Christmas Traditions
The Christmas season is here and with it comes the many traditions that follow year to year. I cannot believe that 2019 is almost over and Christmas is about to come and go. Time flies! This Christmas is the first year Brandon and I will be in our own home for the Holidays. We have our own Christmas tree with our own ornaments and our own house to decorate. Unfortunately, Brandon has to work on Christmas this year so we will be celebrating tomorrow, Christmas Eve. The other sucky part is that I have to work until 2 tomorrow so that cuts into the quality holiday time that I get to spend with him. But oh well, at least we get to be together for a few.
This weekend my family held its annual Gingerbread house competition where Brandon and I were one vote away from winning the whole thing. We have happily accepted second place for the third year in a row. My mom made her famous Chili, this is something that we always have for Christmas Eve dinner, but everyone has so much going on that we decided to have all of our regular Christmas Eve traditions early. I always look forward to doing the gift exchange! We usually have the cousins swap gifts and the rest on Christmas Day, but do to scheduling conflicts this year we also did certain siblings. We let my sister open her present from me and Brandon’s family and my dad because Brandon wanted to see her reaction. You see Kassy has always wanted to attend a Reba concert, but has not been able to. This coming May she is coming to Georgia so we found her some tickets to go. We were expecting her to freak out, but her face was not what we expected it to be. But she loved it and thanked us for them. A few of the gifts I love and will treasure forever, for instance my aunt puts together puzzles and she likes to glue a few of them together, put them in frames, and hang them on the wall. She had been working on a Time Square puzzle that I love! So she decided she was going to glue it and frame it as a house warming present for Brandon and I when we moved into our first place in May. It happens that she did not get it done on time and this Christmas she finally was able to find a frame. She gave me this puzzle and also made Brandon a Firefighter puzzle. My mom slaved over hand-making decorative pillows for all of us. Mine of course is Pooh Bear! I cannot believe how long it took her to make all of them. I am beyond grateful. My sister-in-law (my brother Douglas’s Wife Ember) made Brandon and I a personalized blanket with a few of our engagement pictures stitched on it. When I say my heart was full, it was exploding.
As for the Gingerbread house competition, my sister is extra competitive, especially when it comes to this. She prepares for her Gingerbread house and yard and any extras all year round! So whenever she noticed that the votes on Facebook were going in favor of mine and Brandon’s house, she was flipping out! My brother Douglas just likes to play around. Him and Brandon have the exact same since-of-humor, which sometimes can be really annoying, but you gotta love them. Douglas decided to tie a string of yarn around his house in hopes that it would help support it. The house did stay upright, but in the end Douglas’s boyhood fanatics took precident. He proceeded to hold up the house by the string and show Brandon that it was indestructible, right as Brandon turned to look the cookie house fell apart and crummbled on the table. Everyone, but his wife thought it was funny. She had been maticulously working on the sleigh and train that accomponied the now destroyed house. Lol Thankfully they had an extra house. I have submitted the Gingerbread houses photos below. The only tradition my family was not able to do this year is hold our baking day! This day we souly devote to baking up some sweet treats and delicious goodies that we pack up in old cookie jars and hand them out to friends and family. My sister loves the divinity we make, my personal favorite (as always) FUDGE!! Of course we have the traditional baked goods like Chocolate chip and sugar cookies. Almost forgot the Peanut Butter cookies and plenty more!
Remember in the past blogs I mentioned that Brandon likes to go all out for Christmas decor! Well we did it!! Somewhat anyway. It isn’t as grand as it would have been, but with his busy schedule, time did not alot us to do what has been done in the past. But it is still grand and we get many compliments from the neighbors! As usual Grammy and Pop Pop's house is done up like every year! They have a spectacular yard! As far as Brandon's side of the family and their traditions, Oma usually makes homemade fries every Christmas Eve and has a gift exchange with the Grands. This year, again do to a time crunch, Oma's tradiition won't happen. Although I am going to miss those fries. YUM!
I am beyond excited and grateful to be around freinds and family for the Holiday! I hope everyone enjoyed my families yearly Christmas Traditions. Leave a comment and let me know yours!
Have a Merry Christmas!!
