Happy Holidays and traditions

This Christmas season when I was getting out the decorations, I found my Christmas Journal. Several years ago, I started a Christmas journal. I am not even sure where I got it... a gift I think. Anyway, I put it away every year with my decorations. This year, as I got it out, I thought..."I want to sit down amidst all these decorations and read this to the boys."... So we all sat down and they let me read it to them. I know this won't last and probably not even till next year. So I thoroughly enjoyed reading and sharing my personal Christmas thoughts with the boys! Actually, I would love to make it a new tradition.

So there we sat, sitting there in a little circle and I started reading. They sat there so quietly, only a question or 2. Most of my journal is trip prep, family interactions, the times we started new traditions, and what we received as gifts... I also have been known to a tiny bit Scrooge-like. So there are bits of what I feel like God has done in my heart over the Christmas season(s)... They endured all of that and seemed somewhat pleased with it.

I noticed that I ended up skipping several years in my journal. I guess I got busy (or Scrooge or Grinch-like) and just didn't do it. But I really want to keep it up...for myself and the boys, O and Tim if he wants ;)

Here's a list of a couple of our favorite newish traditions--we don't have that many, and not all that original as I truly used to 'just get by' at Christmastime. I love the true meaning of Christmas, just not all the trappings.
...I would LOVE have you comment on what yours traditions are, since I could use the ideas

-We fill stockings every year
-We get out the Christmas plates and table decor
(this is big for us, cuz we basically use paper plates)
-We read out of the Christmas journal (new one :)
-Tim usually buys me slippers
-We put up a nativity scene
(in years past this was instead of a tree, one day we hope to add the tree back in)
-the boys always help me decorate
-we have shrimp and snacks on the night before Christmas with Tim's parents
-God usually teaches me something new about the Season and it's Reason :)