I am so excited to introduce the featured design for December! The family tree necklace is a hammered circle (1 1/4") strung from 18" sterling ball chain with a freshwater pearl beside. A whimsical tree is hand-stamped in the middle and the names of each member of your sweet family are stamped around the edge. I can fit up to 36 characters and remember each space is also one character. $48
And of course, I have to give one away! So leave us a comment and tell us your favorite family tradition for the holidays.
121 comments:
One of our traditions is that we read the Christmas Story out of the Bible before we unwrap presents on Christmas morning.
Beautiful necklace!!!!
CUTE, Lisa!!!! We have a "dollar gift" exchange in our family. We have to get everyone something for around a dollar and then exchange gifts. Can't get much for a dollar these days so people get creative. Past gifts have been: Baby Kat Trading Cards, the FRESNOEL mix CD, pictures, stamps, etc.
Oh it's so hard to name just one, but I guess my favorite family tradition in the holidays is on Christmas Eve we always gather together for a family meal. But afterwards for years we'd go to my Nanny's(grandmother) church for a Christmas Eve candlit service. Even after she passed away two years ago, we've continued to go. I think of her and how blessed I was for all those years she was with us.
I just came across your blog and I'm in love with your work. Amazing! I love the simplicity and personal side of it.
Our families tradition is at my parents house every Christmas Eve we all get around in a circle with our gifts. We go one by one and open them, taking turns. That way we get to see what everyone has and tell a story about the gift, take pictures, etc. It makes it a little bit more special then just tearing through the paper all at once and not really thanking the giver. We've done this since I was a little one.
Again, love it all!
Oh, Lisa! This is my FAVORITE of all the pieces you have designed ... just love it.
Our favorite tradition is reading a chapter a day out of our The Jesse Tree book. The boys look forward to our readings each night in December. :)
My favorite family tradition is our celebration of Advent. We light our Advent wreath candles and read selected passages for the four Sundays preceding Christmas (for the prophets, believers, angels and Mary) and then on Christmas day we get up early, still in our pajamas, with our coffee, and light the Christ candle and my dad reads the passage from Luke about the birth of our Savior! It is a wonderful way to start the day!
Love the necklace! Every Christmas Santa leaves one last gift for each family member in a small wooden sleigh on the dining room table. After we have opened our english crackers, donned our crowns, told our jokes and eaten, there is one last present to open. It is usually something small and all of us look forward to it. Happy Holidays, Lisa.
Megan
I like to get each of the kids a new set of pajamas that they get to open on Christmas Eve so when they wake up and I take my tons of photos trying to get one of every present they open , they look adorable. I een started getting myself a pair and wrapping them up for myself so I have something cute to wear in the morning. Not that anyone would EVER get a photo of me not showered, dressed and hair done.
Our tradition is the Mason Family pajama race. When our kids were little, I noticed that they looked a little raggedy in the Christmas morning pics, so we started opening one present on Christmas eve which is always new pajamas. (then the pics look great the next morning.)It has turned into a race that everyone will do anything they can to win -- I have tried many methods but have never won yet. Everyone loves it -- me included!
I love, love, love, this necklace. My family (parents, children and now grandchildren) mean everything to me.
My favorite Christmas time tradition is Boxing Day. The day (well, usually it is a few days) after Christmas we go through our toys and clothes and "box" up everything we no longer need and donate it to charity.
That is an amazing necklace!
My favorite tradition is watching our childresn shop for the contents of and pack boxes for children for Operation Christmas Child. Our kids take their shopping baskets and away they go - completely excited to purchase for other children. It's so great to watch!
what a beautiful necklace! it's not exactly an entire family tradition, but cade volunteers to be a bell-ringer for the salvation army and now that we have kids, he takes them. last year, the kids sang songs and they really help amp up the donations.
I am seriously in LOVE wit this design! You are so talented. Lovely!
hello, had to comment! one of our traditions is to handmake some of our ornaments each year with the children. the little ones get a kick out of stringing poporn and making chains from construction paper. we also have a "snack night" on christmas eve instead of a dinner. the children choose many things that i normally wouldn't serve for dinner! there are so many things we do it is hard to narrow it down to a few things. thanks! julie
We always opened gifts on Christmas Eve. We would spend the day making lefse, having appetizers, and then just before dinner Santa would arrive with a toy for each child. Santa would sit down by the nativity and read the Christmas story from the bible, sing Christmas carols, and talk to us about baby Jesus. After Santa left, we ate dinner, opened gifts, and then went to a candlelight carol service at church.
Beautiful necklace!
