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Friday, December 18, 2009

FAbulous Friday Giveaway


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This week is full of giveaways. Don’t miss the one I did yesterday. If you love banners, then you’ll love this digi download. Scroll down.

Today I’m giving away a book! A wonderful book! All you fabric lovers will love this.4014-OneYardWondersCvr

With just a yard, One-Yard Wonders promises gift-worthy solutions for that stash of irresistible fabric-store buys and leftover scraps. At last, it’s time to stop storing and start sewing! Great fabric should never hide in a closet. One-Yard Wonders offers an original collection of designs with hip, contemporary flair 101 projects that can be completed in a few hours, using the most desirable patterns for crafty sewers and featuring a wide range of fabrics from today’s designers. Sewing aficionados Yaker and Hoskins solicited these fabulous fabric projects through a global online campaign, choosing the easy yet sophisticated patterns for all sewing levels. One-Yard Wonders includes everything you need. For each project there is a full-size pattern piece if needed, easy step-by-step instructions, and simple illustrations. Templates are also included wherever needed, and full color photos of the finished product and handy tips on special techniques are there for every project. All any crafter needs to do is dig into the stash and add her own unique flair.

As part of the celebration surrounding the release of One-Yard Wonders, Storey is offering One-Yard Wonders Yard-of-the Month Sweepstakes. For a full year, the lucky winners will receive one yard of fabric every month, along with an extra gift. Visit www.storey.com/oneyardwonders.php for more information.

Please leave me a comment telling me about one Holiday family tradition.

I will choose a winner on Sunday evening 5pm pacific time.

These two sponsors helped pay for the new ignition for my husbands car.

KiKi and LeLe Stamped Jewelryil_430xN.98983659 Alyson Garvey Jewelry Designsearrings for today's creative blog

163 comments:

Sandi said...

We all have new pajamas for Christmas Eve.

Angie Mae said...

We open one present on Christmas eve but it has to be a present that the parents choose.

Ramsey said...

Our whole extended family gets together on Christmas morning and cooks breakfast before opening presents.

Sweetly Sweet said...

We celebrate the Three Kings Day and all the kids gather some grass and puts the grass in a box for the camels to eat. The Three Kings leave presents for the kids, so our kids gets presents on Christmas AND the Three Kings Day!

beth said...

We try to get outside on Christmas - a good walk or hike during the day - getting outside is critical on any day for our sanity - especially the kids!

Kandra said...

OMG! Do you have ANY idea how much I have been lusting for that book!?!?

One of our Christmas traditions is opening presents on Christmas Eve, then Santa comes in the morning. Even tho the kids are older, we still open presents on Christmas Eve and they have surprises in their stockings on Christmas morning :)

oneblessedmama said...

Oh my gosh, oh my gosh! PICK ME!!!!! okay- done spazzing. We read Cosmic Christmas by max Lucado and opena stocking stuffer on Christmas eve as a family.

Unknown said...

The kids open one present on Christmas Eve--and it's always pajamas! That way everyone looks presentable in Christmas morning phots!

Lori said...

The kids open one present on Christmas Eve and it is pajamas.

andsewon said...

My babes are grown and out now. I still have sweet memories of our times with them at home.
One tradition was on Christmas Eve we always read The Night Before Christmas then on Christmas Day we read the Bible celebrating Jesus birth .
Such sweet times and they go by fast so all you with small ones enjoy every minute even the 'trying' ones!!;-)
I see some idea I would use on this book cover!!
Merry Christmas!
Lola

Shanade said...

We read a different Christmas story every night of December. Then on Christmas Eve we finish up with the Christmas story in Luke. It's a good way to get us in the Christmas spirit and to remind us of the true meaning on Christmas.

Magnolia said...

Probably my favorite holiday tradition we have is (along with store bought gifts) we all work as a family to make gifts for the members of our extended family. This gets the kids excited about giving gifts, instead of just waiting for a gift to be handed to them. Plus, we hope it shows them that gifts that are made are just as meaningful (if not more so) as those that are bought.

And it's just fun to do projects together!

Nancy Sabina said...

Looks like a great book! My favorite tradition is that Santa knows that at our house we're impatient and can't sleep thinking of all those presents downstairs. So he leaves our stockings in our room when they're full. That way we can wake up in the middle of the night, get a little taste of presents, then go back to bed for another couple hours.

Stacey said...

