Thursday, December 10, 2015

Holiday Traditions

What are your favourite holiday traditions? We have quite a few around here. Some simple, some take some work but all are fun! Here's what we do around here at this time of year….

Christmas Cards.

I love sending and receiving Christmas cards and even before I got married, I would send out cards to friends and family. I could not wait to have kids to begin sending Christmas cards with their cute faces on it and this is our 7th year doing it! All but one year, I've used Tiny Prints and I've never been disappointed. I also like sending my Christmas cards at the beginning of December so they get to people early in the season (maybe so people remember to send me back one, I dunno). That way, I get the most bang for our buck and people get to stare at my kids' for a long time-- hehehe…

 Tree Trimming

The minute Divali or Remembrance/Veterans Day is done, I think it's okay to bust out the tree. Remember we don't have US thanksgiving up here or I'd wait 'til after that. That's also why I get an artificial tree…. I love my tree to be up for a looooonnggg time. We all do the tree together. D and I assemble it and we put the lights on together. and I put the garlands up.  C then helps me decorate (and sometimes A) and I may or may not redistribute ornaments for days after until the tree is to my liking.



Gift Wrapping

I usually record all those cheesy Lifetime Christmas movies and wrap a few gifts at a time. That way I don't get overwhelmed. I bust out the glue-gun and the fancy ribbon--- oh yes, I do!! #crazychristmaslady


Baking Cookies

Christmas Crack or Skor Bars are our faves but we also do short bread and mexican wedding cakes! The girls help with the mixing and they all help with the eating! 





In the past few years, we've also added Gingerbread houses into the mix as well.


Christmas Reading

When we were younger, we used to go to the bookstore and get to choose a book from our dad for each Christmas. I always get a book for myself, D and my kids for each Christmas and chill out post Christmas reading….

 Music

Love me some carols but I also love listening to parang….. this latin Christmas music that's very popular in Trinidad.

Trini stuff

Though we are in Canada, I love having Caribbean stuff during the season… cue the black cake (a rummy fruit cake), ponche a creme (rummy egg nog), pastelles (a flat tamale) and sorrel (a fruity spiced drink)


Husband Shopping

Here's the deal. I buy for everyone else and D buys for me but even then he gets stumped. So now we head out to a nice lunch/dinner together and then head to the mall. I then point out many possible options and he decides what he likes out of those for me…. and sometimes he doesn't. But it's nice QT nonetheless. 

Christmas Eve Carolling

For quite a few years now, we've gone to our aunts house for Christmas Eve and between all of the good food and good cheer, we also find time to do some carolling as well. It is some serious business with song sheets, a violin and keyboard. #awesomeness 




What are a few of your favourite traditions?

Linking up a YEAR later with Andrea and Erika  for Let's Talk. Traditions never get old right?

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16 comments:

  1. I love hearing about the different traditions, and I'm especially intrigued by your Caribbean influence. Very neat!
    Shoes to Shiraz

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  2. Great post! I love your enthusiasm for gift wrapping! I barely add a ribbon :)

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  3. These are such great traditions! i NEED to post about ours! We have SOOO many! We do Gingerbread cookies each year!

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  4. All your traditions are so great - I think gift wrapping is one of my favorites! xo, Biana -BlovedBoston

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  5. I love Christmas Cards too! I was so happy wehn we got ours sent out.
    www.amemoryofus.com

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  6. I remember making pastelles with my grandmother as a child. No clue how to make it now or sorrel...Will me missing all the Trini things this Christmas.

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  7. The traditions are what make the holidays! Random, but we checked out a Carribean Christmas book from the library and it talked about sorrel and black cake! Boy, it made me drool.

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  8. Such fun!!! I love sending and getting cards as well. I truthfully love everything about this time of year...now I just need snow.

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  9. Your family has so many wonderful traditions! So far we have our annual Gingerbread house party and we put up a tree :)

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  10. Love your traditions. I need to implement a few of these myself
    http://makingrestorations.blogspot.com

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  11. Love all your traditions! I think we might need some video of this year's Christmas Eve caroling ;) I have the worst singing voice ever, so I'll just live vicariously through you guys on that one!

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  12. Such a great post full of so many of my favorites too. I LOVE the shopping date. I should really try that. I usually end up buying my own gifts :).

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  13. Such a great post full of so many of my favorites too. I LOVE the shopping date. I should really try that. I usually end up buying my own gifts :).

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  14. You have so many awesome traditions! I especially love Christmas cards too... it makes getting the mail so much more sweet! Thanks for linking up with us! XO

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  15. I miss caroling! Baking with your girls - so special! They will cherish those memories. xoxox

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  16. So many of my faves too! I am so with you on sending the cards early...I have been all twisted up because it's December 7th and I have only received 4 cards in the mail!!! I absolutely love the date with the hubby. We don't buy each other gifts..I buy enough gifts for myself..but I do usually love a day out "shopping" with him before the big day. This typically ends up being us sitting at a bar at one of our fave restaurants ordering drinks, apps and buying gift cards. lol

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Hearing from you makes me so happy!!

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