This is my favorite so far... I love.love.love. this one! When I was younger me and my brother and sister would all HAVE to sleep upstairs, and in the morning we would have to wait for my dad to shower, shave, and start the wood burning fire before we were aloud to go downstairs and see if Santa came. We hated waiting and the anticipation nearly killed us, but we all do the same thing for our kids-make them wait a bit before they can go see if Santa came. It makes the day last longer and the magic of Christmas is so fresh with the little ones.
Popping popcorn at home, filling up a thermos of hot chocolate, and driving around town to ooh and ahh at the light displays. Oh and vote for thr Tacky Award are well!
We are just beginning to establish holiday traditions with my young family. Something we started this year, which I hope to continue, is decortaing a small tree in both of the boys bedrooms. My 3 year old has been helping me make the decorations and beams with pride to see them displayed. Sure makes their own little spaces look more festive, cozy and personal :)
Your necklaces are spectacular and I'm especially in love with this one. So meaningful.
Another beautiful necklace Lisa ;-}
We celebrate the 24th of December here in Norway,and in my family we decorate the Christmas tree on little Christmas eve on the 23th. The kids wake up early the next day,and we always start the day with a treasure hunt for the kids, where they are lead around the house and finaly find a dvd with a cartoon,or a good movie ;-}The kids watches tv during the day,I do some more decorating and in the afternoon we go to the graveyeard to put a candle on my fathers grave.Lots of people do that for their loved ones at Christmas eve. we usually have dinner at five or six, and after that we open our presents.When my kids were younger, Santa Claus always visited us and brought some presents,nowadays he drop some presents outside the door ;-}
Big hug from me.
This is my favorite so far! I LOVE it!
There is no way I could choose just one Christmas tradition. I think all of them together make Christmas what it is- perfect!
This is such an adorable pendant! One of our family traditions is kind of off the wall but every Christmas Eve for dinner we have fondue but instead of the normal steak and chicken we do mini hot dogs in peanut oil with mini buns and tons of condiments. It's not exactly gourmet but still a ton of fun!
It's so lame but it's become our favorite! One night in late December we all put on our pajamas and drive through Krispy Kreme. We stock up on donuts (for all) and coffe (for mom and dad) and drive around town and look at Christmas lights. Our local paper lists the addresses with the most outrageous displays. We blare the holiday music and just enjoy being together. Our kiddos love it. (OK--me too)
What a beautiful necklace. One of my traditions is we go to Christmas Eve service at our church. We come home have some tamales with hot coco (sounds funny but together so good). We then will finish the last night of our advent calendar and read the Christmas story from the bible and then go to bed and wake up Christmas day and open presents after some more tamales and hot coco once again.
Marie Lopez
marielopez@excite.com
When I was young, our tradition was to watch "A Christmas Carol" before opening presents. Later on, we gave up on that tradition and began watching "Christmas Vacation".(Hilarious!) I'm pretty sure that as of late, we are transitioning into watching "Elf" from now on! So much for traditions, huh?
What a beautiful necklace! I've shown my dh your site - think he'll take the hint? LOL
My favorite tradition is picking an angel from the angel tree. My children really enjoy shopping for their recipient, and I enjoy the good feelings that the whole experience gives us. This year, my son has asked to give through The Heifer Project - he wants to buy bees and a flock of geese for a couple of families. :)
I have just recently stumbled upon your blog and am so glad I did. Your work is beautiful and so is your family! (Now to drop the hint to my husband to check it out for Christmas) :)
We have several favorites but one that I look forward to so much is getting up early (usually the Saturday after Thanksgiving), head to the bakery with the kids to get donuts, then drive threw to get coffee for us and then head up into the mountains to cut down our tree. Just the best!
Gorgeous!
My favorite tradition is going to curch on Christmas eve - I think it is sometimes my only moment of clarity the whole holiday season. But I also enjoy purchasing matching p.j.'s for my girls for Christmas Eve. They are 5 years apart, so it can be tricky - but they humor me and seem to love them too.
We always have a big seafood diner on Christmas eve, and then we get to open our christmas eve present, they are always jammies. Then, well that's about it! love the new design!
We are danish and we have rice pudding with cherry filling on top. Everyone searches their pudding for the one special almond that has been hidden in the lucky persons bowl. Whoever the lucky one is acts tricky and pretends they don't have it until everyone has finished their food and wonders who gets the chocolate santa prize. Very big joy to get the almond. :) Lisa too
We always turned down the lights and my dad read the Christmas story from Luke 2. Now that I'm married with a child of my own, we do the same thing.