We've lived close to Nashville my entire life, so every year close to Christmas, my family goes up to the Opryland Hotel to see the Christmas lights. The hotel looks amazing any time of year, but at Christmas time it's nothing short of magical. We have some great photos and memories from those trips!

Sissie's Shabby Cottage said...

Good Morning!
One of our traditions has always been to go out to eat around 3:00 in the afternoon. One family member gets to pick the restaurant, no matter which one.
We really pig-out, and have lots of fun. Then we go home and gather around the Christmas tree and open one gift.
Merry Christmas.

Jeana said...

We have a big breakfast style dinner on Christmas Eve and each child gets to open 1 gift that the parent picks.

Lynette said...

We have a nativity story puppet show that we do on Christmas Eve after we have our tradition dinner of cheese and crackers and appetizers. I hope I win that book!!

Lynette

Casey said...

Our holiday tradition is to open a new ornament on Christmas Eve.

greenhoneyhive said...

We always make handmade gifts and each person is given two gifts at least one handmade and one trash pile treasure find(we curbside crawl and junk as part of our business). We never give each other under our own roof gifts ever! We always take the time and or money we would have spent or used to make and or buy Christmas for someone else. This year one was making a wardrobe for a little girl who is a amydricondrial dwarf(things like that) and every other year we serve dinner at the homeless shelter with our Jewish freinds who usually do it on Christmas Day here.And we always have some really terribly bad for you but yummy breakfast like Captain Crunch stuffed Frenc toast and Bacon things I would usually never let them eat. Christams eve is always one side of the families big party. But our favorite part is the doing something for others.

Jingle said...

On Christmas morning we have a special breakfast together and relax and enjoy it! We make a really yummy french toast, bacon, and have mimosas with it! Mmmm!!!! LOVE IT!

katevet said...

We don't have xmas, but we do celebrate Chanukka, and we doit with lots of friends and great food!

AddaGirl Design said...

We make Christmas Eve a "soup & slippers" family get-together. It's tradition to make a soup related recipe and wear your silliest slippers. The recipes are always so good and the evening is filled with comfort and laughs.

Grace said...

Nice pot of soup on Christmas Eve and opening one present on Christmas Eve. Its almost here!

Kent said...

Since my sister's birthday was Christmas eve we always went to a movie to celebrate her birthday, but now it has become a family tradition that we've all carried into our own families. And then we all rush home to open new jammies to wear on Christmas morning. mmmm...and a yummy egg-y casserole on Christmas morning.

Heather said...

Warm, gooey cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning. Do I need to explain the state of bliss we reach that day? I didnt think so either.

Anonymous said...

We open our gifts on Christmas Eve so that we can focus on Jesus' birthday on Christmas Day.

IHaveANotion ~ Kelly Jackson said...

We have a blended family so our traditions are "blended" as well. One thing that has remained the same is we always leave cookies for Santa and carrots for his raindeer.

Another very fun thing we do is make gingerbread houses. That is my favorite part of the holidays. The kids love seeing the candy houses and they crack me up with laughter every time I look at them. What a joy.

Smiles,
Kelly
PS...I hear this book is excellent.

Unknown said...

Cinnamon buns (store bought) for breakfast Christmas morning were a tradition in my family growing up, and coincidentally my husband's family did the same!

Jenn said...

We always decorate the tree together after thanksgiving. We put on Christmas Music and my husband makes us some hot chocolate and put some potporri on the stove so it smells like christmas!

Anonymous said...

we go to Christmas eve mass, frineds house for a gathering, we then come home & watch "a christmas story"!!!

Chelsea Ray said...

Even though we're all in our 20s and 3 of us are married, we still sneak downstairs early to open our stockings before Ma and Pa wake up!

Sarah said...

Every year we watch "White Christmas" with my husbands family - and all sing along with the songs!

Sara said...

My uncle always reads a Christmas story and then plays the role of santa, but purposely messes up the little ones names... just to tease them and hear them laugh!

Deb @ inner compass designs said...

each year we all do a new ornament with the clear baubles and swirling paint inside. we all write our names and the year. it will be great to see the kids handwriting change!

Mary K @ Mary K Jewels said...

We all go to church with my grandma on Christmas Eve.

Becky said...

One of our traditions is to take a "hall picture" before opening presents. And we all must be wearing Santa hats and Jammies!

Emily and Frank said...

Having Bubble Bread (some call it Monkey Bread) on Christmas morning. Yum!

bagfashionista said...

with the hubster's family -- it's always church on xmas eve, then xmas dinner, and then presents! xmas day is more of a chill and relax kinda day

Kim said...

