More Christmas Traditions

I thought I had a pretty complete list of Christmas Traditions going, but after the holidays were all over, I realized that there are still a few more I don't want to forget!

 

Puzzles

 

My dad always gets a puzzle for Christmas. I do not have a single holiday memory that doesn't include a card table set up in the corner of the room, colorful puzzle pieces spread out, beckoning to passers-by. My dad is a serious puzzler. In the midst of the holiday craziness, he will sit quietly with his puzzle and a cold glass of beer until he has that thing completely put together. He always welcomes help, but I never last more than 10 minutes at a time and a few pieces. I just find the other holiday festivities too distracting!

This also brings up another tradition...

 

Opening One Present On Christmas Eve

 

After weeks of anticipation, Christmas Eve finally arrives, and the expectations and hyperactivity of children waiting for Santa Claus reaches an all-time high. My parents always helped us take the edge off by allowing us to open just one present on Christmas Eve. A tantalizing little preview of the insanity and greed to come the next morning...

 

And for my dad, this has always meant opening and beginning his puzzle (usually given to him by my sister, Erin).

 

Chinese Food

 

This is a fairly new tradition for us.

Christmas Eve is always pretty busy in our family, with people arriving from various destinations at all different times, filling the house full of people, gifts and suitcases. Many of us have to work Christmas Eve as well, which means sometimes we don't arrive until dinner time. Since my mom always attends Christmas Eve mass, it's a little much to also ask her to prepare a lovely Christmas Eve dinner. So instead, we've started ordering in Chinese! It's a fun, easy tradition that takes the pressure off everyone's schedules. You just arrive, grab a plate, and dig in!

Moscow Mules

 

This is a new tradition that Stew and I decided to try this year for the first time, and I think it's going to stick! We've become absolutely obsessed with Moscow Mules lately, and we wanted to share this delicious newfound drink with the family for Christmas. So we bought a set of copper mugs, stocked up on vodka, ginger beer, and limes, and hauled all the supplies down to my parents' house for Christmas.

They were a hit!

We ended up drinking so many of these fresh, delicious drinks on Christmas Eve that we had to go back out for more supplies the day after Christmas! We then proceeded to have a post-holiday party that involved many more Moscow Mules and, eventually, this...

{Drink at your own risk}

So there you have it. The conclusion of my favorite Christmas traditions.

 

I hope you and yours had a very merry Christmas!