LOVE your designs, Lisa - they're on my wish list for Christmas! :)
One of Santa's elves, Diddly, comes to our house right before Christmas to check in and make sure everyone is behaving as he reports back to Santa frequently. With each visit, he leaves a note, a treat and his tiny little elf hat. We look forward to his frequent visits before Christmas and can't wait to read his letters about Santa, Mrs. Claus, the reindeer and all of the elves. And, of course, we like the treats too! He usually comes again right after Christmas to bid us farewell and to say that he might be back at anytime during the year, so we better be on our best behavior!
In our family, it's all about the food! My mom always made Swedish rice pudding for Christmas breakfast. Whoever found the hidden almond in his or her serving got good luck for a year. As a kid, I had a knack for finding that almond!
wow! that's so clever and so precious!!!!!!
fav tradition: so many!! decorating the tree together, a new tradition of lights outside the house, Christmas morning stockings and breakfast, gingerbread cookies, story of Jesus' birth, so many! my fav time of year!
You make my gift giving so easy...that's my mom's mother's day present right there!
I won the night owl (yippee) necklace so I'll sit this one out, but our family tradition is Christmas Eve soup dinner...3-4 different kinds of soup and good family games.
Lisa,
First off, my necklaces were perfect. She will love it! Thank you. Our favorite holiday tradition occurs on Christmas Eve. "Mrs. Claus" leaves everyone in the family a new pair of pj's, slippers, and a brand new book wrapped in ribbon on their pillow during all of the family festivities downstairs. They always rush upstairs before Santa is escorted thru the neighborhood by the local FD to change and then we read the stories by the fireplace squished on the coach. It's my favorite, I always include a special note in the book for them too detailing their year....Happy Holidays to you and your family!
the Sunday before Christmas our family has a traditional first christmas dinner....no tv, fire in the fireplace, blanket on the floor, slices of cheese, baked fish, olives, loaf of bread...we wrap sheets around us, daddy reads the story of the birth of christ from the bible and we say grace and eat with our hands....our start to the Christmas week of remembering the true meaning of Christmas
Mincemeat pies and Boxing Day!
OH, so so pretty!!! Our favorite holiday tradition is to do humanitarian kits that we donate to the local LDS humanitarian center. Last Christmas we did 150 of them. We also do a quilt that we tie at the family party.
One of my favorite traditions is opening stockings. My mom, ahem santa, always stuffed our stockings full of little goodies. Some of the best presents were the small little keepsakes she would put in there.
My Mother's ancestors are Polish. For longer than I've been around, our family has had Pierogi Day before Christmas. This is when all the women in the family gather together, each bringing an ingredient, and making Pierogi to be eaten on Christmas Eve. Over a hundred are made and frozen. It's only done once per year and everyone eats their fill that night. It's a tradition that has carried on despite all other Polish traditions being lost to newer generations. It's something we all cherish!
My Mother's ancestors are Polish. For longer than I've been around, our family has had Pierogi Day before Christmas. This is when all the women in the family gather together, each bringing an ingredient, and making Pierogi to be eaten on Christmas Eve. Over a hundred are made and frozen. It's only done once per year and everyone eats their fill that night. It's a tradition that has carried on despite all other Polish traditions being lost to newer generations. It's something we all cherish!
I love the newest necklace! My favorite holiday tradition is making Christmas cookies with my mother and my daughter. My mother and I always made cookies together growing up and now we have carried on the tradition with my daughter. Fun times!
I would have to say that our favorite holiday tradition is making Gingerbread houses. I have been doing them for as long as I can remember and now I get to have my kids with me when we make them. I LOVE it.
What a beautiful necklace! Making a birthday cake for Jesus and singing "Happy Birthday Jesus" is something we've done on Christmas day in the afternoon. I look forward to continuing this with my little girls.
Beautiful necklace- one of my favorites. This is a great idea too- I just scrolled through everyones traditions- and got some great ideas- love the one about dressing in pj's and looking at lights.
My favorite christmas tradition happens on christmas eve. I am from a big family-and so is my husband so we are around lots of people all season long. Christmas eve is just for our little family! We eat fingerfoods for supper- cheese and crackers, cocktail wienies- pickles- that type of thing- while we listen to loud christmas music. Then we turn the lights off and have a candle lit birthday party for Jesus. Nothing big- just a birthday cake- and talk about what we are giving him for his birthday- be better about quiet times, service to others that kind of thing. I love it- its simple and just us.
Our favorite tradition is making German Christmas stollen (a buttery, fruit bread) and we eat it Christmas morning. Yummy! Love you!
Hi Lisa, You have such beautiful jewlery! You are so talented. I really love your stuff. I don't know how I even found your blog, but I keep returning so I can see all the new jewlery you come up with. This tree with the names would make such a perfect christmas gift! Keep up the good work!! (I even linked your blog)!
Mary
Oh, I would LOVE this. My favorite tradition is sitting around drinking hot chocolate and watching past home video's. THE BEST!!
