It’s been a while since I’ve done a Friday Five post – with all the Holiday gift guides this month and others long overdue, my weekly round up list has been set aside. Ironic tho that today’s topic is based on traditions. I haven’t forgotten about the little tradition I’ve set here at thesarahstories.com – I’ve set to stay consistent, and the Friday five write each week has been so fun! Sharing stories by way of list truly brings this type A Momma happy on so many levels. You know what else makes me happy? The holidays! (que Andy Williams)
November 1st hits, you can bet my list making is in full swing. Decor prep, gift guides, Thanksgiving plans, holiday activities .. First priority tho, is making sure the Holiday traditions we’ve held over the years happen. You know, all the fun things that we look forward to each year. Those trips that are always taken, recipes made, Christmas morning way of run – it wouldn’t be the Holidays without them. Smack dab in the season’s middle, I thought it only fitting to share 5 Holiday traditions I’ve held onto over the years. Some I am sure many of us share. And some I wouldn’t have thought to ever carry on, but have somehow taken top spot.
One | Thanksgiving sans Turkey – Now I know what you may be thinking – No Turkey? What’s Thanksgiving without Turkey? “No turkey! No turkey sandwiches! No turkey salad! No turkey gravy! Turkey Hash! Turkey A La King! Or gallons of turkey soup!” Chuckling as I type this, but yep – our Thanksgivings are sans Turkey. My husband, and daughter are not fond of the dish. And this Momma does not want to spend an entire day cooking the darn thing if my son and I will be eating the left overs for weeks thereafter. So, we make what we love – hamburgers, hot dogs and all the fixings for what we call a Thanksgiving BBQ. The lesson learned from the ever so famous movie quote above is that you really don’t need Turkey to celebrate the Holiday. Our tradition proves it!
Two | Elves – It’s a given our two Elves – named Zippy and Fancy – arrive every December. Tho the task of moving them and their elfcapades can be a bit extreme, it really is so fun to watch the kids experience all that they bring. They’ve gotten into our dog Rebel’s food, noting they are not the cookies Santa wants to eat come Christmas Eve. They’ve played with Jonah’s dinosaurs, masked themselves as super heroes and they’ve gone on strike (on more than one occasion) due to naughty behavior. We’ve made sure to teach lessons of compassion, happiness, generosity and the true spirit of Christmas joy during their stay.
Three | Christmas music – You can bet the ‘Holly’ station is set in our radio dashboard the day after Thanksgiving. Hop on into the car and Momma has set the station on continuous Christmas music thru January 1st. You’ll find me singing loudly for all to hear, happily. In honesty, I am not entirely sure my family always enjoys my station of choice, but they embrace my love for Christmas tunes regardless. I do have to note tho, Patrick has been known to burst into Holiday song. It’s quite comical when you have your own Andy Williams around to serenade the season. Loudly and obnoxiously he’ll burst into song – either at home for the laugh or in store. The latter can be quite embarrassing, but I am happy to have him on board my festive train. A few of my personal favorites include Pentatonix, Amy Grant Christmas, and the ever so popular Mariah Carey’s “All I want for Christmas is You”
Four | Cinnamon Rolls – There are several routine to-dos that occur on Christmas morning – Christmas pjs, hot cocoa, playing ‘Santa’ and every year – without fail, I make Pillsbury cinnamon rolls. Not the jumbo (“cause those don’t pack the flavor, Mom”) but the good ol’ 8 count classic roll is something we all look forward to. There was one Christmas where I made the breakfast treat from scratch, but that was time consuming (tho delicious, I’ll add). I’ll stick to the simple and easy way of doing things and altering the tradition wouldn’t really be the same anyway.
Five | Christmas light pajama ride – “Kids, get your pjs on! We are going for a ride!” Every year we put on our jammies for comfort and go find Christmas lights to ‘ooh and ahh’ over. This year we headed to the Motor Speedway here in Charlotte. It was fun to see and experience the lights coordinate with the radio music. Some years it comes down to neighborhoods and cul de sacs, but it’s a ride I always look forward to.
I have so many more to list, but sticking with tradition will stop here. Traditions truly define our own meaning of Christmas, don’t they? Without them, they wouldn’t produce the memories and stories told. What are some of your most favorite Holiday traditions? Comment below, as I’d love to know! As always, thanks for stopping by!
