Future Christmas Traditons

I have been thinking a lot lately about Christmas traditions. I have great great memories of Christmas' past, but I never really grew up with any traditions. We always kind of just went with the flow and did whatever. When I was a child me and my family would get together on Christmas day to open gifts, but that was basically the extent of it. I love those memories, but have always felt strongly about changing that pattern when I have a husband and family of my own. Christmas holds such a dear place in my heart, I treasure the Meaning and I treasure the time with family and friends. I want to make Christmas traditions that will carry through my future. Obviously I won't start these until I have a husband, but I want to share some of my ideas, mainly because I have not ever actually written them down and I want one day to be able to look back on this blog and see how/if any of my ideas have changed or blossomed!

I want Christmas to start the day after Thanksgiving. And by this I mean putting up the tree with my family, decorating it, decorating the house, and starting to decorate the outside of the house. That last part is really important to me because I never had a house where we decorated outside and I want that. I dont mean over the top, just lights on the porch and door and windows, etc. Simple things, nothing extravagant.

I want Christmas Eve to be a relaxing evening celebration. Curling up in christmas pajamas, drinking some peppermint hot cocoa, lighting the tree and some candles, reading the Christmas story, openning one gift, and ending the evening watching a short marathon of christmas movies and eventually falling asleep to one of them (after blowing out the candles of course! hehe).

Christmas morning I want to wake up, play Christmas music (or more movies), make chocolate chip pancakes, open stockings and the rest of the gifts under the tree, and then spend the rest of the day with family and friends.

These are just some of the ideas I have. There are more that I am thinking of, and I am sure there will be more I will think of later. But I truly cannot wait for the day when I can start these traditions. I had another incredible Christmas this year and I hope you all did too. Merry belated Christmas! I praise you Lord for all your blessings!