it.

125

oyster stew on Christmas Eve

126

Making Christmas candy and decorations.

127

My favorite holiday tradition is taking my mother and grandchildren to the local botanical gardens Christmas light display.

128

Baking cookies with my daughter

129

Our tradition is to open our presents up on New years eve.

130

Danielle J

One of my favorite traditions is making cookies and candies the week before Christmas, putting them in cute tins and then we pass them out to our neighbors and friends

131

My favorite holiday tradition is making Christmas candy

132

Our tradition is going out in the freeze to look at the holiday lights around the neighborhood.

133

Just getting together is the greatest tradition for us!

134

mannequin

Our favorite tradition is stringing popcorn for the tree while watching a Christmas movie. It’s even nicer now since we have a fireplace!

135

mannequin

I stumbled it! Name is miss mannequin

136

My fav. holiday tradition is eating caramel rolls christmas morning, and broiled grapefruit!

137

My tradition is always making a fresh wreath for our front door and making cut out cookies together

138

New giveaways, and a survey | Unexpected Bliss Reviews

[...] I posted a new giveaway on my personal blog. You can enter to win a $50 Visa gift card. [...]

139

oona b

We have the tradition of Christmas books. We have a collection of holiday/winter themed books that only come out at Christmas time and we read one book with my daughter every night until Christmas. Santa always bring a new one to add to the collection!

Thanks!
foxsquirrelrabbit at gmail dot com

140

Lorri S

Something we’ve always done is open one present on Christmas Eve. We always have egg nog and lots of cookies too.

141

Decorating the tree, Christmas music playing, glass of wine.

142

Stephen Saunders

Just trying to keep everybody happy and survive… that’s our tradition lol. And I love those purple flowers up top.

143

We always eat oyster soup and sing “Faith of our Fathers”

autumn398 (at) yahoo.com

144

Dinner and a movie with just me and my wife on Christmas Eve.

145

Tree trimming is definitely the most anticipated holiday tradition along with Christmas Dinner with Family and Friends!

146

My favorite holiday tradition is our Christmas Eve buffet. We have lots of appetizers, our favorite foods, and sweet stuff.

147

We make Friendship Tea for all of our friends which has tang, cinnamon and other ingredients.

148

The family is in flux right now, and we haven’t reall established new traditions to compensate. We used to start mixing cookie dough up after Thanksgiving and freezing it, then we’d have a baking frenzy the weekend before Christmas. Then, Christmas Eve day, we’d watch Christmas movies and eat cookies. We all still bake, but not together, so now we eat cookies Christmas Day.

149

Tweeted, sito50

150

Stumbled, sito50

151

I love going to my MIL’s on newyears day, for fresh kielbasa, and saurcraut. Mmmmm, it is the best.

152

Homemade molasses cookies. But not those thin ones. The ones that are thick and chewy. I miss my mom.

153

My favorite tradition is to bring joy to others, so if my post is picked, please give the card to the person that posted comment #148.

Merry Christmas!

154

My favorite holiday tradition is playing Left/Right at Christmas with my family. We all bring a small gift and then play this game where we pass them left or right. At the end, you open the package that you are holding and get to keep it.

155

Tanya Wilson

My hubby and I both work FT and have 5 kids. Our Mothers (who both live out of state) each send us a batch of plain, assorted, shaped sugar cookies for the children to frost and decorate. The kids absolutely love & look forward to it, and so do I because it saves so much time and effort, and I can enjoy more time with my family!

156

Tanya Wilson

I tweeted here on twitter; username: Twincere
https://twitter.com/Twincere/status/1062502045

157

Tanya Wilson

I blogged about this giveaway here:
http://twinceretwinkles.blogspot.com/

158

Going to Midnight mass on Christmas Eve.

159

We make peanutbutter balls and Martha Washington’s and give them to all out neighbors and coworkers

160

We live in a very healthy house, so making those cookies are a real treat.
Thanx for the contest.

161

My favorite tradition is lighting a bayberry candle while opening gifts.

162

Every year my hubby and I make Bretzels, which is a traditional Swiss cookie. We have a cast iron cookie press (that’s hard to describe) that we use which came to the US with his ancestors and has been passed down through each generation. By far that’s my favorite tradition and I can’t wait to involve my kids in it.

163

Yelowflower Mo

Spending time with family…that is the most important thing, the next is singing happy birthday.

164

Sleeping and maybe watching a Bob Hope Movithone..then sleeping,eating.sleeping..check football score..gp back to sleep.

165

One new tradition that we have started is going to see the Christmas lights on the beach and then eating Mongolian Barbecue afterwards.

166

We get together as a family, turn on Christmas music and decorate the house and tree. It makes it more fun when everyone helps. Thanks!

167

My favorite tradition, is when we all get together at grandmas house on Christmas eve…I can’t remember a Christmas eve where we didnt

168

Tami

Favorite holiday tradition…all of my siblings getting together at one time! It doesn’t happen the rest of the year. How sad.

169

Tami

Following you on twitter (mymadakaja).

170

late morning hike in the woodsies

171

Jen

my favorite Christmas tradition involves birthdays if you can believe that. Our fam has tons of December birthdays and they all feel shafted for being near the holiday so before we are allowed to do anything Christmas related me have to all gather in the kitchen (which is decorated in all birthday extravaganza) and we sing, eat cake and open birthday gifts with real birthday paper, that way everyone feels special and not like they have to share their birthdays with Baby Jesus and Santa. It really is a fun part of the holiday for us!

172

Our favorite holiday tradition is opening new pajamas on Christmas Eve. That way, everyone is wearing new pajamas the next morning for pictures.

173

My fave tradition is leaving cookies and carrots out for Santa and his Reindeer. The kids just love it when they’re gone in the morning. Thanks!

174

I’ve twittered the contest, coriwestphal. Thanks!

175

And I’ve stumbled the post, coriwestphal.

176

I have 4 daughters and we have a day of baking. Each of us picks a favorite receipe for cookies and we spend the day at one of our homes baking. We laugh and cry, be silly and serious, joke and tease. By the end of the day we have a good variety of cookies, breads, candy, etc. for all of us to deliver to our neighbors. This tradition started with my Grandmother doing it with her daughters, then my mother who joins us every other year.

177

We used to have cupcakes to celebrate Jesus’s birthday when we were younger. My aunt and uncle still do this for their grown/married children.

178

Correction on my email address
its 9_26@myway.com
Sorry

179

Robin ~ PENSIEVE

Hey ,

I followed your tweet here, then re-tweeted your giveaway (@PensieveRobin); and I stumbled this post .

We host an annual Christmas party and I love the whole process–cleaning, cooking, and then enjoying all our friends. Time with family is extra special, too, since none of us live in the same town.

Thanks for the giveaway! Such a nice thing to win this time of year!

180

We put up the tree the weekend after Halloween.

181

Lizzie

Thanks for entering me;)
My favorite tradition is reading a Christmas book every day in December:)

182

Lizzie

And I twittered;)
my name there is adustyframe

183

The Diaper Diaries

Mine is decorating the tree the weekend after Thansgiving. Great contest!!

184

A Maui Blog

I am really wishing I am in your house while you are making that – that’s one of my favorites too!

And yes, I will join this “family tradition” sharing because I love having family traditions.

185

we actually like to go to this specific Indian restaurant on christmas eve. We have been doing it since we started dating and the owners even expect us there each year.

186

All Things Bloggy @ Life’s a Charm! » Blog Archive » $50 Visa gift card

[...] Visa gift card Unexpected Bliss: Christmas Traditions… Monday December 22 at midnight CST Open to US addresses only Posted in » 2008-12-22, [...]

187

Charlotte (Life's a Charm)

blogged!
http://www.lifesacharm.net/blog/200812/50-visa-gift-card-2

188

I love making fudge and buckeye with my children. Its yummy and fun. Thank you
tatertot374@sbcglobal.net

189

My favorite Christmas memory is driving around in the car, listening to Christmas carols and looking at the light displays others have put out.

190

We are extreme Christmas decorators, and start right after Thanksgiving. Thanks!

191

Opening a gift of new PJs on Christmas Eve in case Santa sees you.

192

Mary Beth

I love our Advent Calendar. Every day we place a special family activity in the pocket for the day. Keeps us focused on the reasons we celebrate Christmas.

193

Definitely making cookies and candy with the kids. When all the family is together, there’s always that down time when the kids get restless. We head to the kitchen and get busy. It’s the source of some of my fondest Christmas memories.

Thanks for a great giveaway!

194

I rarely bake during the year, but at Christmas I go all out. I make several kinds of cookies, a cake or two and various other desserts that I share with my family and friends.

195

I wrap 24 children’s books about Christmas. The kids unwrap one each night starting December 1 — a “Bood Advent Calendar.”

196

Shilo Beedy

For the last couple years we wake the kids up at 1am to open presents. I think sometimes were more excited then the kids.

197

I love driving around and admiring the lights!

198

our christmas eve party

199

Our holiday tradition is to make Krumkake for our family and friends.

200

I love decorating. Used to be I would start the day after Thanksgiving, but for the past few years, since I travel to spend Thanksgiving with my dad, it’s started the first Sunday after Thanksgiving.

The tree is my favorite as most of the items are items of the past.