We all hold hands and "dance" around the Christmas tree singing Christmas songs. I thought everybody did this until I was about 15!

jenney said...

We have several great Christmas traditions - an ornament to reflect a big thing from the year, baking cookies with my mom, Christmas Eve pj's, chili dinner at my mom's house for Christmas Eve. My 5 year comes to expect each and every one every year and I LOVE it! =)

Alexis said...

My husband and I have always opened presents when Santa comes--right at midnight. This year, we have a ten month old, though, so I think we may have to put that tradition on the shelf for a few years.

Stacey said...

We open one gift on Christas Eve...which is usually new pajamas!

The Hangs said...

We have been reading Luke 2 every night to the kids so they can memorize it because my parents and grandparents have it memorized for when we read it on Christmas Eve. (While eating candy of course!)

Dana said...

Ever since I was a young kid we always held a Christmas Eve program at my Grandparents home and acted out the nativity. Now it's fun to see my kids get so excited to dress up and play the parts of Mary, Joseph, Wise Men and Sheppards. It really helps to remind me the real reason I celebrate Christmas.
Dana in AZ.

Whitney Walker Alexander said...

My husband and I always eat pizza on the night we exchange presents. We love this tradition!

Kerry said...

We open presents in a circle and take turns. We get to see what people actually got, and it's so relaxing. I wasn't sure my kids would be able to handle it, but we've done it since they were born, so they are used to it and don't know any other way. It's so relaxing.

mommy2luke2008 said...

On Christmas Eve we go to the fire department where we watch Santa come in on a fire truck and then he gives each child a bag of goodies. I did it when I was little and now we do it with my son.
maryw1981@yahoo.com

saraiwithani said...

That looks like such an awesome book!! I hope I win!

mom2three said...

My favorite Christmas tradition is that my parents stay at our house on Christmas eve, so that at 4:30 or 5:00 am when the kids wake up, the whole family is together for present opening and breakfast. FUN!

Unknown said...

We have a special cookie time after going to the Christmas Eve service and my Mother-in law brings out china cups and usually has about 8 different treats to sample. Simple but fun!

Jessica said...

One Holiday tradition we (had until we moved to NE and everything got screwed up) love is decorating sugar cookies at my husband's aunt's house. She has her two grandsons, plus my two come over, plus us "big kids" and we spend all afternoon baking and decorating. It is so much fun and I really miss being together, though we still decorate the cookies here in NE.

myflsun said...

We have Monkey Bread for breakfast on Christmas day. Yum!!

Kathy

Linda@CraftaholicsAnonymous said...

My fav family tradition is our white elephant gift exchange on Christmas Eve. This is the only time a can opener is a good gift!!
Linda

catie said...

every year we watch "a christmas story" OVER AND OVER AND OVER again! my dad loves it, since he was about that age during the 50s. we also love to watch the old claymation movies, too!

Graceandjoelroberts said...

We eat lots and lots of party mix!!

Erica said...

Christmas Eve we always go to church and afterwards my Grandparents house. She makes oyster stew (and chicken noodle soup) and there's lots of goodies to munch on. We always have this meal around the table, with soft candle lighting. Christmas Day we open presents at my parents house and my mom makes lassagna for lunch. Yum!

everyday inspirations said...

We drive around to the neighborhood 'light parks' and see all the houses - it's much more fun now with our own little ones to enjoy the magic!

catherine s.

Emily said...

On Christmas Eve my mom plays the piano and the rest of us play random instruments like drums or tamborine and sing Christmas Songs. It sounds horrible but it's a lot of fun.

Diane H said...

On the way home from church Christmas Eve we would drive around for a tour of the Christmas lights which would seem to take forever as we would also get to open one present Christmas Eve.

Nicole said...

We would open all the family gifts on Christmas Eve and just have Santa's for Christmas morning.
Love the book! It looks awsome!!!

Amy said...

We watch The Sound of Music while we decorate the tree and sing along. I know it's not "Christmasy" but it's a fun way to see the movie and not have ot sit through it.

Terrie said...

The kids each get their own tree in their room. They love it.

Kim @ NewlyWoodwards said...

I've so been wanting to get my hands on this book.

Our tradition has been to give each other an ornament. Hubs and I don't have many special ornaments, so this is building up our stash. =)

Deanne said...

We love to drive around and look at the ligts, we load up the kids take cookies and hot choc. and ride around to owww nd ahhhh1

Anonymous said...