So beautiful! My favorite tradition is gathing the whole family on my parent's bed to open stockings on Christmas morning. (The "kids" are now 28, 25, and 22!)
We take a picture every Christmas morning after we read the Bible and before opening presents. We've been in Lynwood, CA, Russia, Thailand and now Long Beach CA.
Trying to win win win!
Hey Lisa! One of my favorite holiday traditions is watching a Christmas movie every weekend of December. I'm hoping to watch Griswald's Christmas Vacation this weekend while we decorate the tree! The new design is really gorgeous!!
One tradition... okay I will go with this one, my husband and I have always gone right after our Thanksgiving "feast" to pick out and cut our Christmas tree (our first year married we drug it home tied to the top of his car LOL!). Now our family has grown to include us and our four children, we do the same every year and bring our camera along to take pictures of the kids with the tree they picked, they love it! Its the first step to Christmas for them!
This is my fist time to your site, everything looks lovely I would be honored to sample your work he!!!
Miranda
My favorite holiday tradition is one that was started seven years ago. My family lives in another state but I have many great friends in my condo complex who I consider my second family. Each December before we head off to our respective families homes we all get together at my house for a Christmas celebration. My husband and I cook and we sit around eating, opening Christmas presents, and listening to Christmas music. It is an event we all look forward to every year.
We have several traditions that we have created, really trying to instill in our boys what Christmas is really all about and why we have so much to celebrate! On Christmas Eve we go to a communion service at church and worship together as a family. Then we come home and they get new PJs to wear for Santa! And, one of their favorite things to do is earlier on Christmas Eve day we make a birthday cake. We have an old Christmas tree cake tin and the boys LOVE making green frosting, using M&Ms for the the ornaments, and thin strings of red licorice to strand across the cake. On Christmas day, as we gather for prayer before we eat, my boys "used" to sing, "Happy Birthday Jesus" for the whole family. I say "used" to, because the two oldest are now 17 and 16. They let their little brother, who is 6, sing and they back him up. Can i tell you, that even at their age, they cannot wait to make that cake! Yep - we are BLESSED!
(sorry that was such a long post)
I LOVE the necklace. It is so sweet! We have so many traditions in our family. Every year we get a new ornament that symbolizes the year. When my boys grow up and get married, they can take all their ornaments to decorate a tree with their new family. I love looking at my old ornaments on our tree and remembering special times growing up.
Another beautiful piece, I love your work! My favorite tradition is giving our daughter one present on Christmas Eve to open. After we get home from parties and church she can open one gift and it is always a new pair of Christmas pajamas. My own mother did this with me and now I am passing it on.
Favorite family Christmas tradition? Always watching Chevy Chase in Christmas Vacation with our kids. It isn't Christmas until we do this.
i think this is my fave out of all of your work. we have several traditions but one is we build a wreath throgh advent with the kids hand print cutouts that they decorate and i help them write things they are grateful for or people they are praying for on them.
love it!!!! one of our traditions is watching Charlie Brown Christmas together after decorating the tree, complete with hot chocolate and marshmallows! I have two boys, 3 and 5, so we also still leave cookies and milk for Santa, and raw carrots and water for the reindeer! I love the holidays.....
My granddad helped us kids put branches from the christmas tree in my parents bed. This was the night before christmas, and we couldnt't go to sleep until we heard my dad's reaction when he put his feet under the duvet.
Hugs from Sol in Norway
So beautiful!! Two of my favorite family traditions...we cut down the tree with my grandfather out in the country at Jakob's Christmas Tree Farm. I have been doing this since I was 3 (34 years. We also have eggnog in Santa mugs my great aunt Blanche made when my mother was small with cinnamon toast first thing Christmas morning.
My family gets together and we play the chinese christmas game. It's a great way to exchange gifts and have lots of fun.
Our favorite tradition takes place a few days before Christmas. I pop enough popcorn to almost fill a paper grocery sack. I make a huge thermos of hot chocolate and pack it with the popcorn, cups, and small sacks into our car. Then my husband, kids, and I pick up our grandparents and take them on a driving tour to view the holiday lights. It is so much fun to spend an evening oohing and awing at the lights and soaking up the great companionship of 3 generations!!!
I am simply in love with this necklace. It.is.gorgeous. So sweet. Since my family is still young- we started a new tradition this year. To make Christmas a little more meaningful (and reign me in on the gift buying) we have three categories of presents. Gold (probably the most expensive) Something the child REALLY REALLY wants. Frankincense, a gift that makes "sense" like something they need. Finally Myrrh. Something that helps you spend "more" time with your family. I think it will be a great tradition.