201

When my son was young, our holiday tradition was to make up little doggie bags of doggie treats and he would play Dog Santa. Now that he’s grown, I just continue by contributing money to the Humane Society and SPCA. Thank you!

202

We work a jigsaw puzzle. When it is completed the kids have to go to bed.

203

Every year our family would attend midnight church service together

204

My husband and I and his family have a German holiday tradition that takes place on the night of December 5th. It’s called Saint Niklaus. He is a German patron Saint. You place a boot on the floor by your bedside and Saint Niklaus pays a visit while you sleep and leaves a small unwrapped gift in your boot! In the morning, you awaken and discover Saint Niklaus has paid you a visit! Thank you for the contest!

205

I love going caroling and giving a plate of cookies away at each home!

206

The yule log on TV has become a tradition. We turn it on and cuddle up next to the screen to hear the crackling fire while we wrap presents and eat popcorn.

207

The whole scene on Christmas Eve–it started with my grandparents when everyone gathered at the farm, and then to my parents when we were grown and had our own families. It is much smaller now, but we still gather, have a quick meal (even though my grandchildren are older, they are STILL eager to get at the tree!) and then open gifts in order of age. Now I am the oldest (and the last to open) but at least I don’t sit back in the corner and quietly open mine out of sequence the way my grandfather always did!

208

I enjoyed reading these posts! Our tradition is to bake cookies, pack up some of them and then drive around and look at the Christmas lights. This mini-roadtrip fortified with cookies and hot chocolate or coffee is something we started quite by accident but is one of the most important traditions for us now.

209

what a wonderful surprise at this time of year

210

my space

211

Every year my family and I play board games after eating lunch. I always look forward to it!

212

Fantacy

oh my goodness those pretzels looked SO good…YUM! That and chocolate covered orange peels used to be the 2 favorite things that my Mamaw (mom’s mom) used to let me help her make at Christmas!
It is hard to choose my favorite Christmas Tradition because so many of them are my faves!
It is a toss up between always getting new pajamas and slippers on Christmas Eve night (something my family has done since before I was born) so that everyone has bright new warm holeless jammies for pics on Christmas morning AND our stockings. Our stockings are our BIG gift at my mom & dad’s house (where we spend the night every Christmas Eve). And even though my mom can afford more now than she could when we were little, we still get an apple, an orange, and our favorite candy in the toe (when we were little she used those things to fill up the bigger part of the stocking so it would look fuller…plus back then we didn’t get fresh citrus fruit or store bought candy through the rest of the year so Christmas was always a HUGE treat for us!
Sorry for the novelette Thanks for the chance to win!

213

Besides the obvious getting together with the family and my friends, I have my own Christmas “tradition” with a friend. Two years ago, since my sister and I weren’t celebrating Christmas until our dad’s arrival on the 27th, I wasn’t doing anything *on* Christmas. My friend doesn’t do anything until Christmas night, so she contacted me, asking the same old question, “Wanna go to Starbucks?” Of course I was game! So we spent a couple of hours at our Starbucks of choice, just relaxing and conversing about how surprised we were that it was even open. Did the same thing last year for the same reasons, and we’re doing it this year as well. But this time my dad will be here *for* Christmas, and we invited our other friends to join us.

214

Fantacy

I tweeted it (wish they gave me more characters to work with! it is hard saying as much as I have to say in that lil space )
(fantacydawn on twitter)

215

Fantacy

I stumbled this post (fantacydawn on stumble too) and wish that I could send “0sm0sis” all the toddler underwear that I had to throw away over the years b/c they had been “used” too much…maybe that is what he needs…er um, I mean “In the spirit of Christmas, one must drink to the health of mr. osmosis, even though he is mean, odious, and poorly dressed…but may he be very merry indeed *hmfph*”…sorry, had to get that out of my system before it ate away at my Christmas spirit

216

My favorite family tradition is having all my family together for Christmas.

217

I love baking sugar cookies

218

I had a “candy cane” cut out where I would measure the height of each of the children yearly.

219

We’ve been making Alton Brown’s fruitcake recipe for the past few years. So good…

220

I’m not much for cooking but I always buy mixed nuts and hard candy to have on the counter during Christmas time. Thanks for the contest!

221

I make bourbon balls to give to my brother and sister-in-laws. They look forward to them every year.

222

Every holiday season my children and I make thousands of Peanut Butter balls dipped in chocolate. We give them out to the teachers, friends and neighbors.
tamben7996(at)aol(dot)com

223

lighting the yule log

224

My girlfriends and I have found the best money-saving Christmas gift EVER to give each other each year. There are 6 of us, and we each give the other five friends 3 homemade gift certificates for a free night of babysitting. That means each of us gets 15 nights of free babysitting, and we have 5 friends to choose from in order to find a sitter for a particular night. Thanks to this regular practice, we’re saving hundreds of dollars each year on babysitting fees, plus we’re saving the cost of buying 5 different Christmas gifts. The best part is, in giving our babysitting gift certificates, we are guaranteeing that all of our kids will grow up having ahad close contact with each other, making them good buddies and forever friends – we’re passing the circle of friendship onto the next generation.

225

my favorite tradition is baking cookies!

226

Baking Christmas cookies with my Mom

227

Dinner with the family

228

Making Vienna Crescents and Christmas cookies, which my family love. I even “have” to box and mail them to my sister and sister-in-law. Along with Russian Teacakes, these treats are always a huge hit. I start early every year and freeze them. And every year I make my DH his favorite brandy-soaked fruitcake.

maggie@mannwieler.com

229

My favorite holiday tradition is spending money for Christmas Gifts.

230

My favorite tradition is decorating the tree as a family. My second favorite is driving around the area looking at the Christmas light displays, the kids think it is pure magic!

231

I like the practice of celebrating advent and lighting the candles.

232

My favorite was Momma’s homemade ice box fruit cake – after she died – never found the recipe and never found anyone else that made it. Thank you for this great contest and prize!

233

sprittibee

I had the same contest but only gave away a Chick-Fil-A plush cow. LOL No wonder you outnumber my comments by well over 300.

Here’s my entry:

We have a santa-banana gift in my husband’s family. It is a gag gift that changes each year and is inspired by something dumb/crazy/interesting that the person likes/did/says during the year. Sometimes it is based on childhood memories (like the circus peanuts that Kevin’s mom got because she got sick eating them as a girl), other times because of a goof-up (like the compass I got for driving 2 hours out of the way one year to Christmas at granny’s). It is always fun and we all enjoy laughing as each person opens their gift and reads the note from Santa Banana… which always ends in “HO HO HO HO HO HO HO HO!”

234

sprittibee

I tweeted!

235

sprittibee

I stumbled!

236

Shelley K

My grandmother started giving us each ornaments from the time we were born…and we have continued this tradition with our own families. (It is so nice to have nice set of ornaments–not just store ornaments when you finally get out on your own–and each ornament has such memories. And still…my husband and I will exchange ornaments so as you can imagine…our poor tree is just overloaded with ornaments…but it is really beautiful.

237

making sugar cookie cut outs with my children. we bake and decorate all day, while listening to xmas music.

238

Karen W

My favorite Christmas tradition is singing Christmas songs as a family in the living room by the lighted Christmas tree.

239

Our favorite tradition is our Candlelight Christmas Eve dinner.

240

Karen W

I tweeted – 1KarenW http://twitter.com/1KarenW/status/1063780352

241

Karen W

I blogged about it! http://www.woodward-family.com/karenwoodward/2008/12/fifty-dollars.html

242

we have a big family christmas party

243

One of my favorite traditions is making Peanut Butter fudge on Christmas Eve

244

My favorite tradition is our Christmas meal of ralotta. We get together on Christmas Eve and prepare the dish for Christmas Day. I am 57 and my folks are 77 and they have always had ralotta since they were married.

245

I love spending time with the family! It’s one of those rare occasions when we can get all of us together!

246

My sister always makes this dessert out of chex cereal and gives everybody one in a cookie tin. I always look forward to this. It’s the best!

247

Baking cookies with my granddaughter.

248

We always go to my cousin’s on Christmas Eve. We have punch and candy and other snacks and open presents. Thanks for the great contest!

249

amy

my favorite tradition is a game we play with my family, it’s a lot of fun! I am looking forward to making new traditions with my family!!!

250

My favorite holiday tradition is that my daughter gets to choose one present under the Christmas tree to open on Christmas Eve.

251

My favorite tradition is that we always have different holiday napkins for the Christmas meal. It’s a contest to see who can come up with the cheesiest ones and they have to be on sale.

252

My favorite tradition is taking the kids out to see Christmas lights. Our city does a big display that you drive through, complete with cookies and cider that you can purchase at the beginning. We go every year!

253

Our favorite tradition is going out Christmas eve to look at all the lights. We always follow that with hot chocolate & a christmas movie.

254

We always make huge batches of peanut butter fudge and rocky road fudge. Don’t know why but it is very popular with the family!

255

Hello! What a fantastic prize giveaway prize drawing. Thanks, Cindi

256

My favorite holiday tradition is making and decorating sugar cookies. Thanks for the giveaway!

257

We have a fmaily tradition of cutting down our own Christmas tree at a Christmas tree farm.