I started giving my young daughters $1 bills to put in their pockets before we go Christmas shopping so they always have something to put in the salvation army bucket. I used to cringe when they asked why the person was ringing the bell and I didn't have cash on me to show them the joy of giving. Now they can participate and get excited about giving to others less fortunate.

C.R. said...

When I was a child we always went and cut down our own Christmas Tree. Perhaps now it's not a very "green" idea, but I have a lot of pleasant memories of trudging along in the snow all bundled up and looking for the perfect shaped tree. Crisp air filled with the scent of pine!!

Unknown said...

One christmas tradition we have is going as a family to volunteer for one day during the Christmas season. This year we went to sort and pack shoeboxes full of goodies that will travel to children all around the world thanks to Operation Christmas Child. This tradition is such a blessing for us!

Kristin said...

The traditions that I most love are: Christmas Eve we go to my in-laws for a celebration. We sing carols, tell the story of Jesus' birth, eat goodies. It so fun, and chaotic (my husband is #6 of 10 kids) We ourselves have 4 kids and we are one of the smaller families, so you can imagine it's just a big ball of FUN! Also every Christmas morning we have both our parents and my grandparents come to our house for a Christmas brunch, it's a nice time for the kids to show of there new gifts! Love it!

TL said...

My longest standing family tradition is that we celebrate on Christmas Eve. We do the dinner an all but the Santa presents and stockings on Christmas Eve.

Jamie said...

We make glugg, a traditional Swedish drink that my great-grandparents used to make when they immigrated here. It's warm and cozy and we only have it on Christmas!

Tracy said...

I really want this book!

One of our most cherished traditions is Cookie Day where we all gather and make treats. Read about it on my blog.

Anne said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anne said...

Our family tradition is to turn every light on in the house on Christmas Eve to help guide the 3 Wise Men. My Mom did that while we were growing up, and I continue the tradition with my family to this day. Merry Christmas!!!

tlnovak said...

We have to watch "A Christmas Carol" every year.

Kati @ Housewife_Swagger said...

sadly, my holiday tradition is going out to eat at a chinese buffet, with timing and all.

Kati @ Housewife_Swagger said...

sadly, my holiday tradition is going out to eat at a chinese buffet, with timing and all.

Maribeth said...

We have a vintage sequined/glitter bird ornament that we hide in random spots around the house. Whoever finds the bird gets a small gift and then hides it for someone else to find.

Greg and Caroline said...

We go to church Christmas Eve, then Christmas morning, the kids are up EARLY. They are able to look through their stockings when they get up, but once everyone is up we all open gifts together.

Melissa said...

On Christmas Eve my son Ayden, myself, husband and any other extended family make a Birthday cake for Jesus. We have a spice cake to remember the spices the wisemen brought. We decorate it with white icing to remind us of the shephards(sheep) and the pure perfect baby Jesus "the light of the world". Then we put sprinkles all over it and that reminds us of all the many blessings that Jesus gives us everyday throughout the year. Then Christmas morning before any presents are open we come down and have Jesus' Birthday party and eat cake for breakfast. Big hit for all the kids in us.
Merry Christmas!!

MrsMonicaLB said...

We have our kids put out one of their shoes and that is where Santa leaves his gift for them to find in the morning.
We also go to my pops Christmas Eve and make Tamales.

Crystal said...

On Christmas eve and all go to my grandma's and play games and the little ones open and change into their new PJs before we leave (usually pretty late).

Felicita said...

We watch the Christmas classics, like Frosty the Snowman, etc.

Volume23 said...

Our family tradition is that eery year we pack up ourselves get some hotcocoa on the wzay to salt lake and go for a sleigh ride through all the lights down in the avenues of Salt Lake City. It's beautiful and even how my hubbie proposed so it's super special to us! :) The kiddos love the horses and lights the best!:)

Sheila said...

We like to make a birthday cake for Jesus.

Carol said...

We always have clam chowder and put together a Christmas puzzle on Christmas Eve.

Bridget said...

When we first got married my husband suggested we order Chinese take out for Christmas Eve dinner and we've done it every year since. He knows how much I love Chinese and I get a stress free night to wrap and finish up last minute gifts. It's different but I love it!

Renée said...

