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an archived personal and craft blog from Elise Blaha Cripe.

christmas traditions.

IMG_1106 I started thinking yesterday about what I remember about Christmas. Christmas seems to be the most highly anticipated and tradition heavy of all the holidays.

I remember:

  • seeing all of the same decorations come back every year
  • candlelight nights as a family
  • Christmas morning drills (Yes, that would be PRACTICING for Christmas morning)
  • getting pajamas and slippers from M&D on Christmas Eve
  • Christmas dresses and velvet hair bows
  • taking family photos with the timer
  • Christmas Eve dinner of lobster for Dad and chicken keiv for the rest of us
  • bending candles into shapes during Christmas Eve service
  • waiting until 6am when the tree lights were on
  • presents from Santa wrapped and labeled with an "E" or an "R"
  • finding letters from Santa all crinkled up from the long sleigh ride
  • the year Santa left the couch moved away from the chimney and a soot footprint on the floor
  • the year Robbie was convinced Baby Jesus would be visiting our house instead of Santa Claus
  • helping Mom write a summary of the whole year in our Family Christmas Book

Writing this post is making me emotional. Christmas was quite magical for Robbie and me. It is strange but exciting that I am closer to starting my own family and building our own traditions than I am to these memories. I remember Dad saying that much better than Christmas as a kid was Christmas as a parent. I never understood how that was possible. But now I get it – on such a special night, you help supply the magic.

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17 responses to “christmas traditions.”

  1. Anilu Magloire Avatar
    Anilu Magloire

    Aw! I loved to see the same decorations and ornaments come out every single year too.
    Now I’m all teary eyed…

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  2. Veronica Avatar
    Veronica

    gosh damn it woman!
    I cry as I type, cause this is so true. Last year the face on my 2 year old was priceless after he opened his train table. Goodness it was the best $100 ever spent!
    Oh, we won’t even go into the first time he met Santa.
    Thanks for the morning cry. 🙂

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  3. Veronica Avatar
    Veronica

    gosh damn it woman!
    I cry as I type, cause this is so true. Last year the face on my 2 year old was priceless after he opened his train table. Goodness it was the best $100 ever spent!
    Oh, we won’t even go into the first time he met Santa.
    Thanks for the morning cry. 🙂

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  4. Allison Avatar
    Allison

    i’m glad that i’m not the only one who feels that way about christmas.
    it sounds silly, but i’m so very excited to have little ones of my own so we can have our own family traditions. looking back, i can see how hard my parents tried, and how important it was that our own little family had our traditions, and how, no matter how crazy busy we were, these traditions still happened.
    some of my favorites and ones i’m excited to start:
    – a yearly ornament (adam and i have already started this, and we both look forward to it every year)
    – wrapping 25 christmas books and letting my child unwrap one each night for their bedtime story until christmas.
    – advent calendars
    – choosing a name from the angel tree to help out a needy family

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  5. Caroline Avatar
    Caroline

    So great! I have so much to look forward to. I am sending this to Henry.

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  6. Marina H. Avatar
    Marina H.

    I love that your dad said that. My parents said the exact same thing, and their efforts really made my Christmases special. I know a lot of people that had Santa ruined for them almost right away…i couldn’t imagine not believing in Santa through my childhood…
    Your Christmas posts are really inspiring me to be festive, thanks! If i had more time/supplies I’d make your wreaths.
    Hey, here’s a PS question/suggestion. Any favorite Christmas papers you could recommend? I’m on a mission to make my own gift tags and I’d love your suggestions. Take care!!

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  7. Elaine Avatar
    Elaine

    this post made ME emotional. You really know how to grab your audience. My parents were REALLY into Christmas and the soot footprint reminds me of things my mom and dad used to do as “evidence” :]
    i loved this post SO much, Elise. :]

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  8. Marina H. Avatar
    Marina H.

    I love that your dad said that. My parents said the exact same thing, and their efforts really made my Christmases special. I know a lot of people that had Santa ruined for them almost right away…i couldn’t imagine not believing in Santa through my childhood…
    Your Christmas posts are really inspiring me to be festive, thanks! If i had more time/supplies I’d make your wreaths.
    Hey, here’s a PS question/suggestion. Any favorite Christmas papers you could recommend? I’m on a mission to make my own gift tags and I’d love your suggestions. Take care!!

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    Reply
  9. leni Avatar
    leni

    Aww, my M&D also give us new pj’s! It’s the only present we are allowed to open on Christmas Eve. (Looking back, I think it’s for the pictures the take the next day!)

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  10. robbie Avatar
    robbie

    the good old days, weirdest part is that they will never happen again. Remember sneaking down the hall and peeking over the stairs to see the pile of wrapped presents get bigger? or trying to bend the candles and snapping them in half. or the first time m and d jumped out from behind the door during a cmd. Wow, good memories beeze, good post

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  11. mary Avatar
    mary

    my girls are nearly grown and gone and santa still comes. believing is one of the best parts of christmas, I think. and I LOVE the “brown paper packages tied up with string…” that song has been going through my head these last few days and I love seeing it for real. merry merry!

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  12. Sarah Avatar
    Sarah

    Love this post.

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  13. thursday Avatar
    thursday

    We would always get up really early and check out what was in our stockings. My husband’s family got up at 10. BORING. We opened one present christmas eve (and that’s when we’d take the family photo with the timer). And mom always makes spritz cookies. And rosettes. And we always go to a christmas eve service. But this year… I’m spending the holiday 2000 miles from most of my family.
    Really? Christmas as a parent is better? Perhaps of a slightly older child…my little guy will only be 5 months old. I’m not even sure about buying gifts for him!

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  14. rani Avatar
    rani

    I love this nostalgic time too! You have written it beautifully with inspiration! I get the whole parent things too, especially now with two young ones of my own! Best wishes to you and yours this holiday season!

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  15. heyjenrenee Avatar
    heyjenrenee

    this was such a fun post to read – thanks for sharing your memories. 🙂

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  16. heyjenrenee Avatar
    heyjenrenee

    this was such a fun post to read – thanks for sharing your memories. 🙂

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  17. Heather Brittany Avatar
    Heather Brittany

    you seriously brought tearms to by eyes!! 😀 So true… I look forward to my own Christmas time as a parent one day! For Easter, my mom used to leave bunny feet going through the house that I would follow to my easter basket. Can’t wait to bring that much joy to other people!

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