[Sammi1961]

Traditions from when I was a kid were not to set up our tree until after my youngest brother's birthday which was dec. 19 but then decorating it together, hanging our stockings on Christmas eve, always getting a huge naval orange in the toe of our Christmas stocking then opening our gifts Christmas morning, eating a quick breakfast, rushing to my grandparents for another Christmas and Christmas dinner then off to the next set of grandparents house for yet another Christmas and Christmas dinner (and by that time we truly were over stuffed!)

With my children, we never set up our tree until after ds2's birthday which is Dec. 12. When setting up and decorating the tree, we drink egg nog and have It's a Wonderful Life on tv playing. (we own the video) My dks hang their stockings on Christmas eve. We always attend the candlelight Christmas eve service at church. Christmas morning we open our gifts then have a huge breakfast (scrambled eggs and cheese, orange juice, bacon, coffee and of course Pillsbury cinnamon rolls) then we rush to my mom's house (though now that she has passed away we won't do that this year we will go to my middle brother's) and then on to my mil's for Christmas dinner and gifts there. We spend the night and head back home either the next day or the day after. christmas day is always hectic and we often talk about just staying home but to me Christmas is mostly about family and i can't imagine not seeing our family members on that day. Also, several relatives give each of my dks a new Christmas oranment each year so that when they move out to their own homes they will take the ornaments with them for their own trees. I notice several other Fc members also do this tradition which I think is so cool.