Making Memories

As the boys have gotten a bit older we've developed few holiday traditions. We are excited to introduce some of them to the girls this holiday season. Besides the basics like putting up the tree and visiting Santa, we make our yummy clementines, watch holiday movies and read holiday books, volunteer time sorting donated toys for local charities and have each kid to pick out a new ornament for the tree.

This year the boys did a great job picking ornaments with meaning for them.

Logan's jet plane (because we attended our first air show this year)

Jack's soccer ball (because this was the boys first year on a soccer team)

The girls' ornaments have a bit less meaning. However, they are soft non-breakable ornaments which definitely speaks to a need for indestructible things for little hands. ;)

Bri's pink birdie

Des' purple birdie

The girls are still loving the tree. Every time we turn on the lights they sign 'tree' and pet it's branches. They also are enjoying rearranging all the ornaments on the lower branches (hence the need for more soft ornaments).

Some of our traditions have fallen by the wayside this year, like gingerbread houses, matching Christmas Eve pjs, driving around to look at lights and our countdown-to-Christmas calendar. Next year (with slightly older kids), I hoping to revive those traditions and even add a few new charitable ones.

Now I've got to figure out traditions for New Year's Eve. Any suggestions?