258

Jami

Stockings are my favorite tradition. My grandmother made stockings as tall as us kids when we were little and would fill it to overflowing with small treats, apples, walnuts, oranges, all kinds of little odds and ends that didn’t cost much. Although my kids’ stockings aren’t near that big, I carry on the tradition and they say they have more fun seeing what’s in their stockings than seeing what presents they got!

259

My fave tradition is driving around looking at Christmas lights with a cup of hot chocolate and listening to christmas music!!

260

Hil'Lesha

Spending time with the family – simple and tradtional.

261

My favorite tradition is opening gifts at midnight Christmas eve- the second it becomes ChristmAS

262

My favorite Christmas tradition is going to visit our families on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day!

263

Opening presents of course!

Thanks for entering me! Great Site!

Janna Johnson

jannajanna@hotmail.com

264

Danielle Watson

My favorite holiday tradition starts off on a road trip. We stopped at a Big Lots and started “The Christmas Scramble”. We have 7 people (adults and children). We put money in a pot and have about $70. Each person must use thier half of the money ($10). They must buy a gift for all six people in the group with $10 (about $2 per person). The gifts must be bought by thinking what the others will want (candy, gifts, bologna). We then go to the hotel and everyone wraps their 6 gifts with newspaper or Christmas paper. On Dec. 25th each person gets 6 gifts. So even if your not at home and on the road, everyone will get a present.

265

We always put up our Christmas tree the day after Thanksgiving.

266

My favorite holiday tradition is when we pick a night and we all watch Home Alone together while we eat pizza.

267

Going to church on Christmas Eve.

268

Jami

Blogged your great giveaway here — http://confessions-stayathomemom.blogspot.com/2008/12/giveaways-galore.html

269

My favorite tradition is decorating the Christmas tree with my kids.

270

open house on christmas eve

271

My favorite holiday tradition is when all the kids in the family hang an ornament with their picture on the tree.. We have 30 yrs of pictures now on the tree .

272

We always get together on Christmas Eve and open our presents early. When my son was little we waited until Christmas morning, but now since he’s a teenager we open them on Christmas Eve like we did when I was his age.

273

Baking cookies with Mom every Christmas season

274

My favorit tradition is the older kids in the family is putting on a small play befor opening the gifts one will dressup like Santa and they would do something to make us laugh , one year we think that Santa was drunk and the elves had too much to drink too , but of corse they were playing

275

Sarah P

Reading the Bible on Christmas eve!

276

getting together with all the family/.

277

I’ve always loved Christmas Eve. We get together with my family and read the Christmas story. Then we make yummy finger foods and watch a Christmas movie. We also decorate gingerbread houses…we’ve done this since I was a child and I love it!

278

my favorite tradition has been going on for forty years now, on Christmas Eve after dinner and before opening our gifts we, as kids, had to be in our jammies and even though we are all grown up with kids of own we still converge on my mothers house and are in our jammies waiting for presents to passed out!

279

My daughter and i like to make goodies and deliver them to our friends and neighbors. We always have such fun putting on the carols and baking away.

280

We have eack kid say wht they are thankful for each time they open a present. It gets serious sometimes and then on into the opening we get really funny and thankful for toilet paper…after all who would want to go back to catalogs.

281

angie

Our tradition is to bake cookies together and open one gift each on Christmas Eve. Its a good time! Just the kids & I. Thanks for the giveaway!

Angie

282

Baking lots of treats to eat and share!

283

Keeling

My favorite tradition is watching Christmas movies with my husband. We love National Lampoon’s Christmas Vaca

284

My mom always made toasted almond chocolate clusters, and I cant wait til Christmas rolls around every year to have an excuse to make them too.

285

I have a lot of favorites but I love driving through the Fantasy Lights with my children and now my granddaughter.

286

I did the twitter thing: miriama59

287

I stumbled you!

288

Wendy

It’s funny because we used to have all kinds of traditions but the kids are grown so there is no one here to do anything for anymore. When they get out of the Marine Corps and move back next year we can start again since we have a grandchild.

289

we go carolling with friends and family

290

One of our traditions is baking and decorating cookies together as a family. Even my husband joins in the fun.

291

My favorite Xmas tradition is putting up the Christmas tree – a time of much hope and excited anticipation! One always feels like one is both creating beauty and paying homage to Xmas’s past!

292

My favorite tradition is watching the DVDs of our past family Christmases. It’s amazing how much people have changed, who’s been born (and unfortunately died) since we got our videocamera 21 years ago.

293

I like making cookies at end of the year the only time I do so. Last season was pecan krispies…I’d like to make blondies and brownies this year

294

we do the pretzels too! we also make each other coupon books for fun things to do in the next year and put them in each others stockings…its really cute to see the things the kids come up with:) thanks!

295

Robyns Online World

We make Christmas Pretzels as a tradition too, but ours are a bit different: http://robynsonlineworld.blogspot.com/2008/12/christmas-pretzels.html
Is he just dipping in? That might be a good way to try ours this year (we are making them tonight)

296

Robyns Online World

I sent a tweet from @RobynsWorld
http://twitter.com/RobynsWorld/statuses/1067102330

297

Every year, the boys help me make buckeyes for family, friends, and neighbors. They’ve each been helping since they were old enough to roll the peanut butter into balls. The boys also help dad make Christmas cookies and they decorate them individually, leaving their favorites out for Santa and his reindeer. Hubby and I also enjoy taking the boys out every year to see the different Christmas lights and decorations.

298

$5 white elephant gift exchange

299

my mom makes tons of fudge. during the spring & summer we look for cool tins at garage sales to put the fudge in for gifts.

300

My favorite holiday tradition is that on Christmas, our entire extended family meets at my grandparents’ house, its really the only time of the year I’ll see them all.

301

Robyns Online World

Oh – and I gave a thumbs up on Stumble also!

302

For our holiday tradition, I make to-die-for creamy chocolate fudge….ten pounds of it and I cut it up to give as stocking stuffers or filler gifts. I have been making it for 40 years now. It is the ultimate and Unexpected Bliss.

303

One tradition we do every Christmas is to bake a birthday cake for Jesus and sing Happy Birthday to him. We have done this for several years and our children really enjoy this. After all it is HIS birthday and without His Birthday we wouldn’t even have Christmas.

Merry Christmas

304

We love to drive around and see everyone’s pretty Christmas lights and decorations on their houses because we can’t decorate where we live.

305

Kati

(Twitter name:ktdid) My stepmom always makes delicious sausage balls involving bisquick, sausage and cheese. As we gather round the tree for present opening on Christmas morning cheesy sausage balls and fancy coffee…mmmmmm!

For the last few years my stepmom has kindly created a non-dairy version for me, after I went off the stuff, but this year I’m telling her to forget the fake version. I’ll enjoy the originals and pay the consequences later. They’re too yummy!

306

Abby

My favorite holiday tradition is putting the ornaments on the tree. I had each kid ‘their’ ornaments they were either given or made. They love remembering each of them!

307

Every year my family has a nice dinner at the nice table and talk about how the year went

308

Elizabeth

We’ve always had a special Christmas Eve. We light all the candles, turn out the lights, sing Christmas carols and read stories. We end with my Dad reading the Christmas story from Luke 2. Of course, we would leave goodies and eggnog for Santa and stay up late waiting for him to come. Now that I have kids we’ve been in different places each year and haven’t started this with our own little family yet.

309

My favorite tradition is just to load the kids in the car and check out the local christmas lights!

310

Our favorite tradition is reading an advent story book each night by the tree about a bear and his travels following the star!

311

We sing Christmas carols as a family on Christmas eve. There are five of us, and my 10 month old, who is too young to sing, just bounces up and down when we have X-mas music on.
Alicia Webster 5webs@comcast.net

312

going home for the holidays

313

Watching “It’s A Wonderful Life” on Christmas Eve

jason@allworldautomotive.com

314

My daughter and I make Christmas cookies and fudge to give to all our friends and neighbors…

315

Making red velvet cake has always been a family favorite and it is the best at christmas!

316

We all watch “A Christmas Story” a least one time during the holiday season.

317

Putting up the Christmas tree with the family.

318

My daughter and I love to bake sugar cookies and share them with the neighbors.

319

We drive thru Lights in the Parkway every year

320

My favorite tradition is the Christmas dinner.

321

I love making cgocolate covered pretzels as well. We also make chex mix. My mom started giving my brother and I ornaments for christmas each year since we were born. I have started that tradition now that I have my own children!

322

Tarah

Every Christmas Eve on my moms side we gather at my grandparents house. I still have some very young cousins and a brand new nephew so Santa will visit around 7 each year, after dinner.

We hush down to hear the sleigh bells and then wait with baited breath until Santa makes his way inside with a bag full of gifts for all of us! We sing a few carols, pass out gifts and then sing Santa out as he makes his way to the rest of the houses.

No matter how old you are, Santa always manages to bring a smile to your face!

323

My favorite holiday tradition is our pickle ornament. After all of the gifts have been opened, I hide the pickle ornament in the tree and whoever finds it gets an little extra surprise. My kids are teenagers and still look forward to this!

324

We like to have a christmas tea after we open our gifts on christmas day. Yeah for the holidays!

