Christmas Eve Traditions

One of the traditions we have done for Christmas is to give the kids matching pajama pants on Christmas Eve. We have done this tradition for about 8 years. Since we have added the girls to our family dynamics, I make the boys match and the girls match.

The past couple of years we have added the tradition of exchanging names within the kids. They sure have a lot of fun deciding what to get each other. The ones that end up with the girls have a lot of fun because the girls get so excited about anything and we currently don't have nearly as many girl toys as we do the boys ones.

We had a lot to get accomplished today, but it was a very enjoyable and memorable day.

Gingerbread Houses

We decided this year to begin a new tradition, making gingerbread houses on Christmas Eve. The boys were very excited about choosing which type of candy they would put onto their houses. The planned to make 6 to 8 houses. One for everyone with the girls sharing with Matt and I. While making up the dough, I quickly realized how much molasses it would take to make 4 batches-2 small houses each. (Thanks Michele for giving me your extra molasses.) I mentioned this to the kids and I was surprised that they were okay with only making 4 houses total. They quickly decided on the pairs they would work in.

Everyone enjoyed working with their partner. We did notice Abby had a hard time understanding that she couldn't eat all the candy! We had a wonderful time, what a great memory. They can't wait to eat them up in a couple of days.

Our Christmas Tree

Our tradition for the past 8 years has been to put the Christmas tree up the day after Thanksgiving. This is the second year in a row we had the opportunity to cut down our tree. A family in our ward was so sweet to offer to have members of the ward come pick out a tree and cut it down. The only thing missing is snow. It was a beautiful day, the kids got warm wearing their jackets

Once the tree is cut and loaded on top of the car, the real fun for the kids begin. They love pulling out their different ornaments we have made or collected through the years. It is fun just listening them reminisce. This holiday brings so much joy and makes tons of memories. Even Abby got into the spirit of decorating by playing with the lights. So cute!