Christmas Eve morning we have a cookie baking, decorating and wrapping party, making pretty plates with cellophane and ribbons. In the afternoon we take our goodies and go caroling at our local Nursing Home. We visit each room, singing and sharing our cookies. The residents are so happy to see us, especially our little children. We come home, have a simple soup and salad dinner and talk about how much fun it is, giving to others. This tradition truly makes our Christmas merry, before we open new pajamas and get ready for Santa's visit! Ho! Ho! Ho! Merry Christmas to all.

onlymehere said...

It started with my first son Nicholas collecting St. Nicholas'. Second child collects angels, third child collects Rudolph's (regular reindeer or moose when no Rudolph can be found), and my fourth child collects snowmen! It's been fun. My oldest is now 24 and the youngest is 16. They look forward to their collectable each year. Cindy

Colleen said...

I'm hoping to start a new tradition of spending Winter's solstice together drinking spiced cider, eating cookies and making a project.

sam said...

New, freshly washed pjs unwrapped on Christmas Eve and worn to bed. The kids are 21, 19, 17 and 15 and still look forward to them. :)

Beau and Jen said...

We make watch past Christmases of when we were way little and laugh at ourselves on Christmas Eve!

Kristin said...

We eat lasagna by candle light and then go look at xmas lights around town on xmas eve before we ever open a present!

Stacey said...

Every year all my children get matching pajamas to wear on Christmas Eve. We also make a special breakfast for Christmas morning, an egg casserole and cinnamon rolls.

*Thanks for the opportunity to win this cool book. It looks really great. **

Carolyn @ My Backyard Eden said...

We always have lasagna on Christmas Eve. I love it because you can make it ahead of time and really enjoy your evening!

I'd love to win that book. I love fabric!

Emily said...

This is our first year being married and with a new baby so in many ways traditions are changing. With 4 girls in our family, christmas eve usually started with a dance party to "all I want for Christmas by Mariah Carey", followed by mass, followed by a new restaurant each year. Now that there are some new husbands and boyfriends in the mix, I am not sure how the dance party will pan out.
However, we will still have our fun. We decided to purchase some questionable gifts...nose hair clippers, large fake gold chains, tacky shirts... etc just on the verge of "is this for real?"/white elephant type gifts...just to see how our new family members react. Should be fun to see their reactions!

Brian, Shelya, and Blythe said...

Ooohhh... I have a 1 yd of fabric obsession and desperately need things to make with all of it!

Now that we have 2 kids, we're making new traditions. Starting this year we are staying home for Christmas morning (whatever gparents want to join us are welcome, but not required). I'm making Pioneer Woman's fabulous cinammon rolls and quiche!

Rayna said...

We always eat Christmas eve dinner at my aunt & uncles house, and they always invite my mom, even though her and my dad are divorced & he's not around here. Then dishes are done, and desert is served, and then I have to go deliver all the presents to everyone sitting at their spots :)

Amy said...

Like many others we open PJ's on Christmas Eve. We also have Waffles on Christmas morning with Strawberries and whip cream.

SuperJach said...

All the kids sleep (or stay up all night giggling) in the same room on Christmas Eve. On Christmas morning, they wait patiently until mom or dad comes in to "let them out." Then they line up on the stairs in order (youngest to oldest). NO ONE is allowed to shower or put on makeup. When we say go (after mom makes the coffee and dad make sure santa left batteries), the kids rush into the living room to find santa's unwrapped gift to them. Then we go around and unwrap one present at a time and savor the morning...

Son said...

We go out with the kids and go door to door in the neighborhood to collect items for the local food bank.
The kids get so excited about dropping off the boxes full of food!
A couple of years ago we also started filling up backpacks with goodies such as socks, toothpaste & brush, snacks, mittens, hats and more and then we go out Christmas afternoon to hand them out to the homeless. It's a project we do together with extended family members and feels wonderful!

GloJoeSews said...

For the Christmas Eve gift we each draw a name ahead of time and buy that person a great book to read over the Christmas holiday. The next morning we open gifts but throughout the Christmas holiday from school, everyone's reading their book and calling each other to say how awesome it is!

Angi said...

We always have 5-foot long stockings. It started with my grandmother who didn't have enough money to buy stockings. So she'd wash out her old nylon stockings and cut them off at the top. It looks like more when you stack the stuffers one on top of the other...and there you have the 5-foot long stocking. Our family has been doing this for almost 50 years!

Nicole-Lynn said...

A tradition of mine is to go over my parents house on Christmas Eve night and have snacks, dessert foods and watch Home Alone! :)

Patty said...

We have the oldest and the second oldest grandcildren hand out the presents.