325

We do a cookie baking day right before Christmas with all the ladies – it’s great! We make about 20-30 dozen cookies, all different kinds and decorate them until late in the evening.

326

Our favorite tradition is hanging ornaments on the tree. We all love remembering when the kids made each and every one. There are even a few that I made as a child.

Deidre

327

This may sound lame but, dancing at the end of Christmas Vacation with my family, lol!

328

My favorite holiday tradition is on Christmas eve my whole family gets together and goes to view all the beautiful light displays

Thank you for the wonderful giveaway!

329

We go to Midnight Mass and then come home and make egg rolls from scratch!

330

Baking with my kids

331

My favorite tradition is playing board games with my family late into the night, laughing ourselves silly!

332

alexis

Mine also has to do with baking. We’ve started a new tradition every Christmas, my oldest helps make the cookies that I bake for gifts. I think my favorites are the misshaped ones that he made .

333

My favorite tradition is having the entire family at my house for dinner, opening presents, and playing games afterward!

334

I may look Irish, but I love making tamales at Christmastime.

335

My favorite holiday tradition is going to the Christmas Eve service at church.

336

My favorite holiday tradition is baking– it’s an excuse to pull out old favorite recipes, and try lots of new ones.

337

My favorite tradition is opening our stockings on Christmas Eve and playing board games together

338

Our special holiday tradition is for all the extended family to gather at my grandmothers house. It’s been going on for over 50 years.

339

My favorite tradition is getting together on Christmas Day to eat together and just enjoy watching the grandchildren play with their new toys.

340

We go to church Christmas Eve , come home have a great meal and open one present each.

341

My daughters and I make homemade buckeyes. Since we live in Ohio I tell my girls that’s why we make them and goody bags for people we know. The real reason is I love chocolate and peanut butter together. Thanks for the chance.

342

I make a caviar mold every xmas, which is layers of cream cheese, boiled ehh, avocado, caviar, and onion in a mold. My husband loves it so much he always ends up biting into it before the desired time haha

343

Everyone goes to my parent’s house on Christmas Eve. It gives me a chance to try out new recipes. We all exchange gifts then too.

344

My favorite tradition is making cookie dough ornaments with the kids. Every year I save some of the better ones and it is amazing to watch them change over the years as the kids do more elaborate ornaments.

345

Ginny

I guess it would be my girls getting new pj’s for Christmas eve to wear to bed.

346

Ginny

stumbled ~ momof2ballerinas

347

I make chex mix with old recipe using bacon!!!!!!!

348

My tradition is to go to the store and buy everything and freeze it ahead of time and let everyone think I slaved over an oven and stove for hours!

349

Seeing a movie after the party dies down.

350

lots of lights and outdoor decorations

351

First of all, thanks for the laugh (he kicked you out of the kitchen because of this….where a pretzel used to be!)

Our family’s favorite tradition: Every year we host an ornament exchange party. Everyone brings a wrapped ornament and we assign numbers, when it’s their turn they pick an ornament. Next person goes and can pick a new ornament or steal any of the ones already opened, and so on.

It is such a blast, and our friends can’t wait for it every year (we can’t either!). It has gotten so popular, our house gets very crowded.

352

I’ve sent a tweet on Twitter…my Twitter name is: mtejen

353

Our family tradition is making a christmas wreath out of corn flakes, making rumaki for christmas. For new years its eating saurkraut for good luck.
Thank you.
Happy Holiday Season.

camper223[at]live[dot]com

354

Going out to lunch at an Indian restaurant.

355

My favorite Holiday Tradition is attending the Christmas program at the church I attend.

356

We go to our Christmas Eve church service and always read the story of Jesus’ birth from the bible.

357

My favorite holiday traditions include exchanging Christmas gifts with my family and cooking a delicious turkey dinner with my sister. The $50 Visa gift card would be a tremendous win and I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks!

358

I make the best mashed potatoes every Christmas dinner. The secret is garlic and using an electric mixer to really whip ‘em up. Goes great with turkey.

359

Christmas jammies and reading “Luke 2″ Christmas night. Then, Christmas morning, the kids aren’t aloud to go into the living room until Mom and Dad (ie, my wife and I) are up.

360

My favorite holiday tradition is decorating the Christmas tree! Thanks for the giveaway!

361

Looks like you are quite lucky to have a nice young man. Candy coated pretzels are a fave of mine too.
During the holidays, the females in my family get together on a Sunday before Christmas and make up a bunch of cookies and candies. Afterwards, we all divide them up into trays and take the cookies to loved ones and friends.

362

favorite — cookies

363

MY favorite tradition is that my father still dresses up as Santa Claus to pass out gifts for the family. He has been doing this for the last 36 years.

364

We have real homemade hot cocoa and fresh baked cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning as we open the gifts. The smell of cinnamon always makes me think of Christmas morning.

365

My favorite tradition is on Christmas eve, when everyone gets to choose one gift from under the tree to open. How carefully the children look the gifts over before choosing! Then, having opened one gift, they are able to sleep.

366

WE SING CAROLS SOMETIMES AND LISTEN TO XMAS MUSIC

367

I don’t know if you can call this a real tradition, but our family can never wait until Christmas morning to open presents, so we all start peeking on Christmas Eve. It starts out with, “Okay, we’ll each just open one.” Before you know it, there’s nada left for the morning. But…it’s fun. We always do this.

368

My favorite holiday tradition is making potato pancakes for breakfast on Christmas

369

Pick a small craft each year to make for gifts for my co-workers.

370

My favorite tradition is staying a night at the Marriott in the Woodlands by the Towne Center. We spend the evening shopping and eating. then we go back to the hotel, and if it is just us two….

371

my favorite tradition is baking lots and lots of cookies!

372

our favorite are Chocolate covered pretzels as well. they are so yummy!!

373

We read about Santa Mouse–an old story, but since we live in an apartment with no fireplace, we’ve updated it to say that Santa Mouse crawls under the apartment door to unlock it for Santa.

374

Family dinner before Xmas.

375

Christmas eve at Grandma’s house.

376

Casey H

I love the hub and my tradition of eating cookies, drinking milk and eating carrots after kiddo has gone to bed. I make him eat the carrots because I learned the first year of doing it that I was allergic to raw carrots. Yeah, that was a fun Christmas eve night.

377

Family reunion for the holidays.

378

My favorite holiday tradition is more a memory from my childhood that my parents and brothers and sister often remember at Christmas time. My parents would go all out in filling our socks (there were 5 of us kids at home) along with the nuts, apples and oranges the gave use each several small gifts. I would wake up in the middle of the night (I never missed a Christmas eve night) and go through everyone’s socks. My parents never scolded me they new that my curiosity was more than I could bear on Christmas eve. I always put everything back, but it never failed no matter how quiet I was my parents always knew what I was doing because the could hear the nuts rattling around. We still laugh about it today (I will soon be turining 50).

379

Beckie

Since my children were little we made chocolate chip cookies — in the a Cloroxed-cleaned sink. We made so many that we didn’t have anything big enough to mix them in. They are now adult children — isn’t that an oxymoron — and we still gather to bake.

380

Beckie

Just stumbled.

Happy holidays to you and yours.

381

my grandkids always help one day making and decorating sugar cookies

382

Miranda Kuskie

My parents used to let us open our stockings on Christmas Eve… I LOVED it when I was little and I love it even more now that I have kids, it gives them a few small things to play with or use until the next morning when they open all the presents under the tree.

383

My favorite tradition is putting the tree up together the day after THanksgiving.

txhottie_86 at yahoo dot com

384

Living in Florida, my husband and I always attend the parade of lights boat show on the intracoastal. Then we ride our motorcycle around the developments ooohing & ahhing over the lights. It’s a great time!

385

we are always going to church on Christmas Eve.

thanx

386

Annie G

Making decorated gingerbread and sugar cookies with my family. We have taken cake decorating courses and have all of the materials to decorate with, so this is a fun and rewarding family activity.

387

Baking tons of sugar cookies and staying up all night decorating them.

388

Since I worked in the Healthcare field, Christmas was when everyone got together to celebrate. So the Saturday or Sunday before or anytime everyone could make it was our Christmas. It really makes it easier now that everyone is grown and other families schedules put a premium on the Holiday.

389

Our tradition is chocolate chip cookies and kiffles

390

We hang our stockings together every year… it opens the holiday season!

391

Decorating the tree with my family. I always looked forward to it since I was a child. Now my kids look forward to doing it with me.

392

I love to put on some Christmas music, stack up a plate of homemade fudge, make hot chocolate for the kids, coffee for the adults, then gather in the living room to decorate the tree as a family.

oinkmoobaa (at) yahoo (.) com

393

I always make cookies — and I always cook. Not everyone in the family enjoys this as much as I do….so it’s not a chore at all.

394

Making chocolate chip cookies with my daughter and my mother.

395

my favorite holiday tradition in watching raymond brigg’s the snowman, there is something so peaceful and calming about that film & i love love love the strange ending!

396

My mom always made Krumkaka an spritz for Christmas and now I am supposed to do it and I can’t seem to get the hang of it. For 3 years in a row the entire family has had to eat crumbs and bits and pieces.

397

Opening the presents is fun

398

I love decorating the tree

399

extended family getting together

400

My special tradition is to buy a Christmas ornament each year for both of my grand daughters.

