Hi everyone, welcome to another episode of the summer of me.
We originally had this planned as one episode, but I am a festive
queen apparently, and have too many traditions to fit into one.
So.
This is a formally your Christmas tradition episode, um, where I'm going
to just dive into all of my holiday traditions, all of the things we've
created as a family, things I've seen online that I've like taken in and loved.
Um, and if you missed the Thanksgiving one that we shared a few weeks ago
and want to just put a pin in that for the next holiday season, um,
definitely go listen to that one.
Cause it's the beginning part of this episode.
So here we go.
So obviously, um, if you celebrate Hanukkah or Kwanzaa or no holiday at
all, um, feel free to listen and just hear about what we do as a family.
Um, but I also think that there are so many traditions.
So if you are listening and you celebrate, um, Hanukkah, for example,
I would love to hear like, what kind of Hanukkah traditions you have.
So feel free to leave them in the comments because I always love hearing that.
My kids are always asking, they'll be like, so and so celebrates Hanukkah.
Do you think we could celebrate that too?
I don't feel like we can, but I mean, honestly, like, um, let's do it.
Um, okay.
Just like the previous episode, I'm just going to ramble through all of
our traditions and no particular order.
Um, so feel free to take notes, add them to your list.
Take on our traditions as your own and share your own because I truly like
one of my favorite things is to go on Pinterest or Even like on reddit.
I know I'm a reddit whore.
I'm sorry, but like people share their amazing traditions
And I'm like I want to do that.
That's so it sounds so fun.
So cute So here we go Number one is Christmas Adam.
You guys probably heard this there's Christmas Eve and then there's Christmas
Adam Christmas Adam comes before Christmas Eve If you know, you know, and we always
try to do some sort of dinner or something to celebrate Christmas, Adam Usually we go
out And it's like obviously like leading up to Christmas is the most fun like time
of year where you're just like there's so much Anticipation the kids are so excited.
I'm so excited It just feels so like wholesome and festive and all
the things and so we try to really just it out for as long as we can.
So Christmas Adam is always the night before Christmas Eve.
And we go out with a bang and just do like a big night out.
The kids love to dress up and go out to eat somewhere fun
and festive Christmas day.
Usually the kids will do a gift exchange.
This is a really fun way to get your kids involved in gifting.
They obviously have 0 to their name.
Um, so I'm, I like, this is part of my Christmas budget, but they,
I really like try to empower them, like, okay, they all draw a name.
I have obviously a bazillion kids, so this is a little easier, but even
if you have two kids, just swap them.
Um, and they get to decide, like, you know, okay, I drew this person.
What, like, what do you want to get them?
And I let them kind of just like, we do this usually a week before Christmas,
we draw names or two weeks even.
And so they really have time to like, think about kind of like,
they get real funny with it.
They're like.
So what if you were to get a Christmas gift?
Cause it's secret Santa, so they don't know who buys for what each other.
But like, if you were to get a Christmas gift, like, what do you think you'd want?
And like, they do a really cute, creative job of picking out gifts for each other.
I give them a budget.
I think it's like 25 or something is what we've done.
Um, and letting them, they wrap it themselves.
They put it under the tree.
It's.
And honestly, like if you don't have more than one kid, like you can do that with,
uh, we've done it with other families in the past or like with the parents.
So it's like, you know, the three of you pick something for each other.
And sometimes parents, I, we, we would buy gifts for each other.
Usually I like that because I like our kids to see that,
like, it's not all about them.
Like parents deserve gifts too and whatnot.
So when I was married, like we would always buy a gift for each other.
And if you want to do like secret Santa with your kid and the adults too, like.
That works Christmas morning walk, depending on the weather, but
usually it's not like pouring rain.
Um, we will do a walk.
Like it is, you don't realize like how stuffy your house gets Christmas morning.
You open all the presents and then it's like breakfast and all the things.
You gotta move your body.
So Christmas morning walk, we go out in our pajamas.
Usually, somebody's wearing something that they got from that day.
I did see like a really cute tradition that I, when I was like
reading through stuff at one point.