This necklace is great! How do you keep outdoing yourself!?
My favorite tradition is making treats like crazy and then going caroling with my husband's whole family. We haven't all been together now for three Christmases, but will be this year! I can't wait to watch everyone hustle around preparing and then get all bundled up to go out and sing while eating (I mean haning out) homemade treats!!
My second fav would be dressing up and acting out Luke 2 with my side of the family. The kids love it!
Beautiful necklace! My favorite Christmas tradition is taking a picture of the kids in front of the Christmas tree. What fun it is to look back at the past years' pictures and see how much the kids have grown!
Every Christmas Eve, my family always got together at my parents' house - all the uncles, aunts, cousins, grandparents from both sides! We would eat, visit, exchange gifts for the kids (under 18 only) and then sing Christmas carols till everyone went home. When my immediate family moved to the US, we no longer had lots of family to come over. So my mum invites everyone she can think of. Each Christmas Eve the house is full of my parents, sisters, husband, sister's fiance, other boyfriends, friends, and usually a few strangers from my dad's work or even the cashier from the grocery store who had no where to go. We do the same. Eat, exchange gifts (no one leaves empty handed now though), and then sing. We usually end the night with a game and then a rousing round of "Name that Hymn". It is the one consistent pleasure for the holiday season.
Unfortunately, this will be the first year where my parents will be visiting one of our sisters who is out of state for the holidays and unable to come home. The rest of us will still be coming to my house to eat, open gifts, and play name that hymn though!
It's beautiful! I love the simple tree. Merry {early} Christmas to you and your family.
Oh my gosh, I am in LOVE with it!! Oh and our favorite tradition is setting up the nativity scene (after the tree, etc) and re-telling the Christmas story - so fun with a 4 year old!
Favorite family traditions include letting each of the kids pick out a Hallmark ornament each year - our collection now includes Santas, kitties, Spiderman, Barney, and numerous Star Wars figures. It really brings back the memories when we pull them out each year! Our oldest is 19 this year and youngest is 7 months! Our other tradition is to go to church on Christmas Eve. Nothing makes it feel more like Christmas time!
We have so many traditions. We have a cousin's party. All of the cousins on my mom's side and their kids get together for Christmas. We do a hayride, eat, white elephant exchange, and eat. This is the most fun! The white elephant gift exchange is for the adults and is hilarious. I love being so close to family!
The only thing I have one is from my husband's family--meet each other on Christmas morning for a Christmas stocking and have a home made breakfast.
Actually, I don't really have my own Family Christmas Tradition. But this idea makes me feel like I'm a Grinch because I am reading all of the people who are sharing their tradition to you. Then plan on "stealing" the ideas from the people who sent it to you in order to start my Christmas tradition with my husband and my two sons. That's where my heart will get bigger :)
All I can say is Good Luck on picking a winner!
Happy Holidays!
I love it! It is so beautiful!
On Christmas Eve my family gathers at my parent's house and we play Bingo for gag gifts. It sounds kind of corny but we have a great time and eat great food!
I think this might be my favorite piece you've made! Christmas Eve and Christmas Day have been the same for my whole life - 30 years of tradition. Dinner and gift opening Christmas Eve at my parents' house with my brothers and their families. Then Christmas Day we go over to my brother's house and have another big meal and hang out all day. But the best part is when we play games - usually Guesstures or Apples to Apples. We have a great time!
I love the necklace and I love reading about everybody's traditions! One of my favorite is the yearly Christmas tree hunt. We can never buy one at the first place we go to and my Norman Rockwell family outing usually turns into something from the Osborne family (Ozzy's)...
Another favorite is bingo at my in-laws house on Christmas Eve and whoever wins gets a present or you can steal a present somebody else gets - that usually gets very interesting! The kids always get to open a present Christmas Eve before they go to bed too, usually a pair of cute pj's for pictures in the morning!
LISA!! our favorite christmas tradition...which one do i choose! here are two! two shots at a necklace : )
1) when my sister and i were young, for about 10 years we would sleep in her bedroom...on the floor...in sleeping bags...with the feet of my "fievel" mouse (it was a 4 ft fievel doll i won from sears when the movie "an american tale came out)as our pillow just trying to sleep...waiting to hear a noise, something that would alert us that santa was there!! by the time we heard something, it was already morning, we actually fell asleep! we'd run downstairs and see what santa left us and how much of the cookies and carrots he and the reindeer would eat. i loved this tradition...oh to be a kid again! at least we can live through it in our kids eyes : )
My favorite is all of the crafting and baking we do together. Time to not worry about the messes and just enjoy being TOGETHER.
Happy holidays to you!!