401

Playing Buddy Weed records all night long.

402

We exchange holiday pajamas on christmas eve that we go to bed wearing and have breakfast the next morning.

403

Getting together with my whole family on Christmas Eve and eating lutefisk and lefsa. My mom always makes roast beef for the non lutefisk eaters and we open presents we have all kinds of desserts.

404

Making Pizzelles!

405

Angela Palmer

Matching Christmas PJ’s! Our teens pretend to hate it, but they help pick the designs.

406

Kathy Mullins

My favorite tradition is going to my Aunt Mary’s on Christmas Eve to spend time with my cousins, aunts and uncles. I enjoy that so much!

Sadly, a favorite Christmas tradition of taking care of my Uncle Bobby, who was blind, and the coolest uncle anyone could have around, by picking him up and having him stay with us for Christmas and bringing him back has ended this year, as he passed away this Fall. I miss him terribly!!

407

Making Christmas Cut-out cookies with my sons.

408

Rum balls are a favorite tradition at my house.

409

my children and I make a gingerbread house every year even if it only lasts a couple of days

410

My daughters and I watch NORAD online every year to track Santa’s progress. Once he starts heading to the United States they run to bed.

411

One of my favorite holiday traditions is when we all gather together in the kitchen while my mom makes a special Christmas breakfast. She makes these yummy rolls that we only get on Christmas morning, and I look forward to them every year. I love the family together time.

Thanks so much!!
Michele R.(CA)
luvkittysmeowmail@gmail.com
Butterfly Whispers

412

I twittered about your giveaway, and my Twitter username is Luvkitty.

Thanks so much!!
Michele R.(CA)
luvkittysmeowmail@gmail.com
Butterfly Whispers

413

We make Christmas cookies together as a family and always make a gingerbread house that everyone contributes to.

414

I stumbled about your giveaway, and my Stumble Upon username is Luvkitty.

Thanks so much!!
Michele R.(CA)
luvkittysmeowmail@gmail.com
Butterfly Whispers

415

Andrea Evans

My favorite tradition is riding around looking at all the Christmas lights while listening to Christmas carols on the radio.

416

I do not like nuts in my fudge and every where I go people put nuts in it, yuck! Years ago I started making plain, no nuts, fudge, come to find out that quite a few family members didn’t like the sweet/salt nutty fudge either. I, or I should say, my fudge has become a requested item. 2 years ago I started doing white chocolate fudge with green food coloring (just a tad) squirled into it, it looks too good to pass up so there went again, another tradition of me having to make fudge or here about it from everyone (or we could eat Aunt D’s (name removed to protect hurt feelings) gritty fudge with nuts in it, yuck again!

This year I had my son help me make a batch of it, we had a blast in the kitchen together doing it (he is 9). Maybe I can pass on my traditional fudge making to him, that would be wonderful.

Thank you for the chance to win.

Happy Holidays to you and yours Unexpected Bliss

417

5 Minutes Around the Blogosphere - Week 64

[...] Unexpected Bliss – $50 Visa Card (Dec 22/US) [...]

418

Christmas movies every weekend in December and snuggling on the couch

419

Pizza on Christmas eve.

420

My favorite x-mas traditions include baking (my mom, sister, and I make rice crispy squares, peanut butter cookies, and whatever new recipe my sister has found to try out). Then on x-mas eve a bunch of my relatives come by for pizza and the desserts we’ve made. We just hang out, open our presents, and just have a great time together.

421

I blogged about your giveaway here:

http://michele-butterflywhispers.blogspot.com/2008/12/giveaways_20.html

Thanks so much!!
Michele R.(CA)
luvkittysmeowmail@gmail.com
Butterfly Whispers

422

We turn off the phone and all the lights except the tree and light a fire in our jammies and eat pizza and watch its a wonderful life!! No hussle or bussle no presents just us!

423

My 75 year old mother makes the best simple cookies with homemade frosting – I wish I could be there to eat them! Otherwise, we just make sure we have dinner together amongst us three in my immediate family.

424

The family tradition is I have to bake two cakes, my son wants Red Velvet and my daughter wants 12 layer Chocolate Cake. This is the only time I cook these. The requirement is everyone be at home at the same time on Christmas day.

425

Our holiday tradition is breakfast. We gather at my mother’s house for breakfast – usually about 10-12 family and friends, with all kinds of good food and companionship. My daughter brings quiche, I bring the ham, my husband cooks the eggs and mom is the hostess with the mostest! We love this tradition, and it leaves everyone free to attend other events during the day.

426

My favorite tradition is playing board games Christmas Eve with the whole family

427

Meredith

Every year, the kids (all 6 of them) look forward to see what their special ornament is! When I was 18, and had just moved out of my parents house, Christmas 1995 was really depressing when I went to decorate my tree and realized that I had nothing. No lights, no ornaments, and no memories. I decided then that my children would get a least one ornament a year. Some years I find the perfect one and buy it. Other years they are sculpey clay or felt. But each child enjoys knowing that THIS ornament is theirs, and they SO enjoy unpacking their box of ornaments to decorate the tree with. Plus talking about what happened the year they got that ornament. When they move out? They’ll have at least 18 memory and love filled ornaments to decorate THEIR tree with.

428

Spending the day with my family. And extended family if possible! Thanks for a great contest!

429

My father loves ginger snaps–so for years we have made soft ginger snaps that are REALLY good.

I love almond roca and make it homemade style to share and enjoy–mmmmm…

430

Bebemiqui

I make fudge and divinity…a tradition my dad started when I was a kid.
bebemiqui82(at)yahoo(dot)com

431

Courtney from Mommie Blogs

favorite Christmas tradition -

Still to this day, 33 years old, with a husband, toddler and doggy – I spend Christmas eve at my parents house, we wake up, my mom has to run down stairs and turn on the lights, then we open gifts and enjoy a huge breakfast (which includes my cheese/bacon/spinach quiche and pastries from our local bakery…)

432

cooking cinnamon rolls together on christmas morning

433

Jamie

My favorite Christmas tradition is driving through the local Christmas lights display. It always puts me in a Christmas mood and reminds me of my childhood Christmases.

434

We celebrate Yule, so on solstice night, we leave decorative lights on everywhere, have a big dinner (with the kids’ favorite desserts, cake and sweet potato casserole), make sure all the animals have plenty of food and water in their bowls and make sure we have a full cupboard to ensure plenty throughout the coming year.

435

My cousin and I buy a bottle of wine for each other switching between white and red. Then we drink the wines the following year.

436

My favorite tradition, a simple Christmas breakfast with the family before we open presents. The kids are still wanting a vote on if it happens before or after gifts lol but it’s before. I love the anticipation they get to open their gifts and this makes it last a little longer.

437

My favorite is the extra place setting (Jesus Plate). It always gets filled by an unexpected guest.

438

I love wapping presents. I use scraps of ribbon saved all year, inexpensive bits of holiday floral to make the packages as beautiful and as elegent as possible. It gives me a way to express my createivity and make the recipient feel truly special. It also gives me time to think about how blessed we are to have the recipient in our lives.

439

Noreen

we always make my grandma’s pumpkin bread, my other grandma’s molasse cokkies and starting this year my girls and I are making gingerbread men (chocloate flavored) and salt dough ornaments

440

Every year we go to my inlaws the weekend before Christmas and have a big snack table and order pizza! Its so relaxed and no one has to “man the stove”!
Teresa690[at]gmail[dot]com

441

Mary@Everyday Baby Steps

We love leaving s’mores for Santa Claus. Bet he doesn’t get many s’mores left for him!

442

We’re getting together with my sister’s family on Christmas Day for a final meal at the Royal Fork restaurant in Grand Forks, North Dakota. They are closing their doors this month, and we are very sad because they have wonderful food, and we have eaten there for many years.

443

I a japanese buddist..we love to have a big feast of cooked and raw seafood.

444

Barb

I love advent calendars! As a kid, I looked forward to opening up a new window each day. We bought one last year for our kids that we can reuse each year and already at age 2 – they LOVE getting a turn to put a character in the nativity scene.

445

Aunt LoLo

One of my FAVORITE traditions is our Christmas Plates. Every year, Dad INSISTS that a proper Christmas Plate has a variety of cookies, arranged neatly on a paper plate, wrapped in plastic and adorned with a red bow.

We’ve never gotten it right ONCE, but we sure do have fun trying!

Thanks for the chance!

446

Making Christmas cookies. Yhey are 16 and 18.I am not to sure about it this year.

447

we have a few but they’re not unqiue… opening 1 present on the 24th, putting out the cookies for santa, my son decorating the tree with his nana…

448

My favorite holiday tradition is watching It’s a Wonderful Life with the whole family.

449

NGS

I like decorating the tree. We just have a little one since we travel during the actual holiday, but there’s nothing better than Los Straighjackets on the CD player, hot cider in hand, and an hour devoted to putting up our few cherished ornaments on our teeny tiny tree. I love it and look forward to it all season long.

450

Amy's Blah, Blah, Blogging

I really enjoy making sugar cookies for my husband’s employees at work with my husband. It’s something simple but something we do together which is a lot of fun!

451

Popcorn garland!

