The Twelve Days of Tradition!

Yeah it's almost here!! And I can hardly wait!! Two more sleeps!! Yes I am a little child at this time of year and I'm not embarrassed to admit it!! I love Christmas. I love sharing. I love the food. I love the lights. I love decorating. I love baking. I love the music. I love the sparkly things (ohh something shiney) LOL! Okay yep I love it all!! And I'm worse than my children. And tonight, for my Christmas post, I thought I'd share a few of my personal favourites of the season and a couple of family traditions, that I've created with my children.

Here's how it goes at our house every Christmas...

1. On December 1st the usual stack of Christmas CDs are loaded (to put everyone in the mood) and then, the household transformation from drab to dazzling commences. The tree goes up and the entire day well into the evening is spent decorating. Not room is left out! No bathroom is safe! (it's an addiction really) LOL

2. From December 1st until January 1st Christmas music is played regularly to keep everyone in the mood!

3. All the Christmas movies are watched pretty much religiously. But there is a certain order. My hubby loves 'It's A Wonderful Life' where I'm a Dickens gal. I've got to watch 'A Christmas Carol' on Christmas Eve. My daughter's favourite is 'A Muppet Christmas Carol' and my son loves 'Scrooged'. And of course you've got to have a good laugh too. My personal favourite is 'National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation' (OMG the farting dog! And when the cat fries under the chair!) I laugh just thinking about it! The whole movie is great! And there are the children's classics: 'A Year Without A Santa Claus', 'The Little Drummer Boy' and so on.

4. There are traditional stories that I enjoy. The Grinch Who Stole Christmas. A Nightmare Before Christmas. (My daughter's fav) Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer.

5. Baking. We've got certain recipes, special family treats, that we make every year. Snowball Cookies (I posted the recipe previously), Pumpkin or Apple Pie, Blueberry Tarts & Lemon Tarts, Pineapple Squares, Panatone, Gingerbread Cookies, Sugar Cookies and Cupcakes with an inch of icing. And when the mood spurs I make a mean cheese cake! Last year I made pumpkin cheese cake. I've also made chocolate mint plus various others - oh yummy!

6. Adding to the food, every year I make something different for Christmas dinner. This was a tradition I started with my own children many moons ago. Like most people I grew up on turkey...and turkey... All right I love turkey, I do, but I can only handle so much. And since Thanksgiving is so close - well you get the picture. So each year we decide on something new! This year we'll be having chicken and gravy, fresh buns, stuffed peppers, scalloped potatoes, veggies, salad and lots of desserts. Should be awesome!

7. Sharing is also a big thing in our household. We always help out the food bank, homeless and various other charities at this time of year. I think it's important to give to those in need.

8. Because we're self-employeed we try to give a little something to the employees. If it wasn't for them we'd be out of work.

9. Aside from movies, food and all those other fun things, I also enjoy doing crafts. Yes crafts! LOL  I used to make people gifts instead of buying. But in the last few years, I've been seriously lacking in this area as life seems to have taken over. So I did take a little time out to start crafting again. I made a couple of light up Christmas broaches and a fancy decorated box! 

10. No house would be complete without some colour co-ordination! LOL We have two Christmas trees up (like I said it's an addiction)! In our great room I've got the big one, all decked out in a multitude of colours. And in the dining room slash living room I've got a purple tree...yes purple. The bulbs, lights and garland match! I know what you're thinking. I love purple. Aside from blue and black, it's a colour I can't live without! My bedroom's purple too. My husband is such a patient man! LOL

11. I'm a Christmas collector. 'What is a Christmas collector?' you ask. Well I love Christmas decorations...bulbs are bad for me and Santas...and ribbon... LMAO My daughter has literally dragged me from the stores. Again it's a sickness I think! 

Here's a great trick to remember for the season, if you've got a ton of Christmas tree bulbs like I do. I have this crystal bowl (fancy fruit bowl) that was a wedding gift. This thing is big, heavy and stands on three legs. And what I do, is fill it with the extra bulbs and set it out on my island in the kitchen. The bulbs sparkle - it looks great! 

12. Last but not least, wrapping paper and presents! I can't get enough of the fancy paper and bows, and all the other little things you can add to make the gift look extra special. I've added miniature stockings, candy canes, bells and even Christmas tree ornaments! 

Well that's all from me tonight. I won't be posting until next week. From my family to yours, I wish you all the very best for the season and a very Merry Christmas! 

Happy Yaoi Hunting!!

Blak Rayne ^_^!!

P.S. You didn't think I was going to let you go without a few funny pictures...did you??? LMAO Never!

Enjoy!