This is so pretty! One of our Christmas traditions is that every year, we beg my mom (now grandma) to let us open just one gift on christmas eve. She pretends to be hard nosed about it, but eventually gives in, and it's alway a new pair of pajamas to wear that night. Fun!
My favourite holiday tradition is when my twins (now 4 1/2) wake up in their new Christmas pj's, we head downstairs, read the note that 'Santa' left them, open their gifts from 'Santa' and then we all have a warm and lovely bowl of Irish oatmeal and talk about everything - it's fabulous!
Thank you, Lisa.
Peace to you.
How about you telling us about your Christmas tradition after you pick the winner?
Lisa, that necklace is just beautiful!!!
When I was a child my grandfather would bundle all of us grandkids up, and take us walking around the streets of Chicago looking for reindeer tracks while the grown ups got all of the gifts sorted, and Santa got ready to visit all of us. Now, I take my little boys outside, and look for reindeer tracks. My oldest likes to leave a trail of glitter so that Santa and his reindeer will find our house. I hope my children treasure thier holiday memories when they're grown as much as I do!!!
Such a Beautiful necklace!
One of my favorite traditions since marrying my husband 10yrs. ago has been making Kringla (a sweet bread-cookie) with my mother-in-law. My husband is Swedish/Norwegian and they've been making it for years in his family!! They don't last long but they are so worth the effort that goes into them :)
Lisa, I read your blog frequently and I feel it's time to add my two cents. I am English and married an American 14 years ago. We have combined our country/family traditions together quite nicely, although there is one that I will not budge. In England and in my family, instead of the usual milk and cookies left for Santa, we leave a stiff brandy and chocolates. Now I am a "grown-up", with my own children, I completely understand why we did this and still do - such a treat on Christmas Eve and after the frantic shopping, cooking, social engagements to be done, what could be more relaxing than a brandy and my favorite - chocolates!
We have a Christmas movie marathon. My mom started it all when I was little. We would get out our sleeping bags, pack into the living room and watch all of our Christmas favorites while drinking hot chocolate and making smores in the fireplace. My favorite part was that my parents would sleep in the family room with us!
My husband and I have continued the tradition with our friends. Even though we are in our 20's and have kids, we all still get together and watch christmas movies in our PJ's while eating treats. Some even still spend the night!
Hi, would love to enter. Is it too late to start a tradition in my 36th Year? We never did celebrate much growing up, now that I am married and have my own family I intend starting this year... I'd like to start the day walking on the beach where we scattered my Mom's ashes silently thanking her for everything, something I did not do often enough when she was alive. It's never too late to start a tradition. Take care love your work.
Karen Lamb, SA
Long time learker...Love the necklace.
My favorite tradtion is passing the bottle of cologne back and forth between DH and my FIL. My FIL's mom bought one of them a cheap bottle of cologne and each year they pass it back and forth and come up with creative ways of wrapping it so we never know which package it is in. And lastly...the receiver HAS to put on ONE DAB of the cologne. Its super fun. We write the year on the inside of the box and who had it and I do believe we are on our 12th year!! She probably wouldn't find it as funny as we do!! heehee
Absolutely lovely!
My favourite family tradition is the family meal on Christmas Day. Forget the gift exchange, (I love the tradition of a $1 gift exchange someone else mentioned). I love gathering together with the whole family...everyone who can make it home...crammed around the table with the family sounds and excitement and a traditional turkey dinner with all the trimmings. "Family" includes friends and pets too...we want no one to feel lonely at Christmas.
Ooooooooooh I want to be able to have some fantastic tradition that is worthy of its' own made for television movie! But I don't. I would say our main tradition is meeting at my mom and dads for Xmas morning breakfast. My dad makes his fantastic omlettes to order and there are heaping plates filled with bacon and sweetrolls and family. This year will be the last family breakfast in our family home which will make it really special!
the obligatory opening of one present on Christmas Eve that's always, you guessed it, new pajamas. Somehow, the kids are still surprised when they open them.
My favorite tradition is unwrapping one gift on Christmas Eve. My parents used to pick one special present out for us and we would open it just before bed. A little something to ease the anxiety, so we wouldn't be up all night!!
Hi Lisa,
as always you amaze me with something more amazing than the last (as if that is possible!) . Thank you for being so inspirational to others. I love to check your blog on an almost daily basis.
We have a tradition of making hot chocolate and putting on Christmas carols and decorating the whole house together as a family. We laugh and talk about Christmas time and how much it means and what it is all about. Our kids are Gracie who is 6 and Cole who is 3. So having this tradition among others is being set so they can carry them on. They love it and in fact TONIGHT is our night to do that...:) thank you again... I wish I could by every piece you make.
