But as we start to take down the Christmas decorations today, I've been reflecting on the little things we do every year that bring us closer together as a family and provide some consistency from year to year. (However, I did discover last night that my kids don't actually remember we do these things every year and get them all confused anyway, so I'm not entirely sure why we bother sometimes. I suppose it's just so we can say we have some traditions.) It's probably a little strange to post these after the holidays, but here it is anyway.
Our biggest and most elaborate tradition is our Christmas Party. It came about because after we moved to Farmington, I made of list of "neighbors" I felt we should do something for at Christmas time. It was 25 people long by time we included all our immediate neighbors, primary teachers and scout leaders, visiting/home teaching families, those we served with at church and a few others we started to call our friends. Yikes! So we decided the next year, to just do a big party instead of neighborhood gifts. So far, it's always been the Friday before Christmas. We pretty much invite everyone we know that lives anywhere near us or is willing to drive to it. We don't let others bring anything for the party itself because it really is our gift to them. We do however pick a charity and encourage those that want to bring something, to bring it for that charity and then we deliver it. And one would think I would stop to take pictures of this party, or at least the food. But it never happens. I'm always so caught up in making sure all the food trays are sufficiently full, that I don't think of things like taking pictures. Maybe next year. (Although every year when I nurse sore knees and feet for a couple of days and carpel tunnel from whisking and scooping for a week after the party I swear it will be the last time we do it.)
Our other traditions are much simpler than this. At Christmas, we generally have our big meal on Christmas eve. I think this actually came about because one year when AJ was very small, we all had a stomach bug on Christmas Day. We stayed in our PJ's all day and did nothing. While the stomach bug part wasn't fun, the doing nothing part was heaven! So unless we have family in town, that's exactly what we do on Christmas: as little as possible. Obviously we eat, but just breakfast and left overs. (Although this year we DID break that tradition a bit by going to see The Force Awakens on Christmas Day.)
One tradition my boys don't forget is that they aren't allowed to open their presents until we've had breakfast on Christmas morning. While I'm making Christmas Eve dinner, I also prepare a breakfast casserole for Christmas morning. Then we eat that and Rhodes orange rolls (because who has time or energy to make orange rolls and mine never turn out as yummy anyway). The boys do get into their stockings before we eat, but not unless I'm there to take a picture.
Another Christmas time tradition at our house that I brought with me from my own childhood is jigsaw puzzles. My family would always have a puzzle out over Christmas break. So as soon as our party is over and all the presents are wrapped, I start itching to do a puzzle. Unfortunately, my family does not enjoy them and isn't as practiced at them as I am. So I usually end up doing them mostly alone. Sure they will come put a few pieces in, but when they can't find any easy matches, they walk away. I have become terrible about stepping away from a puzzle when it isn't complete so twice last week I stayed up well past my bedtime to finish a 1000 piece puzzle I started earlier in the day. The second time, it was the brand new puzzle that we got for Christmas and my family was a little bit sad that they didn't get to help. So we took it all apart and put it back together again as a family (again, in one day because I knew I wouldn't be able to sleep until it was complete, again!)
Then on New Years morning, just when everyone else is starting out healthy, we have Utah scones for breakfast. (All those health goals can just wait until the kids go back to school!) If you aren't familiar with Utah scones, they resemble more of a sopapilla or beignet than what the English would refer to as a scone. In the past, I've just used either Rhodes dough or just regular bread dough. But this year I followed an actual scone recipe I found on Pinterest from the Creme de la Crumb Blog. Seriously so much better than years past.
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