That was like, if you don't have like, if you don't have young kids
in your family or even if you do.
They would all go to the pub on Christmas afternoon.
dress.
They have to wear everything that they got apparel wise.
So they go to like bathrobe socks.
Like if you got socks, you have to wear all four pairs of socks.
And that was like what they had to wear out to the bars on Christmas night.
I will say the years that I have not had the kids, we have gone to
like out to a bar on Christmas, like Christmas evening, not Christmas
Eve, but like the night of Christmas.
And it has actually been like the most fun because it's kind of like, what do
you, you know, What do you always do?
Sometimes it feels like anticlimactic if you're not with like a bunch of family.
And so, um, like going out and like, there's Christmas carols and like, people
are just like happy and it's so festive.
So that is like something if you don't have kids or if you have like,
you know, if you just need a little break, that's a good activity to do.
Um, but we always do Christmas morning walk jammy cocoa Christmas.
This is hands down my kids favorite Christmas tradition.
Um, I saw this idea from this other blogger mix and match mama is her name,
but jammy cocoa Christmas is every year, usually like sometime in the
first couple of weeks of December, the kids, we all wear matching Christmas
pajamas, adults and kids last year, Anna came with us, my friend, and we.
Do our Christmas jammies.
We go to Starbucks, go hat.
You have to go in, get a hot cocoa in your pajamas.
It's a whole thing.
We take a picture, everything, and then get back in the car, put on a
Christmas playlist and we drive and go look at Christmas lights everywhere.
Um, and it's like my kid's favorite thing to like, it's such a novelty to
go out in their pajamas in the evening.
And like, we just make a whole night of it and it's really fun.
Um, we either go like drive around neighborhoods or we'll go to
like an actual Christmas lights.
Like experience or display or whatever.
Um, but we stay in the car.
Nobody brings like, nobody's having to like, you know, bring
coats and all that kind of stuff.
Cause we're just in a Starbucks.
No.
Um, so that's a really fun one.
Uh, let's see.
I, I'm an aesthetic hoe, so I don't let my kids go all out on this, but I let them
pick Wrapping paper within reason they don't know when presents start showing
up under the tree which one is there, so I leave it It's a really easy way.
I do not like having to like label every gift and i'm not a ribbons
and bows kind of gal I actually love like pretty presents, but when you're
wrapping gifts for five children There's absolutely zero time for that.
So, um, I just, everybody gets their own wrapping paper.
It makes my job really easy and it makes them like, love, they love the
guessing game of like, well, maybe this is mine, shakes their presents, all that.
I firmly believe in putting presents out as they get wrapped.
The kids love like, Oh my God, there's a new present.
Like some people do not put any presents out and they put
everything out, um, overnight, but.
That's just my take on that.
Um, we always get a new ornament for the Christmas tree.
We have the pickle ornament.
I don't know if you guys know the pickle ornament, but every year we usually
do this a few times, but like, well, I'll hide the pickle and then like
whoever can find it gets whatever treat.
Usually it's just like candy or something like that.
Although I feel like I need to make the stakes a little bit higher for the
kids at this point and like, because they find it so easily, um, and like
really hide it somewhere really well.
And like, The gift has to be like, maybe like 25 to target or something.
I got to like up the ante a little bit.
Chinese food on Christmas Eve.
So if I have the kids on Christmas Eve, we do take out.
I am not trying to cook like multiple meals and it's
really like a fun tradition.
So we've done Chinese food on Christmas Eve.
We've done pizza on Christmas Eve.
Um, just like something easy.
Everybody's just like cozied in.
We do pajamas.
We watch a Christmas movie.
I always let the kids open one present on Christmas Eve.
And then I'm like, And I pick the present.
They don't get to pick it.
So usually it's something that like I know will kind of like keep them busy.
Um, because they are driving me up a wall at that point, asking
how long until Santa's coming.
Now, listen, elf on the shelf is a holiday tradition, but I just have to tell you,
I have a fucking bone to pick with it.
I hate the elf on the shelf.
I find it obnoxious.
It is a pain in my ass.
My elf is a lazy little fuck.
