Christmas Traditions

Taylor's year ot put on the angel

Oops, maybe this pic should have been first-cutting down our tree

Visiting Santa at the Christmas tree farm-one kid screaming, one kid smiling and one kid refusing to get anywhere near Santa.  Sounds about right!

Our Gingerbread House

Mailing letters to Santa

Baking cookies with friends

Downtown on the Circle

Cousins baking cookies at moms (Mamaws)

The three cookie bakers!

Christmas at the Zoo

Christmas Eve at my moms.  Todd refused to wear his matching pajamas b/c he had to run into CVS to get something :)  His don't really match anyway, so whatever....

Sprinkling Reindeer dust so Rudolph can find his way!

Leaving milk and Cookies for Santa.  I have no idea why Connor is shirtless.  We don't ask questions.

I am big on Christmas traditions and wanting to do the same thing every year so the kids will remember doing them and perhaps pass them on in their families.  The hard part for me is that I want to do EVERYTHING holiday related and really it is just too much.  For example, I want to cut my own tree down, see Santa everywhere (breakfast with Santa, see Santa land at the State museum, etc.), ride Polar Express in Connersville, do the Gingerbread exhibit at Connor Praire, do Jolly Days at the Childrens Museum, ride around and look at lights, walk around downtown and look at lights, Christmas at the Zoo, Make our own Gingerbread houses, bake cookies, make Christmas Candy etc. etc. etc.  Aren't you exhausted just reading that?  There is no way we can fit all of that into our already busy holiday schedule with Todd's work, Taylor's school events, family events and just every day activities.  There are some though that have already become traditions and that I will continue with.  Others we can do if there is time.  Traditions are still young in our family is Taylor, our oldest, is 7.  Two main ones are that we cut our own tree down at a tree farm and visit Santa at the tree farm.  We also make sure to go downtown to mail our letters to Santa and walk around looking at lights and then get hot chocolate and a treat from the South Bend Choc. Company.  We have gone up into into the monument on the circle the past couple of years but it was closed this year, much to the boys disappointment!  I tried to get tix to the Polar Expess but by the time I stopped dragging my feet-they were sold out!  We did manage to go to Christmas at the Zoo for the 2nd year in a row.  I love this!  It is beautiful and fun!  AND FREE if you have a membership!  Other things we do are sprinkle reindeer dust and leave cookies and milk for Santa on Christmas Eve.  We bake Christmas cookies with my mom and sister every year-1200 cookies this year!  And then deliver them to loved ones.  I also set out every year the Santa pictures from all years past.  There is even a picture of me with Santa when I was a little girl that my mom gave me for Christmas one year.  We alternate years that Taylor and Connor get to put the angel on the Christmas tree but everyone helps put on ornaments while playing Christma music.  All of the ornaments on our tree are special to me and one of my favorite things is to look at each one before it gets put on.  The kids like to put their own ornaments on-as I get them each a new ornament every year with the year marked on it.   My mom did this for me so when I got a place of my own, I had 23 ornaments from each year of my life ready to be put on my tree!  I found matching pajamas this year for everyone which I was really excited about!  Christmas morning before we go downstairs, daddy reads the story of how Jesus was born from the Bible and says a prayer so we can make sure in the hustle and bustle and Santa celebrations that we do remember why we celebrate Christmas.  I am so blessed to have my beautiful family.  We got a lot of nice material things for Christmas but all I really need is my family and friends to make me happy! (I am sure that is a line taken straight from a Lifetime Christmas Movie) Here are a few highlights of the Mann Family Christmas traditions!