For example, I saw these Santa bags at Pottery Barn Kids:
How cute are those? I hope to buy/make/somehow obtain one with each of our children's names on them and put the "Santa presents" in the bags each year. Presents from Mom (good gracious, that's me!) and Dad can go under the tree or elsewhere. I think it will be so fun for our little ones to unload their Santa bags each year. Can't wait!
Another thing I hope to do is make "reindeer food" (oatmeal and glitter) with the kids every year and sprinkle it on the front lawn each Christmas Eve to attract Santa's Reindeer to our home. Easy, cheap, and fun!
Also, I've recently heard about a book called "Elf on the Shelf."
I'm not sure how long this has been around, but I'd never heard of it as a kid. All my friends with kids say their kids just eat it up. Basically, the premise is that the elf sits in your house and watches the kids to determine if they are naughty or nice. If the kids are good, the elf reports back to Santa at night to fill him in on the kids good behavior, and the next morning the kids find the elf sitting in a different place. If the kids are naughty, the elf has nothing to report and doesn't move overnight. I think. Anyway, it sounds like a fun tradition that encourages good behavior around Christmas, so maybe we'll introduce Mr. Elf to the Bergeron household.
The one tradition Tim and I have made (and kept) is making each other a Christmas ornament each year. Before I go any further, allow me to say that I realize my husband is a saint and only about .05% of husbands would ever agree to such shenanigans. However, I love Christmas and Tim loves me, so he indulges me.
And so the tradition goes:
- By June of each year, I usually have an idea of what my ornament will look like.
- By November of each year, I've usually purchased everything I'll need to make said ornament (we have a $5 limit on supplies) and have begun constructing, if not finished the ornament.
- Around December 15th of each year, Tim remembers the ornament gig, freaks out because he has nothing in mind, and asks me if we can please skip the "ornament thing" this year. Each year, I say, "no."
- By December 20th, Tim has usually come up with something. He constructs his ornament from things found around the house in record time, and we exchange ornaments and hang them on the tree.
To date, we have 12 ornaments (we've each made six) and I LOVE putting them on the tree every year and remembering years past.
I started decorating cakes in 2005 and made my very first wedding cake that year. Tim made me the cutest wedding cake ornament, covered in glitter (which he insists will take any ornament from a "3" to a "6").
One year, we went on a camping trip in 30 degree weather and canoed down a river (while trying to avoid hitting icebergs with our paddles). That's really all I remember from the trip, since I've blocked the rest, but I made Tim a little clay ornament that year with the two of us in a canoe, covered in blankets and surrounded by icy water. Ah, memories.
We also have ornaments commemorating our graduations, our first house, and other funny inside jokes only the two of us understand.
We exchanged our 2010 ornaments a few nights ago, and I must say, Tim Bergeron is really stepping up his game. This is the ornament Tim made for me:
The glitter really kicks it up a few notches, don't you think?
This is the ornament I made for Tim:
Even though this is the third Christmas we've celebrated in our house, Tim's had December finals the last two years and he's been really busy studying right up until Christmas. This is the first year he's had a chance to put lights outside our house. As Tim (and the neighbors, and probably anyone in a two mile radius) would tell you, this was no easy feat! The whole incident is a story for another time, but needless to say, I was so thrilled to have lights on our house this year I made him an ornament to commemorate his hard work. (Notice the icicle lighting clip I glittered and affixed to the back of the ornament instead of a traditional ornament hook). 3 points for creativity!
How will we top these next year?