My elf is for sure unemployed.
I'm just telling you it is lazy.
It is like not doing anything with, with its life.
Um, there are no zip lines there.
Like the best I can do is like throw a candy cane in the toilet
and set the elf next to it.
Like I am, I am done with the elf on shelf.
I would like the tradition to die, but it can't because my kids.
Are so obsessed with it and like their friends have it and they're they ask
their friends else names and what your elf do overnight So, um, I do not have
a suggestion or tips for you on that except for that Like the bare minimum
is usually just enough to get by There are like packages you can buy there are
things like you can buy full kits Some people go like so all out with it their
elves deliver like they make messes Like why the fuck is your elf making a mess?
They make like they deliver full breakfast I I don't I love the holidays.
I love christmas but like that to me is You It's so much.
It's just so much.
Okay.
Puzzles.
Obviously, we already talked about this for the Thanksgiving episode.
There's always a Christmas puzzle on the table.
Um, we have done in years past, we've done Christmas Eve brunch.
This is a really fun tradition.
We used to do this with friends.
I, um, haven't done this since moving to Nashville, um, mostly because,
um, So Christmas Eve brunch, we obviously go out Christmas Adam.
Christmas Eve brunch is a fun way to like celebrate with another
family that you're close to.
And it's like a good way, like most of the time there's not
stuff going on on that morning.
And again, like I'm, I'm trying to keep the kids busy on the holiday,
like between those days of Christmas.
Because I feel like otherwise they go crazy and I go crazy.
Um, we always do church on Christmas Eve.
Uh, speaking of, we always try to adopt a family.
Um, my parents did this growing up.
They always did.
Always adopted a family, bought all the gifts for their whole family.
And I, like I said, like we were not, we didn't grow up like wealthy by any
means, I feel like we were very like middle class and my parents always made
this sacrifice, which I always admired.
It was like, Hey, they have zero dollars.
So like, we can definitely like make some sacrifices of our own
and contribute to their family.
Um, we've done this in the past, like pulling like little angels off of
Christmas trees at church, where like you can donate to people, Memphis's
preschool has done it in years past.
Um, but I also love the idea of like.
And in my parents, when they adopted a family, like the family never knew there
was no, like, my mom would pay the, like, she would slide cash, the UPS driver
and give him like Tupperwares of gifts and like to deliver to certain families.
It was like incredible.
And I loved watching it.
We, we would go pick out all the gifts.
Like it was a whole thing.
Um, and so that's something that like, I really want to start
doing with our kids is like.
Finding a family that like, you know, could use that support and that help.
And just like doing it anonymously, I think gifting anonymously over the
holidays is like such a great way to go about it, but I, my kids also love
like to pick, you know, like a five year old girl who needs X, Y, and Z
off the Christmas tree and then like.
The donation tree.
And then we go pick it out, wrap it, like get them all excited about the experience.
And it's a really good way to teach your kids that like, man, not
everybody's as fortunate as you are.
And don't even think that like you have one ounce of like complaining to do that.
Like you didn't get this present or you didn't get enough presents.
Like, I think really instilling in my kids that like, you don't, you
don't actually need any of this stuff.
This is like a privilege and not everybody has it.
And so being grateful for the things that you do get.
We have done this in years past and I already told the kids, this is
something we're doing again this year because it actually is like
more for me to keep me in check.
But, um, it's really easy.
I think when you have kids and, and you have means like to be like, I'm going
to just get them everything that they could ever want, and then they end up
with like so many things and so many presents and shit gets tossed to the side.
They don't care.
So this year we're doing something to something you want, something you need,
something to wear and something to read.
So it's four gifts that they get.
Um, and the, like, you know, obviously like the bigger your kids
are, like the more expensive things will be and so on and so forth.
But it keeps the playing field even kids, at least for my kids, like my mom always
did it like you guys get the same budget.
And so like, I might get less presents at my kids ages.
They get the same amount of presents cause they be counting.
Let me tell you, they be counting.
And so, um, This year, like everybody will get four presents
plus their stocking and it gives them like an idea of what to ask for.