452

My favorite holiday tradition is making and sharing cookies with family and friends. Thanks!

453

Shawna

My favorite holiday tradition that we have is singing Happy Birthday to Jesus on Christmas Day.

We set out cookies and milk for Santa, and carrots for the reindeer. Santa leaves something small in everyone’s stockings, like a toothbrush or something.

454

Our Christmas tradition is making popcorn balls.

455

As a close family, trimming the christmas tree is big at our house

ardy22 at earthlink.net

456

Tammy and Parker

We go to my parents house each Christmas Eve. We eat great food and then my Mom reads all of my kids(even the 22 year old!) ‘The Night Before Christmas’

Such an amazing giveaway.

457

Our Christmas tradition is just getting together with family & eating a meal and exchanging presents.

458

We buy a potted live tree and plant it outside on our property in the spring.

459

momfessions

I love spending Christmas eve with family: eating pizza and cookies, reading the Christmas story and opening one gift each!

460

Baking lots of cookies with my family

461

I love being with family and eating great food!

462

My fave tradition is going to Church on Christmas Eve, it just feels so right and is the commencement of the rest of the Christmas festivities.

463

Jane Marie

I collect hand blown glass ornaments and keep a log book going back to when I was a child (1952 is the oldest ornament we have) and it is the first ornament hung on the tree every year. I can tell you who gave the ornament to me and when.

464

My favorite tradition is making lasagna,pizzelles stuffed with cannoli filling,garlic bread,cheesecake..all the works for Christmas Eve dinner.

465

The Book Muncher

my family doesnt really have that many traditions for teh holidays, it really changes every year.

link: http://thebookmunchercontests.blogspot.com/

466

Julie Donahue

My family makes caramel corn and then we drive around and deliver it to family and friends. (I’m munching on some now!)

467

My favorite holiday tradition is putting up the tree and decorations with my son. We each talk about our favorite ornaments and reminisce about past Christmases.

468

One of the tradition that my Mom did with my sister and I, and one that I now do with my own daughter is we always get new pj’s for Christmas Eve. We always try to get a Christmas or a winter theme, and it makes getting ready for bed on Christmas Eve that much more fun.

469

My favorite tradition is opening one gift on Christmas Eve and the rest on Christmas.

470

Mu favorite Cnristmas tradition is making a big turkey with all of the trimmings.

471

Jean@workingmomma247

One of my favorite traditions is doing a last minute Christmas Eve shopping spree with my MIL. It’s my one day of year to spend the day with my MIL and shop til I drop.

472

My favorite Christmas tradition is making butter cookies (cut out with the cookie cutters) and decorating them. Choosing the traditional shapes is fun, but then I like to add something whimsical like our map of Texas or 18-wheeler truck.

473

I love decorating the tree with the whole family.

474

Suzanne B. (Crunchy Green Mom)

My favorite holiday tradition is my yearly Yule party.

I love the friends being in on it, I love how it feels, cold outside and warm inside with drinks, decorations and lights.. It isn’t really the holiday without it!

475

christy

we open one gift on christmas eve and its always Christmas PJ’s that we were that night so we have them on for Christmas morning

476

my favorite tradition is baking cookies with my kids, grandkids and great grandkids!

477

We go to 4:00 mass on Christmas Eve. That way when we get up on Christmas we don’t have to rush to get ready to go anywhere.

478

My favorite holiday tradition is making homemade popocorn balls. We use our old fashioned popcorn popper which I inherited from my grandmother. We put the popcorn in the wire basket and pop it over the fire in the fireplace. When it is done we put the popcorn and melted maple syrup into a big bowl. When it is cooled down a little we start to make homemade popcorn balls. I love the smell of the house after we have made them and I love the way we all get sticky and gooey and just have fun!

479

Our family opens gifts on Christmas Eve, then goes to Grandma’s house on Christmas Day. We open small gifts again on New Year’s Day before the tree comes down.

480

One of my favorite Christmas traditions is reading “The Night Before Christmas” on Christmas Eve, right after we get a plate of cookies ready for Santa (and carrots for the reindeer!)

Thanks for the giveaway! Merry Christmas!

481

I bake this delicious strawberry bread for my family and miniatures for my coworkers. It’s the only time of the year that I bake it and it’s so wonderful and enjoyed by all.

482

Muthering Heights

My favorite holiday tradition is have a private “Christmas” with my husband. We like to light the tree and exchange gifts alone, and spend time enjoying each other apart from the chaos of a big extended family gathering.

483

Every year my husband writes a Christmas poem and on Christmas Day he reads it before we open presents. He works really hard on it and they always come out really great. We keep them all in a journal and makes for a really great memory of each Christmas.

484

My favorite is Baking cookies.

485

Making Christmas cookie cut-outs and fudge.

486

Making Christmas cookies and watching Charlie Brown Christmas

487

Mamamoose

We make red and green pancakes for dinner on Christmas Eve!

488

Megret

We have a family recipe for something called “Crunchy Balls” — they involved chocolate chips, crushed cookies, and orange juice. Heavenly – and it wouldn’t be Christmas without ‘em!
Thanks 4 the chance!
Megret
musesofmegret (at) gmail (dot) com

489

I love our Christmas Even Service, followed by a casual meal of treats we seldom eat and sometimes my dh and I open our gifts to each other.

490

Dani

Opening gifts with my husband on Christmas Eve night when it is just the two of us. A little quiet moment in the hectic holiday season that I adore.

491

Our favorite tradition is that the grown kids and their spouses and all of the grandchildren come and spend the night Christmas Eve with us. They only live a couple of streets away but I love waking up Christmas morning and all of us being together. The kids love it too.

Thanks so much!

492

I make chex mix, and sugar cookies that my grandma used to always bring on Chirstmas day. I also make fudge that my mom used to always make. I remember always having theses snacks on Christmas

493

My favorite tradition is singing Christmas carols!
cjnedrow@gmail.com

494

My favorite tradition is Christmas Eve at the inlaws. Makes the day of less hectic.

495

big turkey dinner!

496

One of my favs is eating appetizers on Christmas Eve – very relaxed to get ready for the big meal on Christmas!!

497

The whole family gets together on Christmas day. After enjoying a variety of awesome food, we exchange gifts. Thanks for the giveaway!

braaisjo at gmail dot com

498

My favorite holiday tradition is when we sit around the fire after dinner on Christmas Eve and sing Christmas carols.

499

Spending the weekend before Christmas making cookies and other goodies with the kids.

500

My favorite holiday tradition is the Christmas cookie baking marathon. I get up early and bake until I go to bed. I have about 15 different varieties of cookies I make, and then I make trays for all my friends, coworkers, and neighbors.

Thanks for the great giveaway.

501

Our Christmas Eve dinner of mostly seafood and the excitment of my kids before Christmas

502

I love to making pumpkin pie from scratch:0) Yummy!

503

Expanding on my ceramic house collection

504

Putting all of our ornaments on the tree that my boys have made over the years and ones we picked up on vacations. We fondly remember each and every trip each year.

505

waking up early in the morning (after celebrating late) on new years day to watch the parade on television is my favorite tradition

506

Amy

My favorite tradition is having a big Japanese dinner Christmas Day. My grandma cooks and we all stay out of the way!

507

My favorite tradition is decorating the tree on my birthday.

508

Michelle Wyson

I love to decorate a ginger bread house on Christmas Day with my 4 children.

509

Chrysa

My favorite Christmas tradition is the “Christmas Feast” we have on Christmas Eve, which consists of everyone’s favorite foods. We have everything from beef jerky and cheese-in-a-can to smoked oysters and caviar!

510

yum! save some for me please! my kids still love to put out cookies for santa. now i wish they would make me cookies instead.

511

My favorite holiday tradition is our family Christmas cookie exchange. All of my Mom’s side of the family get together for a weekend each year. There’s usually anywhere from 25-40 of us including all the little ones. Every family brings a few dozen cookies and we exchange them so we all leave with a variety. The women are usually in the kitchen gabbing away and the men are almost always watching football There’s so much great food and a lot of laughs. This has been a tradition since before I was born and I have so many great memories from them. Now my kids will too Happy Holidays!!

512

Besides opening one gift on Christmas Eve we never had any. I’d like to change that now that I have a toddler of my own. This year Christmas and gifts consists of traveling to my mom’s on Christmas day – my visit (which she has been begging for for sometime ) is essentially my gift to all – from my toddler (who doesn’t yet know that Christmas is supposed to be about gift or really anything about it – he’s just two) to my mom – to me because I know how much they will each enjoy each other!

513

We decorate the Christmas tree while listening to the Carpenters Christmas CD. It’s a family tradition!!

514

My favorite holiday tradition is getting our Christmas tree. Every year 2 weeks before Christmas we go out to the country to a tree farm (rain, shine, snowing, etc) and spend hours walking around picking out the best one. Then we stop at this little family run coffee shop and have hot chocolate with marshmallows. We drive home and decorate the Christmas tree.

515

Marianne

We make monley bread every Christmas morning. We read the Christmas story and open our stocking while its cooking, then after we’ve eaten, we open gifts.

516

Dddiva

Driving around on Christmas Eve to look at the lights while Santa leaves new pj’s and a movie and/or game.