Trina
so.. i love your stuff!! so creative!
this tradition started on accident..so our family does the p.j's on christmas eve and one yr we did a family pyramid well lets just say i am now 30 yrs. old and my mom insists on me and my 5 siblings still doing it! she says it's one thing she looks forward to the most! what ever makes you happy mom. the mayes 5
Lisa - the necklace is beautiful! I truly meant to leave that on my first post....
I already left a few traditions in my first post, but couldn't resist telling one more. My husband, er I mean "SANTA" and his reindeer leave evidence of their visit...partially chewed carrots in the fireplace and boot prints from the fireplace and on the carpet where he walked (we cut out a stencil of a big boot and sprinkled corn starch - vacuums right up!). My children were absolutely delighted following Santa's trail, and my parents, who were visiting, were even more tickled to watch the whole event! One of my boys was suprised Santa was so messy! Sigh..
Each year we try to play a new family game after dinner and watch a holiday movie.
"We" is my mom and dad, brother and sister-in-love, baby brother, my hubby, my son and myself.
We played the "Christmas Trivia" game at Thanksgiving. It was SO hilarious!!!
Alesha
I happened upon your breathtakingly sweet creations friday and I am hooked now. What a beautiful way to share love.
My favorite Christmas tradition is that after everyone has gone to bed, the first time I wake up (after Santa has come of course) I can wake everyone else up! My older sister (by 6 years) absolutely LOVED me for this (sense the sarcassm?) since I'd always wake up about 1 or 2 A.M. Even after she married since she didn't have kids she and her husband would come to my parents and stay the night on Christmas Eve. He couldn't believe it when sure enough I woke everyone up at 2 A.M. I am married now and this will be my sons first Christmas. The tradition will live on and even though he is only 9 mo. old, the first time he wakes up in the night he will get to see what santa brought!! I'm very excited!
On a last note, I have enjoyed reading your posts and look forward to your future designs. Best wishes!
Wow! I've certainly enjoyed reading about everyone else's traditions.
I think my favorite family tradition is our annual Christmas tree hunt/tree decorating weekend. It's nice to be outside (even when it's freezing!) and the kids have so much fun. We also do alot of reminiscing when we unpack the ornaments - many have special significance to us.
I love watching Christmas movies and drinking Starbucks Peppermint Mochas!
We have a beautiful bound notebook and every Christmas our family shares in it their thoughts on the past year, what's occurring in their lives now, and their hopes and wishes for the coming year(some poetry too). It's a joy to read what we've all written from the past; what we thought we wanted!, babies born, family that is no longer with us and how we treasure their written words. It's a living legacy of love.
**********Happy Holidays**********
My favorite holiday tradition: watching all of the wonderful Christmas movies and cartoons, while sitting all snuggly on my couch...drinking hot chocolate with BIG marshmallows. So, so relaxing...
laura
w. columbia, sc
Growing up, I was one of five children. We would exchange names and be given a few dollars to seek out the perfect gift for our sibling which of course, was top secret stuff. We would then be allowed to open it on Christmas Eve, therefore it would not be overlooked or "un-thanked" on Christmas morning.
Now that we are all grown and have children, and some even have grandchildren...... we gather, all 30 or so of us on Christmas Eve and continue the tradition of exchaning gifts. We also eat after a special blessing given by our Dad..... or GrandDad or Great GrandDad..... whichever name is needed!
It's the night we all look forward to all year long!
Hello,
On Christmas Eve we have a big holiday dinner where the whole family gathers.We wash our hands in coins when we get to my aunts house(a greek tradition for a prosperous year). After dinner we go to my parents house & open one gift & sit by the fire & chat.
Dawn Elkins
Lisa,
I love your work! I am still trying to decide on a necklace, and this one really caught my attention. I grew up in South Africa and my husband is from the Upper Peninsula of MI. Worlds apart:) I grew up with Charlie Brown tree's, he grew up with huge pine's. I think my Favorite tradition now that we live in MI and have 3 kids, is hunting for the perfect tree. We usually wait until we have snow, and then all bundle up and drive to a tree farm. We stomp around for a good hour debating the merrits of each tree. The kids run and throw snowballs, and we eventually decide! We head home to Hot Chocolate and cookies. Exhausted,but thrilled with our find. And I love my real trees and these precious memories! Merry Christmas.
Becky Postma
my newest family tradition - since my sister moved to tx - is that we all go to 11 pm church together. it is such a special way to celebrate and has made me so thankful for the sacrifice God made with giving us his Son.
We have a wrapped box that we put a "birthday gift for Jesus" in every Christmas Eve. (It can be a resolution or just some act we promise to do, etc.)The next year when we get out the decorations we are reminded again. We write the "gifts" on a piece of paper & leave them in forever so that we can see what our "gift" was from year to year.