So it's like, okay, what book do you want?
What's something you need?
What's something you just want, you know, like a Lego set or whatever,
and then something to wear.
So obviously they, they love the older girls, especially love clothes.
And so, um, yeah.
It's just like a fun, easy way to do holiday gifts where it keeps you in check.
It keeps your finances in check.
It's so easy to go into debt, to overspend for the holidays.
And this has been like a fun tradition, um, for the kids.
And then they all open each one at the same time.
So like.
I'm a big, like, I'm kind of hardcore about opening Christmas presents.
We do not do a free for all.
Absolutely not.
We need to see what every person got.
It's one at a time and I don't fucking care how long it takes.
You will sit here and you will watch everybody else slowly and patiently open
their present and then it's your turn.
And then the next person's turn.
And this is why also like I try to do like the same amount of gifts for each
kid, because otherwise it's like, well, when he has four more presents to go
and the rest of you are done and like, so then they lose interest and so on.
So.
Anyways, the last tradition that we do on, well, I'm sure there's other
little random ones, but like the last one is we always do a birthday
cake, um, on Christmas Eve for Jesus.
So Jesus, we believe, um, that like Christmas is Jesus birthday.
And so we do like, we, I'll make like a confetti cake and we blow it.
Like we sing happy birthday, Jesus.
And we blow out the candles and that's like our Christmas Eve dessert.
So that's always like a fun little, and I let the kids help make it and whatnot.
Um, and it's like a fun little tradition that they get to do.
So we pick out the candles and the whole thing.
Um, and I am psycho and I take the tree down the night of Christmas.
I don't want to see it.
If it's the 20 this year, we won't because I have the kids Christmas night,
but it, if Christmas is over and the presents are unwrapped, I am done.
I do not want to look at, usually it's been up since November 1st.
So like I'm done.
I don't want to look at anymore.
It's time for new year's.
It's time for a fresh start.
Um, and we Take all the ornaments down, pack everything away,
and then like clean the house.
This is usually the day after Christmas.
It's like a big house cleaning.
Like we get, I shouldn't say I take the tree down.
Some, most of the years we'll take all the ornaments down.
And then the next day, like we'll do the whole tree and clean the whole
house, put all of our gifts away.
Otherwise they just absolutely sloth their way into the living
room for the rest of the year.
No.
Um, and I look forward to that day too, because it's like, you have
this fresh start going into the new year, new year's, we never, like,
we don't have crazy traditions.
Usually we'll always do like a champagne or like, you know, sparkling cider toast.
The kids get like fancy glasses.
We watched new year's Eve, the movie.
And, um, like I asked the kids, like, what are your goals?
Like, what do you want to do for the year?
And like, you know, as they get older, they get more evolved.
But, um, um, We, I would feel, I would say like New Year's traditions
like really vary in our house.
We haven't kind of found our niche in terms of that, but you bet your ass
the Christmas tree is done zo by then.
Um, so anyways, those are our holiday traditions.
Like I said, I would love to hear yours.
Please leave comments.
Um, send me a DM.
Like I think, I would, it would be fun to like compile a whole
list of everybody's traditions.
Um, and like I said before, like you really can create
a tradition out of anything.
It's like a repetitive behavior.
And so if there's something where you're like, I'm just trying to create
a tradition, start making the same thing on the same day, every year,
start going to the same dinner place, ordering the same takeout food is a
really easy way to build tradition.
Um, you know, Christmas music, there's so many ways to do it.
Um, but it just takes intention and a little bit of magic.
Um, and you really like.
I think one of the best ways with kids and traditions is
really to just like play it up.
Like, okay, it's jammy cocoa Christmas.
Like make sure, like, you know, I hype it up.
I make sure that they know it's coming.
Like it just, it doesn't take a whole lot for kids to really find magic
in the holidays and for us to find magic in the holidays, honestly.
So Merry Christmas.
Thanks for listening to the summer of me.
You can listen to episodes on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you listen to
podcasts, or you can watch on YouTube.
Come hang out and follow my chaos on Instagram at Kendra for now.
See you next time.