I'm Santa's Favorite...

... and Mommy's too!

Christmas traditions are fun for the most part. I say for the most part because the Thorn family had one of the worst traditions when I was a kid. Every Christmas Eve, we had to eat oyster stew, which is perhaps the most disgusting thing I've ever tasted. Bleh! On to happier topics...

Since this is Jack's first Christmas, this is when all the Seaton family traditions will be established. John and I have one tradition that we started when we got married that we will continue. We take the cut off part of the trunk from the Christmas tree and write what big events have happened in our lives that year. Then I display them in a basket as a reminder of all the blessings we've had throughout our marriage.

Now that we have a baby, we want to add a few more traditions. My sister, Kathy, started getting her kids an ornament each year many years ago. That will be a tradition that we steal. Each year when we put up the tree, Jack will get to open his ornament and add it to the tree. As for the tree, now that we live in what we hope is our forever house, we are going to buy a small live tree each year that we will plant after Christmas. Jack is going to get to open a present on Christmas Eve. The gift will always be a pair of pajamas to wear on Christmas Eve as he waits for Santa's arrival. Another Christmas tradition we're going to have at our house is that Jack is always going to receive a Christmas themed book as a gift on Christmas Day that we can share as a family. Jack will definitely write a letter to Santa each year, and his elf on the shelf will be helping Santa make sure that Jack is a good little boy. Does anyone have any other traditions that you used with your kids or that you remember from when you were a child? I'd love to steal some good ideas!