Family Traditions

Okay so I'd like to share some of our family traditions for the holidays.

Cookie making is at the top of the list not because I like to eat them (although I do have this great recipe for cream cheese-walnut cookies that's really yummy) but because I love to give them. Each year we have our "regulars" but we do like to try something new too...thanks Christine for the great cookie recipe! We also like to make fudge and peanut brittle, my mom would always make these around the holidays and it's a great memory I have. This year will be extra special because our family has "uncovered" a forgotten family recipe from my great grandma Poulton for Vanilla Fudge...can't wait to give it a try!

Christmas stories and songs, what is Christmas without stories of Jesus. Along with these stories we mix in some fun ones. One that I remember as a kid is a story called "Trouble at the Inn" by Dina Donohue, who knows if it is a true story but it always brings me to tears and it reminds me of children's innocence.

Christmas eve growing up we would go to my grandma Irwin's home and exchange cousin gifts and that was the only gift we could open before Christmas morning. We would also read the above story along with the stories of Jesus. In our family on Christmas Eve we have Clam Chowder in bread bowls for dinner and our kids get to open gifts from their grandma Debbie and she always makes them the cutest pj's to wear that night. We have added to this by giving the kids a book to read that evening too.

In Chris' family they would wake up Christmas morning to balloons covering the ground and they would always find that the gifts didn't have names but numbers...take a guess as to why and we have taken on this tradition as well. Christmas morning our kids can go through their stockings with or without parental supervision, but they have to wait to open anything that is wrapped and we do it one at a time...poor kids. Dad "plays" Santa and hands out the gifts to each child (Irwin tradition). This year will be especially hard because Chris works Christmas Eve and doesn't get home until 8:30 a.m. if we're lucky. For breakfast we have a couple of traditions, one from the Le Bel side and one from the Irwin side...neither one of us was willing to give in. Chris' family always has cinnamon rolls and my family has strawberry waffles, it actually works out well because if you make the dough for the cinnamon rolls the night before you can just pop them in the oven in the morning and start the morning off with the rolls and after exerting all that energy on opening gifts there are always takers for the waffles. This year we are planning on going to my brother's place Christmas afternoon so that the kids can all play together. Can't wait!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!