517

My favorite holiday tradition is reading about Jesus’ birth before opening presents to celebrate his birthday.

Thanks!

traceys[at]suddenlink[dot]net

518

We opened one gift on Christmas Eve, then my Dad read us “A Christmas Carol”.

519

My favorite tradition is cutting down our own Christmas tree. We have a blast hiking around to find the “perfect” tree! (and its a lot cheaper than buying one from the store!)

520

Our tradition is making banana pancakes on christmas morning before opening presents. yummmmm.. thx!

521

Kathryn Clark

making a gigantic gingerbread house from scratch!

522

I seem to always end up making this cookie recipe after midnight. It makes a whole lot of cookies, and they take a long time to bake, so I usually end up cleaning up after 2.

523

My favorite holiday tradition is playing the piano for my church’s Christmas Eve service — along with my mom, who plays the organ. Even though I moved away from my hometown a decade ago, I return to the keyboard each year to keep up this tradition, which I think means a lot to my mom. It’s nice to be able to spend one night a year in church with my entire family.

524

Going to my brother’s on Christmas Eve and having our family get together. We always have so much fun. All of our kids get to play together and they have a blast too. Thank you!!

525

Melanie Johnson

Our favorite holiday tradition is my whole family getting together to enjoy the day together. I am one of 7 siblings, most of who are married and have children of there own, and quite a few grand kids now too. So it is a big crowd.

526

Getting out all the decorations and remembering past years memories as we put up the tree together.

527

One of my favorite traditions, started one year while my girls were about 7 and 8. They were getting into that greedy stage and wanted everything. I took them down to the local toy store, told them to pick out 2 toys each that they really, really wanted. They were so excited to go shopping for themselves without limits. They each picked up two items that were on every kids list that year. I dont recall exactly what they picked up as it was years ago. Once they were done, I took them around the store and picked up a few more games and toys for toddlers and a few boy items. They proudly carried their items to the register big smiles a beaming. I purchased the items and then walked them right outside the doors where in the mall was the Toys for Tots box guarded by two gentlemen. I asked if they knew what these men were doing and they hadn’t a clue. So the one explained to my kids the way the program works. I then placed all of the toys into the box. The look of shock on the girls faces was priceless. We left that day with two sad girls later on in the day they understood as we talked more and they changed their minds once they realized that some ppl dont have homes or presents even and sometimes Santa couldn’t give them what they wanted. (That is a hard one to explain to kids too) Since that day, every year our tradition is the same, we shop for toys and drop them in the box.

528

My favorite is opening one gift on Christmas eve!

529

I like setting up the tree

530

I get together with my 3 best friends and we spend the day making cookies and drinking wine. We have been doing this for 15 years now.

531

Beeb Ashcroft

One of my favorite holiday traditions is making Mince Pies. I’m from England originally, and this is one of our traditional Christmas treats. It’s fun to introduce it to my friends in the US who have never tried it!

Thanks so much for the wonderful giveaway!

532

Beeb Ashcroft

I Stumbled this! My Stumble username is hardertobreathe. You can find a direct link to the Stumble here:

http://hardertobreathe.stumbleupon.com/

Thank you!

533

Beeb Ashcroft

Tweet, Tweet! I Tweeted this here:

http://twitter.com/hardertobreathe/status/1071948095

My Twitter username is hardertobreathe. Thank you!

534

My favorite holiday tradition is our Christmas morning Biggie Breakfast. Every possible sweet or savory breakfast food is on the table and we dig in.

Then during the day until dinner we can always pick away at a biscuit here, a sausage there, etc . . .

535

I make Hanky Panky (you can google the recipe). I have been making them for several years. It keeps the men and children happy until dinner is ready. And it provides a great snack during the evening until your festivities are over.

536

We go out every Christmas eve and look at the decorations in the neighborhood and close towns then out for dessert. And on Christmas day we open gifts and then watch A Christmas Story, since you can always find it on tv.

537

I just subscribed!

538

Thanks for the giveaway…My favorite Christmas Eve tradition is making homemade eggnog from a family recipe and putting it in the fridge to chill before we attend Midnight Mass…we drink it when we get home…sometimes we have Irish Coffee AND eggnog afterwards !!!

539

opening one gift on christmas eve

540

My favorite holiday tradition is baking with my three children. We always make gingerbread houses at Grandma’s, cut-out and decorate sugar cookies at our house, and I am in charge of bringing the pies for Christmas dinner. We always end up with some great photos to share with the family. Cookie dough on the kids’ cheeks and candy pieces in the rug… I love a good mess in the kitchen, because it means that the room was truly enjoyed and used to its fullest potential.

541

BlapherMJ

We have lots of Christmas traditions, but I have to say that my favorite is decorating the Christmas tree. My kids are 16, 14 and 10, and they still look forward to this tradition every year. With special ornaments from each year, there are lots of memories and laughs….

542

I love baking Christmas cookies with my kids.

Thank you for the great giveaway!!

543

GENEVIEVE WARREN

MY FAVORITE TRADITION IS TO BAKE COOKIES FOR SANTA CLAUS, AND PUT THEM ON THE COFFEE TABLE FOR SANTA CLAUS WHEN HE STOP BY AND THE NEXT MORNING MOST OF THE COOKIES ARE EATEN. (OH YES THERE ARE ALSO NUTS AND A NUT CRAKER AVAILABLE FOR SANTA JUST IN CASE…..

544

We go for a drive on Christmas eve to look at the lights, then come home & enjoy a christmas movie while munching on snacks.

545

Caroling in nursing and assisted living homes. It’s amazing that the residents know the words of the Christmas Carols down to the 4th verse. Thanks for the giveaway.
aghendrick[at]aol[dot]com

546

wine tasting

547

My peanutbutter fudge is a tradition every year nor

548

I love making cookies with my kids!

549

One of our traditions is that the children who are gathered with us are “in charge” of making and serving the appetizers.

Depending on their age, it can be as simple as putting already cut up veggies on a tray or as complex as preparing and cooking a recipe they chose to share.

550

The family all gets together on Christmas Eve to exchange gifts. We all bring in different appetizers for our meal which I just love. My dad always makes potato candy and it is simply the best!

551

Juicebox.mom

making Pumpkin bread with my daughter!

552

making fruit salad for the hoildays.

553

On Christmas Eve we go to my Mother-in-law’s house and open presents then we come back to our house and open Christmas presents with our children and grandchildren. I love to see their sweet faces as they see what all they get. Priceless!

554

Christine

I love making homemade carmels every year! So gooey and yummy!

555

my daughter and I go to the christmas tree farm and cut down our own tree every year.

556

Our favorite holiday tradition is getting the whole family together on Christmas day for a buffet style dinner.

557

Bettina

My favorite holiday tradition is making a birthday cake for Jesus! This year, my 9 year old daughter is taking over the honors!

558

We make cookies and I also love looking at Christmas lights in the neighborhood.

559

My favorite holiday tradition is watching A Christmas Story for hours on end with my family. We never grow sick of it either!

560

I tweeted this at dreamer08

561

I stumbled this. user=dreamer08

562

I twittered about the giveaway (Mtlgrl4evr)

563

Lee

We wear Christmas Eve jammies in our home!

Lee

564

Lee

I twittered @LeeChrista

565

Lee

I stumbled you and left a quick review!

Lee

566

We make lots of cookies. I especially like the thumbprints. We have an open house on Christmas Eve.
Carol M
mittens0831 AT aol.com

567

Making sugar cookies for santa.

568

My favorite Holiday Tradition is something I have done with my parents ever since I can remember and is now something my husband and I do with our own children. That is we go to the same tree farm that I went to when I was growing up and we take a hay ride around the farm in search of our favorite Christmas Tree. Once we find it, we chop it down ourselves to bring home to decorate. The farm is called Stokeo Farms and has been in business for over a century! It is the most unique place to bring your family to chop down your trees. The farm is divided into grids based on the kind of tree you want, and believe me they offer every species out there! They have at least a dozen horse drawn sleighs that take you around to the different grids to look for your tree. They also serve (free) hot cocoa and sugar cookies to everyone! It sounds surreal (like a fantasy) and that what makes it so unique and special. It is something I look forward to every year and now my children can share in the same excitement and experience as I once did when I was their age! Thank you for letting me share this story! Happy Holidays to all!

569

i love going to the movies on Christmas Day, yay!

570

twittered as well!

http://twitter.com/samanthapayntr/status/1072465174

samanthapayntr

571

I Twittered about your wonderful giveaway! Here is a link to the Tweet:

http://twitter.com/joannaonthelake/status/1072466557

572

Getting a Christmas tree and decorating it.

573

Marisa M

2 years ago we started the tradition of being a Christmas pixie. We pick a family and deliver an anonymous gift for 11 days, and reveal ourselves on the 12th day, Christmas Eve. It’s so fun, and really gets the kids involved!

574

Our favorite tradition is going to a Christmas sing at church then driving around drinking hot chocolate and look at the lights in the neighborhood.

575

My favorite christmas tradition is spending christmas eve with my family. My Mom makes a bunch of traditional Brazilian food which we love, we only get it once a year, and we all bring a present to win. My Mom loves Bingo and we all play and get to pick a present. There is always one that everyone wants and gets taken away from many of us until it ends up with one of the grandkids!

