Now that the Holidays are over....

So this post is a little late... I planned on writing this a little sooner... but well, Work, Maddux,... Life just got in the way.

So a week or two ago... I was reading everyone's Christmas traditions they have. And was compiling a list that I would like to steal... or borrow :)

For us we spend Christmas Eve with my dads side of the family. Then Christmas evening at my moms. But the day of Christmas we have decided we would like to have a pretty quiet day just us. We want Maddux to have the chance to play with his toys and really just hang out as a family.
So this year we made breakfast, watched a Christmas move, played... took naps... then headed off to my moms. Which was great...:) but now that he will start getting bigger from here on out... and next year he probably wont be all that into Christmas... but next year I figure I really need to decide what we will be doing.

So here are a few ideas that I have on my list that I would like to do next year.

Advent Calendar - Love these. I am hoping to steal one of the thousand ideas I have seen out here. I have not at all decided which one yet though. There are too many good ones to choose from.

The elf - this one I first heard from an old friend Sarah... then researched it after she told me about it and fell in love. I bought a little elf and a snowman? (its packed and I cant remember if I went with the snowman or the reindeer) but anyways. I bought these two little stuffed animals. and they will be arriving next year the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Now they have letters you can print off from Santa to the child explaining that the Elf and friend are here to watch over them to make sure they are good for Santa. But Santa puts a note on there that elves really enjoy jokes so sometimes they get a little mischievous.  So my job will be to come up with what the elf is doing when Maddux is sleeping... is he playing a joke by creating his own wii character while Maddux is sleeping, or making snow angels on the back porch.... or is he being nice and showing up with a new Christmas book that he bought while Maddux was sleeping. The good thing is ... moms post all of their ideas out there... so most likely I can get by on their creativity if I am lacking :) Then Christmas Eve you put the elf out with the milk and cookies so Santa can take him home... :)

Another one I liked is opening Christmas Pjs and a Christmas book on Christmas eve... all of us snuggling up in our Pjs... drinking some hot cocoa... and reading a story.. and maybe a Christmas movie before going to bed.

Another mom buys a Christmas ornament for her kids every year and puts their names on it.... so that way when they get older they have their own starter set of ornaments...that idea sounded great :) I had no ornaments starting out!

and if we have more kids... I love the idea of not putting names on presents... some moms wrap all of each kids presents in the same paper... then at the bottom of their stocking they will find a sliver of wrapping paper so they know which gifts are theirs... how fun would that be trying to guess which ones are yours???


A few Christmas traditions we will do that I did as a kid....

Making sugar cookies (YUM)

My mom didnt put out any presents really until we were asleep Christmas Eve... so that way when we woke up the living room was overflowing with presents. It was so cool seeing all those gifts... Loved this :)
My mom also only gave us one present from Santa... which is something we will also do.
Santa will just bring one gift... she did this just as a rule of thumb because she never wanted us going to school and saying we got 4 from Santa and a kid being sad because they only got 1. So it did happen the other way around when a kid told me he got 8 from Santa... so I remember asking my mom about it. but She explained to me that his parents must not have told him that only one came from Santa... because Santas sleigh could only fit one present for every kid in the world. Made sense to me at the time :)
So just one present... and the stocking :)

Pancakes for Christmas breakfast will be a must :)


And now that Christmas is done... I have scored all kinds of great deals. New Icicle lights for the house at 2.00 a box, A Christmas Hippo for our yard... Yes a christmas Hippo. Its adorable I promise.
Some sidewalk lights for our house...

AND I got this guy for 13bucks.... How cute is he???

You have any good traditions I might want to steal???? Start talking!!! :)