Christmas Traditions

I'm feeling particularly "Christmasy" today, so I wanted to document my Christmas Traditions. Everyone had different traditions, here are some of mine:

1) Hanging the mistletoe around the house. We have 3 sprigs of it now, so I like to surprise my hubby with kisses in various doorways and hallways.

2) Jingle Dog - we have a red velvet collar with white fur and jingle bells on it, for Sport. At first he hates it, but since we leave it on him all month, he gets used to it. I call him my Jingle Dog!

3) Decorating the tree on Black Friday. Maybe it's weird, but I like to be respectful of Thanksgiving and not decorate until after. But the moment it's over, I start putting up my tree and decorations. Christmas is my fave holiday! I've got it down to a science, and usually all the decorations are done within 2 hours or so.

4) The Christmas Music Collection - I have been gradually collecting Christmas music for years now. I keep them in a case, that I pull out once a year. Then we rotate through all the CDs. New to the collection this year (compliments of Aunt Julie) are "Christmas with the Rat Pack" and "Diana Krall Christmas Songs." So far the Rat Pack is my fave, but I love them both.

5)Starbucks Christmas Blend Coffee - I treat myself a few mornings before Christmas, and sometimes even buy a bag of the coffee beans to grind & brew at home, although somehow the store's brew always seems to taste better. If you haven't tried it, you MUST drink some at least once. Delicious!

6) The Ham. Matt insists that either Thanksgiving or Christmas (one of the 2) HAS to have a Honeybaked Ham. He goes CRAZY for it (almost as crazy as the dog). I like Turkey on Thanksgiving, so usually Christmas is the HAM. No exception this year either. I picked it up yesterday.

7) Wearin' O the Red & Green - Over the years people give me funky socks (Santa Socks, Grinch Socks, etc). So I try to use them in the month of December. I even have a pair of Red Shoes I don, with my Christmasy outfits. No, I do NOT do the ugly sweater thing, unless it's for an Ugly Sweater party. I'm more about solid colors, some patterns, and I have a Nutcracker pin I like to put on my jacket. Winter Scarves are definitely in - so long a they are real scarves, not the fru-fru old-lady-kind. Still gotta be the Sexy Mrs. Lane ya know!

8) Santa Hats - once in a while we'll put on the Santa Hats. Not for long though. Most of the time the are hanging around my house on various lamps, curtain rods, or on my stuffed Grinch (he who guards my Poang Chair in the den...). good party accessory!

9) The Annual Christmas Card - I start planning mine in October. no seriously. Being married to a photographer has its perks, but we like to choreograph the perfect card. We start brainstorming early. Also, considering the time it takes to order the cards, have them printed, delivered to us, address them all, stamp them, mail them, etc, it takes a few weeks. I usually have them in the mail the day after Thanksgiving, if I can. Not that it's a competition, but I like being the FIRST card people see (I know that is super silly) but it's my "planning-ahead-ness" and I can't help it. Then I spend the rest of November/December, enjoying getting cards in the mail all month long. We hang them on a snowflake/shaped iron thingie that I hang in the dining room so I can see them all the time.

10) Eggnog - Matt loves Eggnog. I like it too, but I like it to have a kick. I used to get Silk Soynog (which is still tasty), but it is not so good for mixing with other things. Now-a-days I like the "Evan Williams Eggnog" - it comes pre-spiked with whiskey/bourbon, vanilla, caramel, flavors. oooh yes! No mixing required, and since it's alcoholic, we tend to drink it in smaller portions, and I only end up buying the one bottle. Previously, we'd have 2 bottles of eggnog (non-alcoholic) in the fridge, and that's like twice the calories, ug. Let's just do it Evan Williams way!

11) Year-round Christmas Shopping - now this may sound silly to you, but I love it. Throughout the year, I buy or collect gifts that I may use for Christmas Presents. I like this for several reasons: my gifts tend to be more unique or special to the recipient, the cost is spread across 12 months, not just all in 1 month, I beat the holiday rush of INSANE-SHOPPERS, and I can have my gifts wrapped as soon as I want to instead of all at the end of the year. Also, once the tree is up, I can just put these gifts under the tree right away!

12) Calendars, Day Planners, and Schedules - oh my! Being a plan-ahead-kind-of-gal, I really love Christmas time, because I get to give myself a NEW calendar/day planner/etc. It helps keep me organized for the coming year. It's also a great time to have everyone send you their latest current address/phone so you can update your contact list. This year I am getting more digital and less dependant on paper planners/calendars. My contacts and calendar are both on my gmail account, which is backed up and synched with my iPhone. I also have backup copies of the contacts in my Outlook at work, and my Yahoo account. So check it out, never will I worry about losing the info! It's also a great time to look ahead at the next year and figure out when I tentatively may want to book vacations or parties. Gmail even has a feature in the calendar, where you can add an appointment or event, AND invite more people! Kind of like a mini-Evite. It's great for "Save the date" type actions. and the best part is, it's FREE!

13) Reuse & Recycle - Call me Thrifty, but if you gift me a gift bag and tissue paper... I typically will save it and reuse it next year. Yes indeed. Why not use that Gift Bag more than once? Straighten and refold that pretty tissue paper, let's reuse it! Heck it's GREEN friendly too! Of course I don't reuse the ripped or torn things, but that is rare these days. And yes, I'll admit it. I also re-gift sometimes. Not a lot, but once in a while. Sometimes a well-meaning person will give me a fabulous gift, but it just isn't my thing. So, I will find it a better home. Of course usually the giver will have no idea at all that this ever happened. I don't want to hurt their feelings. I used to feel a teeny bit guilty about re-gifting until I caught my Mom doing it. It must be genetic. Anyway, it's totally another way to recycle things!

14) Gift Cards - Every year, I ask for Gift Cards for Christmas. I don't necessarily need a gift, I just want the gift cards. Why? Because I like to shop. AND as you know, EVERYTHING goes on sale After Christmas and through the beginning of the New Year! So, Gift cards let me SHOP and SAVE, what's not to like? It's the gift that keeps on giving!