We had great aspirations to share one tradition every day for the last 12 but we were too busy actually doing our traditions and not writing them out on the blog. We decided to still share the whole list. We're interested to hear about your family's traditions. What is something you do every year with your kids or spouse? Pass it on.
(Commence singing 12 Days of Christmas here...)
1st Day of Christmas: Take Walk Down Christmas Tree Lane with friendsThis starts off our Christmas season. We always take a stroll down the famous Christmas Tree Lane right here in our Fig Garden neighborhood. Thousands (literally) of people walk this lane to see the fancy houses and lights and get out into the community. It's great fun with friends!
2nd Day of Christmas: Make Christmas Cookies
Every family has their favorites, we know. We love to make Pizzelle Cookies, which are Italian cookies that look like snowflakes and are made with a special waffle-like iron. We also make at least one batch of cookie cutter cookies. This year we tried them with whole wheat pastry flour and some "healthier" toppings - dried cranberries, chocolate chips, unsweetened coconut and more.
3rd Day of Christmas: Fill a Christmas box for a child in the Developing World and Pick Out a World Vision Gift
We want to instill in Meilani the idea of giving gifts to others. These are two ways we share Christmas spirit with people less fortunate than us. This year Meilani helped pick the gifts for the little girl who would receive our Christmas box. She also picked two chicks to send to a child in the Developing World.
4th Day of Christmas: Pick out a Christmas Tree & decorate with ornaments. (Share stories of ornaments we've received and made through the years.)
Of course, we do this one the day after Thanksgiving but it's on our list of Christmas traditions. We pick out our tree from a local lot, put it up and hang the lights and ornaments. Meilani especially enjoyed hearing all of Daddy's stories about his ornaments. His mom has given him two special ornaments every year since he was a kid - one to represent Christmas past and one to represent the Christmas present.
5th Day of Christmas: Read Christmas books throughout the month
Dorina's sister started this tradition with her kids. She wraps up all the family Christmas story books (old and new) and let's the kids open one each night to read throughout the month of December.
6th Day of Christmas: Make Pita Piatta
This is a special Italian pastry made in San Giovanni in Fiori, where Nana Maria's family is from. We make it each year and send it around the country to friends as gifts. It takes several hours to make and each person in the family has a special job. We enjoy the fellowship and time cooking together!
7th Day of Christmas: Attend a Christmas musical
Each year we look for a special Christmas program to attend to help celebrate the season. This year our church provided and excellent production called "A Christmas Tale" with some modern versions of Christmas songs and a very contemporary way of telling the Christmas story. Meilani was a big fan!
8th Day of Christmas: Christmas Carol to the Neighbors and Bring Homemade Granola
We know lots of families deliver special cookies or gifts to neighbors. Last year we decided to share our famous Peanut Butter Granola with our neighbors and deliver it with some holiday cheer by singing to them.
9th Day of Christmas: Make Homemade Cinnamon Rolls
This is one of Ericlee's favorite traditions we started when we first got married. Dorina makes homemade cinnamon rolls to enjoy Christmas morning while we are opening our gifts. We can smell them rising through Christmas Eve. Yum-o! We've even adapted to a whole wheat version - still yummy and slightly healthier.
10th Day of Christmas: New pajamas on Christmas Eve
Our friends started this tradition and we thought it sounded fun. Meilani will open a new set of pajamas every Christmas Eve.
11th Day of Christmas: Roll Homemade Ravioli & Mix up Italian Fish Soup
Nana Maria always makes a traditional tomoato fish soup for our Christmas Eve meal before the church service. Our brother-in-law Steven instigated this tradition of making homemade ravioli for Christmas Day. We mix up the dough, use our special pasta maker to flatten it out into long strips and cut it ourselves with a special ravioli cutter.
12th Day of Christmas: Give three gifts like the Three Wise Men
We are just starting this tradition with Meilani. We always wondered where was a good limit for Christmas gifts and she will obviously get a lot from other people. This year we decided to get her three gifts from Mama and Daddy and use it as a way to talk about the Wise Men and their special gifts to Jesus.
2 comments:
I had the same idea about the 12 days of Christmas on the blog, but never got around to it! Now it's one day before Christmas! Maybe I will do the 12 days after Christmas
We also have lots of traditions and many the same as you! One of our most unique is to burn the previous year's Christmas tree when we light up the fireplace on Christmas Eve. We've done kid-friendly and fun fondue for dinner on that same night two years in a row now too, maybe that will become a tradtion!
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