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Since this is my and Andy’s first year as a married couple, I wanted to get into the swing of creating our own holiday traditions. I totally failed and missed Halloween (we didn’t even dress up!), and Thanksgiving was spent with my family followed by a low-key weekend at home (I missed watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade, which I usually love!) So, I really wanted to push the Christmas traditions! Holidays haven’t really been special in my family for the last decade or so, and many of my favorite traditions have slipped by the wayside. I figured if Andy and I start our own traditions now, they’ll be ingrained in our minds for when we have kiddos someday. Here are a few of the traditions we are starting this year.
-Mail Christmas cards.
I’ve actually been mailing Christmas cards since I graduated college. It just seemed like a “married person” thing to do, but I wanted to totally rock it on my own!
-Go ice skating or skiing.
Neither of us have been ice skating in years, and Andy and I have never gone together. We’d like to go skiing, but it’s a little pricier so we will have to skip it this year.
-Go look at all the Christmas lights.
This is probably one of my favorite traditions. Take a thermos of hot cocoa (or in my case, cider) and drive around town to see the best lights. Andy’s truck has a bench seat, so I can sit right beside him and snuggle up to him. Bonus: this is totally free!
-Hang up our stockings and decorate the tree.
This is kind of simple, but just hanging up the stockings and decorating the tree. I didn’t realize how much I missed doing that until this Christmas!
-Have a Christmas movie night.
I love cheesy movies, and Hallmark or Lifetime Christmas movies fit the bill. Last year we watched The Christmas Card and it was adorable!
-Pick out one ornament to summarize the year.
Andy and I have already started this tradition! Our first ornament together was a cute little soldier Santa and our second was a newlywed couple. We also plan to buy ornaments on our vacations together.
-Enjoy a chocolate Advent calendar.
My Papaw’s family friend was from Germany, and she always had her family send my sisters and me a chocolate Advent calendar for Christmas. We rarely got candy when we were kids, so to eat an entire piece of chocolate each night was the best! I was excited to find chocolate Advent calendars (from Germany!) for cheap in the commissary and decided to reinstate the tradition.
-Read an Advent devotional.
I bought an Advent devotional last year after Christmas, and Andy and I read each day in the evenings at supper. It’s a great way to help me truly savor this season.
-Buy a real Christmas tree (note: real trees are toxic for pets.)
This is the only Christmas tradition that Andy truly cares about. We wanted to buy a real tree this year, but it wasn’t in the budget. Thankfully, we were able to get one last night through Trees for Troops. (Note: Since we were informed that real trees are toxic for pets, we won’t be continuing this tradition anymore.)
-Eat orange rolls on Christmas morning while wearing jammies.
I have no idea why I suggested this, because I never actually eat orange rolls. It’s just something my whole family (minus me) did so I guess I want to keep the tradition alive. I do, however, always wear jammies when we open presents!
-Read about Jesus’ birth in the Bible on Christmas morning.
I’ve never actually done this, but I’ve always wanted to! What better way to remember the season than take a break from the hubbub of gift-giving to remember the true gift.
What are some of your favorite Christmas traditions?
