I love my traditions. Growing up, my Mom and Dad made sure Christmas was magical. From the decorating (think tacky 80's decor with the Charlie Brown Christmas Tree!) to matching PJ's to games nights, to sleepovers with cousins to the same meals year after year! It is what amazing childhood memories are made of. I am forever grateful for my parents' attention to detail and love of putting in the effort to create that special feeling only the holidays can give us!
Today I am sharing my favourite holiday traditions with all of you and I hope you will share your favourite traditions with me!
Giving to Others
Being charitable has been part of my Christmas since I can remember. Whether we took a name off of the tree at the mall for a child and then got to go pick them the item they asked for, adopting a senior, delivering warm winter clothing to people who are homeless or adopting an entire family.
Adopting a family is something myself, my family and my friends have continued to do for the last several years. It is the most fun! We all contribute to ensuring the families household and individual lists are fulfilled. This brings all of us more joy than getting a gift ever could! I will be including a number of my favourite ways to give back in Calgary on Day 12 of this blog so stay tuned for that! Here are a few of the wonderful ladies who have taken part in this special tradition over the years.
Matching PJ's
This has been a fav for most of my life but unfortunately, my parent's didn't document the magic they created! We still do this as family. We even force Ray and Darren to join the family tradition!
Games Night
I love a games night! I will play Skipbo, cards, board games, Mexican train... anything but Monopoly or scrabble (boring!). On Christmas Eve we always wear our PJ's, eat appetizers and play games! It is my favourite part of Christmas.
Decorating Ginger Bread Houses + Doing Christmas Crafts
None of us are talented in this area and the kids (and adults) eat more candy that we use to decorate but it is a fun activity for a quiet day leading up to the holidays!
Live Theatre
We won't be taking part in a live production over the holidays this year, but every year we find a children's theatre to have a girls day and be fancy! The girls love it and one day we might even invite baby brother but not yet! We have gone to live productions since I was a little girl and it is something I fondly remember!
What're your traditions? I LOVE hearing from all of you! Comment on my post on Instagram or Facebook!
I can't believe we are already heading into Day 9 of my 12 Days of Christmas! Join me tomorrow for my favourite appetizer recipes. I am sharing what I am making this year!
XO DS