Our tree. One tradition we have is that the tree is set up and decorated prior to Christmas. Then on Christmas Eve the kids wrap the gifts they have made or purchased for each other and place them under the tree. After everyone is in bed the parents add all other gifts - of course Santa adds his contributions later. This tradition is more of a necessity born of having toddlers that would make a big mess if presents were put out earlier. An added benefit is that mom stays sane - no shaking or guessing or "accidentally" ripping gifts.
Jingle all the way!
Another tradition from my family is "jingle-belling" around the house prior to going downstairs and opening presents. We have to line up from oldest to youngest and sing jingle bells or other Christmas carols as we go from room to room. I have fond memories of this as a child...the anticipation...the giggling...the early morning voices singing so "well"...the older kids trying to sneak a peek at the tree and it's goodies (many of our gifts were not wrapped as children - but there was often a screen placed in front of the tree).
I remember one Christmas when my older sister, Lysa, had the chicken pox and couldn't jingle-bell with us. She totally drove us crazy by sitting on the arm of the couch and peeking around the screen that hid the tree and presents from the rest of us. Every time we entered the living room she would give terrible hints...or laugh...or smile knowingly. Of course my dad would always tease us by having us pass the tree multiple times before leading us again to another room in the house to continue our singing. Finally, when most of us had given up hope of EVER reaching the presents, he would stop in front of the screened tree. Hooray!
Allen isn't so "mean" with the kids. They better be glad I am the designated video camera operator or they would suffer much the same fate. Hey - it makes for fun memories.
Santa always has many helpers in our house.
Tradition #3: Each child gets a turn to pass out presents. They put on the Santa hat and make sure each person has one present. Then we all open that gift and oooo and awwww. After everyone has a chance to enjoy that gift the Santa hat is passed and another child gets a turn. I like how it slows down the frenzy and allows the kids to actually process mentally what they were given, by whom, and say thank you.
I love Oliver's excitement in this photo.
Some more fun photos:
After we are done with the chaos at the tree every one takes their newly acquired possessions up to their room. The kids play with their toys or games and mom makes a big Christmas breakfast. We spend the rest of the day listening to carols, playing games, watching various Christmas movies and concerts, and enjoying time together as a family.