Nicole-Lynn said...

A tradition of mine is to go over my parents house on Christmas Eve night and have snacks, dessert foods and watch Home Alone! :)

Lindsey said...

I've had my eye on this book for awhile now...

My favorite tradition is Christmas breakfast... the menu is always salt mackerel and fried potatoes, the company is always grandparents and our Pastor and wife. :-)

Emily said...

Oh. My. Gosh. I'll buy this book even if I don't win it! I've never commented before but read your FAB blog all the time.

My favourite family tradition is that every year my dad pulls out a wonky fabric star that my mom made in 1977 for their first Christmas tree.

My mom is a fabulous sewer (that spelling seems just wrong) now and is embarrassed by the crudeness of this much loved star.
So much so (or sew much sew if you prefer) that she hides it every year in hopes my dad won't recover it for yet another Christmas. Hre tree is otherwise very "Marta-esque" and she feels it ruins the look she's trying to acheive.
Quite the contrary.
Of all the expensive baubles we have collected over the years, this one is by far my favourite.
It's what makes the tree.

This year the tradition is moving to my home and my parents are forgoing the tree. I will however be carrying on the tradition...little does my mother know. :)

Goat Gal said...

Each child in our house gets three gifts from mom and dad. Mom and dad each get three gifts from each other.
The three gifts have rules however:
Gift #1- This gift represents gold. It is a gift that the receiver will love. This is usually the biggest gift for that person. The most effort goes into this gift.
Gift #2- This gift represents myrrh. It is a gift for the receiver's body.
Gift #3- This gift represents frankincense. This is a gift to enhance the receiver's personal walk with God.

docsage said...

When my son and I lived in New Mexico we started the tradition of having posole and tamales on Christmas Eve. We've continued this tradition through the years and his wife and children now look forward to this meal also.

jacqui said...

We've always spent Christmas Eve at my mom's parents' house. We eat dinner then have to wait while Papa does all the dishes before we can open gifts. When my sister and I were young Nana would pull out these huge beautiful bells and we would run laps in the house singing Jingle Bells at the top of our lungs for the entire time it took Papa to do the dishes. It used to help pass the time before gifts, now as adults we still do it to remember all those years growing up!

darj said...

We go to church on Christmas Eve as a family and then head over to my mother-in-law's for snacks. It's very relaxed, and I love it!

The Fam said...

We get one board game under the tree and play it after we open presents! It's a great tradition!
shannoncarman at yahoo dot com

Alyssa said...

My dad and I deliver fruit baskets to people who have inspired us over our lifetime. When I was a child, Dad drug all three of us (me, my brother, and sister). However, it is now my favorite tradition.

Ms_Pea said...

My mom is an avid garage sale shopper and always finds really cool stuff, so even though the stuff could often be passed off as new, we usually get a couple gifts per year from "G.S. Santa"--Garage Sale Santa!

Nic said...

Every Christmas eve since I was born we celebrated Christmas with my mom's side of the family. My Noni (mom's mother) always has us all over after the Christmas mass they go to and we chat and snack and play games until midnight when she brings out the pork chop dinner that's she's prepared (and chicken cutlets for my picky sister and I). After dinner we all exchange our gifts and usually don't end up home until 2am!
When I was a little kid I LOVED it! I got to stay up late, it was so special and such a treat! [Although I do remember it KILLING us that we had to wait until midnight to open any gifts! Come 11:30 we would sit and watch the clock as though it were New Years!]
And now that I'm older it's still my favorite part of Christmas and so special to me.

Mindy said...

Last year we started the tradition of hosting a gingerbread decorating party. It was fun. Monday is the next one!

ruth said...

My fav holiday tradition is that I let my kids pick anything they want for the holiday meal. No matter how weird. No matter if it's popcorn shrimp, chocolate pudding and punch. And yes, they have chosen that before. ;)

Tori said...

On Christmas Eve we all opened our matching pj's and then put them on and drove around to see all the Christmas lights and drink hot chocolate...can't wait to start that tradition with my young little family@! Thanks for the giveaway!

Tisha said...

Our Family tradition is all of our family goses to midnight mass on Christmas Eve and then we go to my aunts house and open our gifts all togethere. It gets very hectic there is about 40 people there. on Christmas day around 4:00pm we all have christmas day dinner together.

Em said...

We have so many traditions but I think my favorite is that our entire extended-extended family gets together at our house on Christmas afternoon. Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, in-laws of in-laws-we included everyone. Most of us aren't related by blood-mostly by marriage-but we're family.

