QotD: My Favorite Holiday Traditions

What are some of your favorite holiday traditions?
Submitted by sami711.

So many! When I was little, I used to look forward to the Saturday around December 15. This was the official day we started decorating and my dad would have a tree cut down and brought in for us kids to go wild over. Yep, my mom let us decorate the tree. The Sunday before Christmas would be reserved for my Auntie's house where we'd have dinner and exchange gifts. That was a special time because she always had some handmade something for each of us kids to take home. Christmas eve was spent running around town with my cousins, visiting a fair and enjoying rides and watching lights. We'd then go to church at midnight then head to my grandparents for more gifts and a dinner. Usually, my grandma spent the day orchestrating the preparations for the dinner for maybe 50 people. Sometimes, I'd be there earlier in the day just to watch. On Christmas morning, we'd open presents up with just our family much to bright and early but my parents rarely complained. We'd have a big breakfast afterwards.

Now, I try to make Christmas a big deal for my kids. Each day, we spend a little time reading our scriptures to prepare us for Jesus' birthday. We'll make time this week and weekend to go and look at Christmas light displays and do some shopping. My oldest will have some of his birthday money and he plans to spend it on presents on his annual shopping trip with his grandmother. We've already put together a gingerbread house and I'm sure we'll do more baking together. On Christmas eve we'll head to church and listen to the music and message as a family (usually they go to their own classrooms). After we get home, we'll be joined by family to have desserts and the kids will get to open presents from their aunties and uncles. We get to sing happy birthday to uncle who was born on Dec. 24 so he gets to open an extra present. On Christmas day, the kids patiently wait until after breakfast to open presents. We have a huge batch of blintzes with jellies and some coffee. Then the mayhem ensues and my hubby passes out presents and we all clean up after. Usually, there is one big present saved for last which makes it very, very special for my kids because those belong to them.