To celebrate Thanksgiving and get in the Christmas spirit, we decided to write up a post for everyone to share their favorite holiday tradition with you! It was so fun to read the different things each girl shared and to hear what makes those things feel special to them and their family. We would love to hear your favorite tradition, too, so make sure you comment on this post so we can read and find out!


Ann ~
"When our kids were growing up, we would celebrate every Christmas Eve by moving our kitchen table next to the Christmas tree, turning out the lights, enjoying horderves by candlelight, and reading the Christmas story. And then, with the long anticipation over, we opened our gifts! It was a special evening we all looked forward to!"


Kim ~
"Ever since I was a little girl, my family would get together around the beginning of December to dip, decorate, and bake all kinds of Christmas cookies! We would all bring ingredients to make a couple of different kinds, and then spend the evening helping each other out and splitting up the goodies at the end! We have now carried the tradition on with my parents, siblings, and all our little kiddos! Now that I'm a parent, I see how much patience the adults had to have with my cousins and me when we were kiddos as we dumped WAY too many sprinkles on the pretty cut out cookies! Usually, lots of cookies get eaten before the night is over. But, it's so nice to have a good selection of cookies in the freezer to pull out for all the family get togethers! Some of our favorites are buck-eyes, kiss cookies, oreo balls, and cut outs!



Elsie ~
"My mom's side of the family has spaghetti and meatballs for dinner every Christmas. It sounds crazy but now I can't imagine Christmas any other way!"



Shelby ~
"Every Christmas morning, we wake up, eat Panera Bagels for breakfast, and then open stockings and gifts!"



Jenna ~
"From my first Christmas up until now, my parents have always given my siblings and me an ornament each year. They were always so thoughtful in which ones they picked out for each of us--choosing ones that related to our hobbies and were unique. We're still doing it, and it's one of the things I look forward to the most when I think about Christmas. As we decorate our tree with all the mismatched ornaments, it's fun to reminisce on the different things I've been interested in throughout the years. And, whenever I move out and have my own tree, I'll have a pretty good collection of ornaments to start out with!"




Bonnie ~
"I love to make homemade hot chocolate for the kids, pile in the car, and head over to the Festival of Lights. We drive through slowly, looking at the light displays and listening to the Christmas music, while sipping our warm drinks. It sparks that holiday feeling!"



Val ~
"Every Christmas we make Grandpa Johann's Apple Strudel. It's a giant pastry baked in a roasting pan and is full of apples and golden raisins and sugar. Grandpa is gone now, but we are remembering him by carefully stretching the dough thin, like he taught us, filling it with goodies, and retelling some of his great stories while it bakes. We miss him, but it's a way fro him to be with us in memory!"