SoBella Creations said...

My girls decorate cookies for santa every year with their Daddy. I bake the cookies the day before. Then the next day they decorate. The first year my now 6 yr old was only 5 months old.

I will have your banner on my blog in a few.

Amy Priddy said...

My dad's birthday is Christmas Eve. We celebrate every year with Popeye's Chicken and German Chocolate Cake. Another one....all the little kids get to open one gift Christmas Eve before heading out to my family's Christmas Eve bash.

Thanks for the giveaway!!!

Cary said...

When opening gifts, we always hand out a gift to each person, and then watch each individual open their gift. We continue in this way until the gifts are all opened. It is enjoyable to see what each person receives.

Spears said...

the Happy Birthday Jesus cake we do w/ the kids :)
thanks!

Kelleigh Ratzlaff Designs said...

We love to go to the live nativity at a local church. It's a great opportunity to talk about Jesus with our kids!

Rachel said...

One of our holiday family traditions is meat pie. It's a recipe that came from his mother (although I think between us we have improved it 100%). We made them ahead of time but don't have any until after Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve. We look forward to this night!

Emily Dawn said...

One of my favorite Christmas traditions is Christmas dinner. It's on Christmas day and Mom goes all out. It's like Thanksgiving again but even better. Food is a big part of our family and such good times are spent around the dinning room table. After dinner we usually all play games together and just hang out. I love that the focus is on spending time together and not the presents. Although the presents are quite nice, including the hopeful new sewing machine under the tree for me this year!!!

Andrea said...

Great giveaway! I have my fingers crossed....

Traditions...we always do cookies for Santa, throw out raindeer food (carrots), and give the kids new jammies on Christmas Eve.

:)

Venezie Designs said...

Our tradition is watching Christmas Vacation while decorating and quoting the movie the entire time. Here is a favorite of mine:

"Lotta sap in here! Mmmm... Looks great! Little full, lotta sap."

Happy Holidays!

Karen

Perfectly Jenn said...

My beau and I just started a new tradition of buying an ornament for each other that reminds us of the other person ... I can't wait to see what he came up with!!

Mary on Lake Pulaski said...

There are lots of family traditions but this is my favorite. We open our Christmas presents after we get home from Midnight Mass!

Sarah said...

We do lots of family get togethers, all the way up until Christmas Eve. But starting this year we aren't going anywhere on Christmas day. At my husband's request we'll be enjoying our kids and each other, at home. I'm super excited to have Christmas move at a slower pace this year.
God's blessings on your Christmas! Sarah :D

Emily said...

Opening new jammies on Christmas Eve, so we look somewhat presentable for pictures the next morning.

Erin said...

What a fun book and a fun giveaway! Every year my kids get a new ornament for the tree. When they are ready to move out, they will have ornaments to take with them for their own tree.

Randa said...

Each year after Thanksgiving dinner, my mom gives everyone a new ornament. I love my tree with sentimental ornaments from the past 32 years....makes decorating that much more special :)

Colleen said...

Every year on Christmas Eve we have breakfast for dinner. My dad goes all out making waffles and eggs, hashbrowns, bacon, sausages, a plethora of breakfast beverages, and biscuits & gravy. It's quite the spread. Then on Christmas morning we scale way back and have mini boxes of cereal - super small, but a real treat for those of us who grew up super poor. I love that we still get to go to my parents' house and share that tradition even now that we're all grown up and moved out.

Jess@craftiness is not optional said...

we make graham cracker houses every year and eat bits off them until christmas!

Kathleen W. said...

Our family is still pretty young, but I'm starting some traditions with my toddler like making santa pancakes on Christmas day, getting winter pjs on Christmas Eve, and making ornaments together every year. I'd like to make one for him each year so that when he's an adult he'll have a nice, meaningful collection.

Wendy @ Ramblings from the Sunshine State said...

Every year on Christmas eve, the kiddos get to open a gift.... new jammies to wear to bed that night!

Anonymous said...

Oh man, I would love that book!!
One of our traditions is wrapping up Christmas books. I let the boys unwrap one every night and we read it together. When we started years ago, we only had a few books, but now we have enough that we can start on December 1st. I love the time we spend together cuddled on the couch!

Rita S. said...

