Holiday Traditions

Christmas is just around the corner - 10 DAYS LEFT!!!!

This year, we are looking on the holiday season as a bittersweet time.  We LOVE our traditions that we do together, and we know that next year some of them will change due to Little Miss being with us.  PLEASE don't misunderstand!!! We are beyond excited that Baby Loness is finally making her appearance - especially considering we were under the impression that she would never happen... But we have also thoroughly enjoyed our time together, just us.

Christmas time starts for us at Thanksgiving - we alternate between eating dinner with my family or his family, and then eating dessert with the opposite.  At his family dinner, during dessert the ladies of the family congregate in Aunt Betty's sun room with maybe 3 newspapers - we pass the ads around the table and everyone plans their Black Friday Shopping.  The guys congregate around the tv for football and usually naps... It has become one of my absolute FAVORITE traditions of the day.  So much so, that this year we introduced it to my family!!  At first, everyone was like "Um... ok?" and then the ads came out and everyone was on board. 

After we have eaten too much, we head to Walmart with both sets of our parents and take our time through the Black Friday on Thursday madness.  Walmart has it figured out man!  It's always organized chaos, and we have never had a bad experience!

Friday we set up our Christmas tree and other decorations.  It always makes me a nervous wreck because the house is basically destroyed until we finish.  Brandon gets everything down from the attic, and while he sets up the actual tree and some of the decorations, I make dinner.  The dinner has been the same for the last few years - Thanksgiving Roll Ups  We look forward to it every year!!

Our Christmas tree is the same tree Brandon's parents bought the year he was born!  When they replaced their tree, they handed it to him.  Last year was the only year it hadn't been used because we had the bright idea of getting a real tree... Our dog, Lucy, didn't bother it or try to drink from it or anything, but we are still finding needles in the carpet... The house smelled great, but dear Lord what a MESS!!

Saturday is spent either shopping, or this year - NAPPING!!  Sunday is pretty much the same, but with some football thrown in for good measure.

Christmas Eve starts the gift giving madness!  We spend the evening with his parents, eating dinner and exchanging presents.  It's always a wonderful and CRAZY time! :)  His sister and I have a tendency to prank each other by wrapping something literally 100 times, though this year she gets a reprieve from it because I am too exhausted to do that much wrapping...

Christmas morning starts at like 6am, because I am worse than a little kid!  I know what I got him for Christmas and I can't wait for him to open his stuff! After we do our required "first thing in the morning Christmas picture" and open our gifts, we go back to bed for a little while most of the time.  Then it's off to my parents house!  My God Parents, my cousins, and sometimes my grandparents fill the house and the madness begins!  After presents, we usually eat a dinner that has WAY TOO MUCH FOOD!! This year, we are planning to reign it in a bit and try a brunch style menu.  After the craziness with my parents, we go to his family gathering.  We do a white elephant gift exchange and the most hilarious gifts show up!

Now, neither of my parents families get together for Christmas anymore.  Mom's side never really did that I recall, and Dad's side hasn't since my grandparents passed away.  Brandon's Mom's side still gets together - which is nice because we are super close (same peeps we see at Thanksgiving!) and his Dad's side gets together at a restaurant at some point too. 

Once we get home, we are absolutely wiped out... but it is so much fun!  We have a blast and look forward to the madness all year long!

We finish up the holiday season on New Years.  Since we go all over the place for Thanksgiving and Christmas, we decided to spend NYE at home together - just us.  We order a crave case of various White Castles and sit at home watching movies.  Sometimes we go to sleep before the ball even drops... yep, we have a tendency to party hard.

Next year, this all might change for us having a baby to bring around.  I am super excited though to see how much more fun the holidays will be with her!!

What do you do for your holiday traditions??