Family Traditions...

I don't think my family had any traditions in particular, but I have made some with my own family. My siblings are much older than me (4.5, 9.5, 14 and 15 years) so I kind of grew up alone. It has been my goal to create a close family. A few years ago I heard about the idea of a Christmas Eve box. So many kids always ask to open one present before Christmas. If you give them a Christmas Eve box they won't ask to open a gift. The idea is to give them stuff to keep them busy on Christmas Eve like colouring book and crayons, pop and chips, a movie, etc. My kids are not little so I give them a new pair of jammies, socks & underwear, a book each, and a DVD, along with pop and chips. I added a little twist by turning it into a treasure hunt. I hide the box (which is covered with wrapping paper on the box and lid separately) and then hand the girls a clue. That clue leads them to another clue which leads them to another, and so on. About 15 clues altogether. They are numbered so they know not to take a clue out of order. In the past I typed these clues (rhymes) and pasted them on the inside of previously used Christmas cards. This year I decided to use recipe cards and put Christmas stickers on them... stickers that actually go along with the clues. They run and giggle all around the house. When they find the box they put their new jammies on. We open the pop and chips and watch the movie. This has become a great tradition that I am thrilled to have come up with. I told the girls one year that I wouldn't do it the next year because they didn't seem excited but they argued with me. They won't like it if I quit. I hope thy continue this tradition with their own children.

My tradition for New Years,is every year since 1989,I have watched the "Honeymooners" marathon.The put it on every year.I'll be doing that again this year.I've done it for so many years.