576

My favorite tradition is getting together with my parents, siblings, and all the grandchildren on Christmas Eve. We first go to mass as a family, which I love

577

There is always one present under the tree marked for each child- open on Dec.24th at 7pm. They always get Christmas jammys and slippers.. they love the tradition and having something new to wear.

sweeps4us@gmail.com

578

Sarah at themommylogues

I love traditions! I love the Christmas Eve service. Every year my grandma used to make sure we got a gift from Mrs. Claus (underwear). And every year, a baby Jesus ornament tops our tree. When my husband was little he asked his parents why there was an angel on top of the tree when Christmas was about Jesus. Hard to argue with, huh?

579

Our favorite tradition is to visit a town about an hour away that has a great Christmas store for buying special ornaments. We always have a fun day and it is fun to see each year which ornaments the kids pick.

580

still creating new ones with my son

581

On Christmas Eve we put the kids in their footed pj’s, fill up their sippy cups with warm chocolate milk and load everyone in the car to go out for a drive to look at Christmas lights. We do this every year and the kids love it — and it keeps them busy while “waiting” for Santa

582

we make puppy chow and sugar cookies

583

Singing Christmas carols.

584

after making christmas cookies on christmas eve, we drive thur our towns light display. thanks and happy holidyas. miketra@sbcglobal.net

585

My favorite holiday tradition is baking and decorating sugar cookies while watching Rudolph, Frosty, etc. Thanks!
koinonia572001@yahoo.com

586

My favorite tradition is having Chinese food on Christmas Eve. This may not happen this year as we are housebound in the Pac NW due to the “Artic Blast”.
Merry Christmas Everybody!

587

My favorite tradition is the date torte that my mom makes. My grandma used to make it.

588

My favorite Christmas tradition is going house to house in my neighborhood delivering gifts.

589

Our favorite holiday tradition is the Friday after Thanksgiving. While everyone else is in the midst of the shopping chaos, we pack a lunch and drive to our favorite Christmas tree farm. We spend a nice quiet day in the country choosing our special tree. We look forward to it every year!
Thanks for the chance to win!

590

Would you believe at age 38 and I still like to leave milk and cookies for Santa?

591

My favorite holiday tradition is the whole family getting together for dinner

592

I love the holidays to get together with the family and bake lots of goodies!

593

Driving out and about to see all the nice decorated homes and all the beautiful lights on Christmas Eve. skyxsky27(at)gmail.com

594

Mrs. H

My favorite holiday tradition is baking as well. When I got married, in addition to getting her son, I also acquired the best fudge recipe from my MIL! Baking… cookies & fudge… Christmas wouldn’t be as sweet without the treats!

595

Heather Erbe

I make blueberry pancakes christmas morning and we spend that time together just the 5 of us.

596

Home-made clam chowder every christmas eve. My birthday is Dec 16th, and we go out to dinner every year.

597

It just isn’t Christmas until the tree is decorated and the lights turned on.

598

LISA C PARSONS

I always make a Cheese ball for Christmas. It is super easy and delicious when served with crackers.

Have a Merry Christmas!!!

599

My favorite holiday tradition for my family is when we pick a night and then all get in the car when it dark out and drive all over the city to look at the christmas lights, and then when we get home my dad reads the story The Angry Christmas Tree (that’s what we named it). He reads a story about a tree that wants to be a christmas tree and then gets to be one… the tree then realizes it is not all it seemed to be, but my dad reads it in an angry growling voice, that started when he didn’t feel like reaading to me when I was a kid so he read it like that… I requested it to be read that way everytime.

600

My new fave is making truffles with my hubby. My fave tradition is making mini-loaf banana and zucchini breads for friends and family.

601

making all different kinds of goodies for our friends

602

My favorite holiday tradition is having all the kids over to bake and decorate sugar cookies.

603

My favorite Christmas tradition is our Christmas light scavenger hunt. We each have alist of about 12 items to find while driving around looking at lights. This hunt began as a way to get the kids interested in driving around and allow my hubby and I a chance to look at lights. now as my boys are older, they look forward to the hunt as much as we do.

604

What a wonderful memory for your family! We also love Christmas baking and walking through the neighborhoods to look at Christmas lights.

605

Christmas eve mass and then coming home to open one present (the rest have to wait til morning) Thanks for the contest.

606

Adding the angel to the tree on Christmas eve.

607

A week or two before Christmas we dig out all the Christmas decorations and tree and buy some special snacks that we rarely ever have because of the expense and make an evening of listening to Christmas music, eating wonderful snacks, and decorating the tree.

608

My son and I always go to “Sandy Point State Park” here in Maryland just before you go over the bridge to Ocean City, MD. The park always has a Christmas display that you drive through. We’ve been doing that since he was in diapers. He is now 15 and still wants to go with me….

609

I subscribed to Unexpected Bliss on my Yahoo. I’ll see you every day I power up….Merry Christmas.

610

Baking cookies for Santa!

611

My holiday tradition is making sugar cookies with my mom. We bake, ice and eat. Fantastic!

612

We like making all types of cookies for the holidays.

613

going to the movies on christmas

614

camille

My favorite holiday tradition is eating lots of good food and seeing family.

615

Baking cookies.

616

Every Christams I take my wife to Niagra Falls for a romantic getaway.

617

It’s a good day to catch up on some of the films I’ve missed.

618

We are starting new holiday traditions since we have our first child! I’m buying her an ornament each year and writing a little entry in a journal as to why I picked that ornament. Also, we always drive around on Christmas Eve with hot chocolate in travel mugs and look at Christmas lights.

619

My favorite tradition is eggs bennedict forcing the kids to have to wait till after breakfast to open up their loot

620

Since my twenties, I stay home every New Year’s Eve (and never go out and fight the traffic–and drunk drivers). I know, it’s a little unusual.

621

I like going to Christmas movies.

622

We love to put out luminaries on Christmas Eve, and make lots of yummies for Santa.

623

My favorite holiday tradition is ordering a Chick-fil-A chicken nugget platter for appetizers on Christmas Eve. Everybody loves them!

624

Katie

We get together and spend an entire day making cookies! Then we give them out and save some for our Christmas brunch.

625

I like to have “tree time” with my kids. Every night we gather around the lit Christmas tree and sing songs and play rhythm instruments, then read a book together. On Christmas Eve we read “Twas the Night Before Christmas.” I really like this tradition!

626

I go over my friend’s house with my mom for Christmas Eve and have some snacks and talk.

627

Sheila Capell

Our favorite holiday traditions are definitely doing the 12 days of Christmas anonymously to a neighbor! SO FUN!

628

Auriette

My husband and I open stockings on Christmas Eve and our presents on Christmas morning. He never had stockings growing up, so it’s a completely new tradition for him. I had a stocking on Christmas morning, but opening the night before is new for me, too.

629

Our kids are grown now but we used to every Christmas Eve, load them in the van and drive around looking at Christmas lights. When we got back, they could open one present that night.

630

We always get a Christmas tree shaped iced coffee cake from a local gourmet bakery.

631

Our family tradition is making TONS of cookies. My favorites are the iced gingerbread.

632

I always make peanut brittle, cookies and a cheese ball for my family. Not to mention the pie!

633

going over to my parent’s house for the Feast of the Seven Fishes.

634

Shrimp Gumbo on Christmas Eve, Watching & listening to the kids sing, open gifts, make home videos.
We also, bring elderly friends who are alone~lunch plates Christams day & visit with them.

635

we bake on christmas eve all kinds of goodies..cupcakes,brownies sweet breads,cookie U NAME IT

636

Kobi Hendrix

Making cookies with my grandson and daughter

637

We go to see a Christmas movie together as a family.

638

One of our family holiday tradition involves making yummy treats, too We make peanut butter fudge and buckeye candies every year. So good! Thanks for the giveaway!

639

Tweet, Starshine3:

http://twitter.com/Starshine3/status/1073747078

640

Sarah

My favorite tradition is piling in the car and heading out to look at Christmas lights. We usually stop to get some hot chocolate and listen to Christmas music in the car.

641

Sarah

I stumbled this post (justaddcharm)

642

I stay up late and make the stockings every year.

643

Our daughter buys my husband a Dilbert Desktop Calendar every year!

644

Every Christmas Eve all the grandkids act out the story of Jesus while Grandpa reads the story! They love it!! Then the kids get to open their pajamas they get every year to for christmas night!! My parents did this when we were young and we have contiuned it with my kids and my syblings kids!! It is the best!! I love it!!

645

My favorite tradition is fudge.We all get
together and make homemade fudge.My favorite
is Rocky Road.By the time we do a little
taste testing we are all wired up on sugar
Thanks for the giveaway

646

Home made egg nogg. With some pumpkin pie filling for flavoring.

647

we like to look at the pretty lights and listen to christmas music:)

648

We love to bake cookies for Santa, drink hot chocolate and look at our christmas lights while we listen to Christmas Carols all night. Life is good.

649

Making homemade cinnamon rolls

650

My favorite holiday tradition is receiving red envelopes for Chinese New Year.

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14

Christmas traditions – and a giveaway

Grab the button and join me for Monday Motivation

of the spirit

My boys

Cuteness overload