Holiday Traditions

 “Our hearts grow tender with childhood memories and love of kindred, and we are better throughout the year for having, in spirit, become a child again at Christmastime.” (Laura Ingalls Wilder)

 

Hello, my lovely friends!  

 

    Thinking about today's blog post got me all wrapped up in the cozy feelings of holiday traditions. You know, those sweet, predictable things we seem to do every single year that stop being just activities and become these really special, heart-warming memories we actually look forward to?

 

    It makes me wonder about your holidays! Do you have any of those cherished traditions that you absolutely loved doing when you were younger, or maybe some new ones you and your family or friends have started now? I'd love to hear about them! 

 

What's a tradition that makes the holidays feel like... well, the holidays?

 

1. Oh my gosh, you have to hear about this! Growing up, my sister and I had the most intense (and ridiculously fun) Christmas tradition every time we were in the car. Forget looking out the window normally—it was all about the Christmas Lights Count! We'd tally every single string of lights we saw in the trees, and trust me, it turned into a serious, high-stakes competition. Like, "I saw it first!" battles.

The biggest battlefield? This one restaurant. It had, like, fifteen trees all decked out, and every single time we drove past, we'd have a full-on debate over who's count they belonged to. It was mayhem!  Bless my mom's heart, she finally had to step in and declare those fifteen trees officially off-limits from the game. Peace was restored, but the light-counting craze definitely lived on!

 

2. You know, one of the coziest, most special things we do every year is pick out a brand-new ornament for the tree. My sweet mom always made it a point! It was always such a big deal—like a little treasure hunt for the perfect addition.

 

Sometimes, we'd bundle up the day after Thanksgiving and head right up to the mountains. Imagine the crisp air and finding the perfect little mountain-themed keepsake! Other times, we'd turn our kitchen into a little craft shop and make them at home, getting all gluey and glittery. 

 

The best part? We still have every single one of those ornaments! They all hang together on one of the trees, and when I look at them, it's like flipping through a photo album of all those years. It just fills my heart!

 

3.  I just love thinking back to our tree-decorating day! It was always the weekend right before Thanksgiving, you know? The perfect way to kick off the season.

 

We'd finish up dinner, and then it was time! My super important job was always to be the 'branch sorter'. I'd take all those bundled-up branches and separate them into neat little piles by their color, it felt like a mission! Once I had my piles, we'd all work together to get the tree put together.

 

Then, the magic really started. My dad would be in charge of the lights, carefully stringing them around the whole thing. Meanwhile, we'd be digging through the boxes, pulling out all the special ornaments. The best part? My mom would always have the Christmas music playing, and she'd make us the absolute best hot cocoa. It was so warm and cozy, and even though it took us about two hours to get the tree just right, it never felt like work. It was just pure, wonderful family time.

 

4.  I have to tell you about my absolute favorite little ritual for Christmas Eve. It's been going strong for over ten years now, and it's just the coziest thing!

 

It all started one year when I was spending the holiday solo. I wanted to make the night feel special, so I decided to treat myself to a big, comforting bowl of pasta (yes, really!) and a lovely glass of wine. And for the entertainment? I put on The Nutcracker ballet.

 

Honestly, it just clicked! There's something so magical and familiar about the music and the costumes—it makes the whole room feel like a winter wonderland. Now, it's just not Christmas Eve without my cozy dinner and that beautiful performance. It's become one of my most cherished, sparkly traditions.

 

5.  Instead of the usual turkey and fixings, our family Christmas dinner was always Mexican food, and the undisputed star of the show was the tamales!

 

Now, making those beauties is quite the project, right? It's definitely not a quick weekday meal! So, about a month before Christmas, we'd all gather at my grandparents' house. It was so cozy—like a little tamale factory! We'd set up this incredible assembly line, everybody getting their hands messy and chatting away.

 

By the time the day was done and the kitchen was cleaned up, each family walked away with a massive haul—I mean, like six or seven dozen each! It was such a labor of love, and it meant we had these delicious, homemade tamales to enjoy for months. Seriously, it was the best!

 

 So glad you stopped by! Wishing you the coziest morning/afternoon/evening ahead. Can't wait for our paths to cross again!