Oh my - I would actually start using my fabric stash again with that book in my hands - thanks for a chance! Eyeing that organizer!
Picking one tradition is hard. On Christmas Eve ea year our kids get one gift to open - new PJs and a new book to read. They open it before we go to church, and the youngest changes into PJs before leaving the ILs house late, so we can put our sleeping child right into bed when we get home.

Amnah said...

Oh cool! I just wrote down the name of this book to hopefully one day buy it. Free would be better :-)

We bake and bake and bake the night before. In the morning we wake up early to go pray, have breakfast, head home for a nap, then head out to relatives' homes to share all the sweets we've made.

Angie said...

Cool giveaway!

One tradition we do is: the grandkids all take a part of reading the Christmas story from Luke before we open any presents. And then my Grandpa finishes it up! I love to hear him read it!!

Thanks
Angie
rennieangie@gmail.com

Amanda Brantley said...

we open one christmas present on christmas eve, and go to a christmas eve service together.

Amanda Brantley said...

we open one christmas present on christmas eve, and go to a christmas eve service together.

Kim-the-girl said...

One of the adults reads the Christmas story from the Bible while the kids enact the nativity. We've got so many kids now that we have all sorts of parts... donkey, sheep, star... its great fun Christmas Eve.

Christine said...

We go to Burnet, Texas every year to see the town's Bethlehem. :D

Thanks for the great giveaway.

Chris said...

On the paper chain we made and use to count down the days till christmas -- we take off a ring each night at bedtime & write on it something nice that we did for someone else that day & then put it in the little drawers of our advent calendar house in exchange for tiny Christmas goodies that were stashed in the drawer. The nice things we wrote down on the paper rings are our gift to the Savior. Some of the "nice" things our 5 & 6 year olds think up to do are kind of funny:)

Hannah LaRue said...

We use long toe socks for our stockings and fill it to the brim. There are always peanut M&M's in the toes and an orange in the bottom.

Erin said...

We do a Jesse tree every year and read a corresponding book with it. My sons, 6yo and 3yo, look forward to it every year.

nell ann said...

My husband and I go through Starbucks to get some hot holiday drink and drive through the fancy neighborhoods to look at Christmas lights while we listen to carols. He does this for me because he loves me.

care said...

We all camp out in the living room by the Christmas tree on Christmas Eve night.
I'd love to win . . .

True Blue Weddings and More said...

we always build a gingerbread house

Brynn Marie said...

We have a few...each year my kiddos get a new ornamet & then new PJ's on Christmas eve. My MIL also does 25 days of christmas of all the grandkids...each kiddo gets a small present to open everyday until Christmas and then one big present on Christmas day :)

maribeth said...

we wrap 24 christmas books and open one each night from december 1 til the 24. the kids love getting to open something every night and can't wait to see what book it is!

auschick said...

Ooh, I've been wanting that book for ages!

In my family growing up, we'd get up early and then our tradition was to open up the gifts one by one. There was 6 of us, so the youngest would start by selecting a gift and giving it to the person it belonged to. Then the next one up would pick one and so one. We weren't allowed to select our own gift, so it was nice and drawn out and fun to see what everyone got.

Jaime said...

One family tradition is that we open presents at my Grandma's house every Christmas Eve. I am almost 32 years old and I don't think I have missed a year. She is my last living Grandparent and it is even more special now!
(Oh, and I really want that book. :-) )

Tarrah said...

My husband grew up with this tradition and now we do it with our 3 children. We purchase a Christmas ornament to put on the tree every year (we put initials and date on the bottom of the ornament or box). Then, when they are grown, they will not only have a box full of ornaments for their Christmas tree, but they will have years of memories to share with their own children. (Crossing fingers for the book :-)) tarrah.necole@gmail.com

Angie said...

We have a christmas movie marathon and have hot chocolate.

La Tea Dah said...

We bake Christmas breads --- and share them with friends and family. Braided candy cane bread, stolen, or pumpkin nut breads are favorites!

LaTeaDah

gracious hospitality @ gmail dot com

texheks said...

A holiday tradition: going to church on christmas eve at 10 o'clock and afterwards we eat "worstenbroodjes" which is bread with meat inside... typically Brabants (the area where I live in Holland)

Thistle Cove Farm said...

For more than fifty years, we've read Luke, chapter 2 each Christmas Eve. We make a snack, something to drink and settle in by the fire to hear the first Christmas, so long ago.
Merry Christmas
from Thistle Cove Farm

SewsCute said...

We usually have matching PJ's and we open one present on Christmas eve. And always always open our stockings last!