Lisa, You come up with the sweetest ideas. I love that this family tree one. Santa's elves always leave the children new jammies to snuggle up in on Christmas Eve. So nice for mommy since they usually color coordinate and makes for great picture taking the next morning.
Happy Holidays!
Stephanie Matlack
Our tradition is a simple one, but I love it. My parents come to our house for Christmas and Christmas morning we get up, make a breakfast casserole and open presents. We are still in our PJ's but who cares! Once the breakfast is ready we take a break and then go right back to it. Once all done, we finally get dressed and start out Christmas lunch/dinner. Lately it's been a prime rib! Have a wonderful holiday
One of my favorite family traditions is to select an "angel tree" name from our tree at church. We then purchase all the items this child needs. This child has parents that are in jail, and wouldn't be able to have a Christmas otherwise. I love the fact that we are helping a needy child, and that everything is going directly to that child, not a corporation.
And on that note, I love all your hand stamped items! LOVE THEM!!
My favorite tradition is our Christmas breakfast in our pajamas (usually a pair that we open on Christmas Eve). Nothing fancy, just fun to be in jammies and eat with the family. I love my family and I love this necklace!
Christmas is my moms birthday. Growing up my dad would make pancakes, eggs and bacon for breakfast. We'd open gifts and spend time outside playing with our new things. We'd come in for a lunch of lasagna, then get dressed and go see a movie at the theatre. Coming home to a cake for supper, and kisses for mom who didn't have to lift a finger all day. That's another rule, in our house if it's your birthday you get a day off of chores.
Now I'm grown, and my first born son's birthday is also on Christmas. So HE gets the cake, and the day off chores, and I have continued the tradition of lasagna and an afternoon trip to the theatre.
We have many traditions but 'our favorite' tradition is choosing a "Christmas Family". It started when our children were very young and our income was very humble - just like those we tried to help. Our giving was simple then, in fact, we often gave food and gifts directly from our family kitchen and from under our tree. Now, our family has grown where we can give in a much bigger way and we can help more people. We choose what we call "Our Christmas Family" each year and gathered 'our family' (all members young and old) to shop, wrap and deliver special gifts on Christmas Eve. It has become a MUST tradition each Christmas season for our entire family group. You can read about "Our Christmas Family 2006" at this link: http://bertaboice.blogspot.com/2006/12/crazy-boice-christmas.html
And yes, we already have decided on "Our Christmas Family" for 2007! Merry Chrismtas to you all!
My favorite tradition is the candle light service at church. Usually when the family is together we can fill up a pew and it is so wonderful to all go to church together!
My sister passed away on Christmas Day in 1998 and since that time I've always, always thought about the kids who are sick, battling cancer and other awful diseases and how UNFAIR it all is!! I saw what my sister went through and knowing that little kids go through it too just literally breaks my heart!! So, me and my kids always buy kids for the 'sick kids' and they wrap them up and make the tags and we deliver them on Christmas Day to Childrens Hospital. I love how my kids always say to me, "mom, I think that's something the sick kids might like" or something of that nature. Our gifts aren't extravagant but I want my kids always to be aware that there are kids who are suffering and just how blessed they truly are!! peace and blessings, Cindy B.
On Christmas Day, my husband and I unwrap presents and then set out for a full day of skiing. There is nothing I love more than enjoying the outdoors with the person I love the most.
Our family spends Christmas Eve with our friends (who are also our neighbors). We have soup and salad and usually rice krispie treats for dessert! Love the necklace! Tracey in Mission Viejo!
This is a hard one to say since my little family is fairly new still. So we are sill trying to come up with our own traditions. One thing I loved growing up was every year during Christmas time we would visit my cousins in Mexico. But I love bring out the Christmas tree and decortating it as soon as my husband will allow me.
My favorite tradition is baking various cookies with family to enjoy throughout the holiday & watching my girls open presents from santa on Christmas Day.
Fran Heupel
jfcheupel@yahoo.com
My DH loves Christmas, so we have many traditions. One of my favorites is every Christmas Eve we go to his parent's house for dinner and games. We play "Aggravation" until someone gets too aggravated, then we listen to Christmas music and eat cinnamon pecans until we're stuffed!
We always read the nativity story before opening gifts. Then it is off to my in-laws house. There we all get a stocking full of silly stuff. This is the best time of the day, full of laughs. When money has been tight at Christmas we have all told my MIL to skip the big gifts but please don't stop the stockings.
Love the necklace. I would say one of my favorite traditions is baking cookies with my son.
We love visiting family since they all live so far from us Christmas is the only time of the year we see anyone so anything we do with them is great.
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