Christmas Traditions

Christmas Traditions:

Since its Christmas Eve I can’t help but think about past Christmas Eve traditions. What traditions do your families have?

My family- each Christmas season we’d read the book “the Best Christmas Pageant Ever” by Barbara Robinson. I think that out of all my favorite Christmas Traditions this is my most favorite. I love this book.

Also to me Christmas is more Christmas Eve, than Christmas Day itself. Christmas Eve was the day I anticipated. When I have not been home for Christmas it is the day I feel the most homesick on. We would visit all our grandparents, sing carols, go caroling, read the Christmas story (from Mathew and Luke), play Christmas Scattergories (I took the idea of Scattergories, and then perform for grandparents and family, we’d finish reading “the Best Christmas Pageant Ever”, we’d talk about our spiritual goals for the next year, and open one gift. But it wasn’t just the things we did. It was the time we spend as a family and with all of our extended family, it was the singing together, and the anticipation of the next day. I love Christmas Eve.

My Husband’s family-since they were a military family, they rarely lived near family. So the large family gatherings on Christmas Eve were not apart of my husband’s childhood. Instead they would eat dinner, maybe watch a movie, and then open a gift or two before going to bed. Then Christmas morning they have quiche for breakfast.

So this year we’re doing what would be ideal to me backwards. We’re spending Christmas Eve down here with Cory’s parents and then driving up to Phoenix to spend Christmas afternoon/evening with my family. Ideally we’d do it the other way around, but we need to be up in Phoenix the rest of the weekend. At one point, my in laws asked if we’d want to cancel doing anything on Christmas Eve because Cory’s brother won’t be in town until almost midnight, and just do everything Christmas morning. I said that was unexceptable and that I had to do something Christmas Eve. So I’ve prepared my Christmas Scattergories, and I hope we can have some tradition tonight, if for no other reason than to make me less homesick.

For anyone interested in Christmas Scattergories, it works the same as normal Scattergories, except its Christmas themed. Have fun, and please share your traditions with me.

Christmas Scattergories

List 1

1. Words associated with Nativity

2. Ways to count down to the 25^th

3. Christmas Movie

4. Something Green

5. Tradition for church, work, school

6. Modern Christmas Song

7. Words associated with Santa

8. Myth about Christmas

9. Gift for Mothers

10. Something you make

Christmas Scattergories

List 2

1. Something to put on a tree

2. Name for Christ

3. Article of Winter clothing

4. Symbol for Christmas

5. Word associated with a Christmas Carol

6. Desserts

7. Christmas Character

8. Gift from Grandparents

9. Phrase from the Bible

10. Toy

Christmas Scattergories

List 3

1. Holiday food

2. Decoration

3. Something Red

4. White Elephant gift

5. Traditional Christmas Song

6. Way to tell Santa what you want

7. Something used by Mary and Joseph

8. Holiday Tradition

9. Something found in a Stocking

10. Gifts you return