Christmas Traditions

Hello Friends..

How many of you have Christmas Traditions that have been passed on ?? Have you scrapbooked about them??
My family has many Christmas traditions. Most have been passed from my parents to my brother and I, some are from my grandmother.
My parents when we were little were crazy!! We had many family traditions when we were kids. Some of them have lived on to today!!
The Christams tree would be decorated by Santa!! We would go and pick our tree out the day after Thanksgiving, then a week before Christmas we would go and cut it down and bring it home. The day before Christmas Eve my Dad would bring it in and string the lights on it. My brother always had the task of putting the star or Angel on the tree. I had an angel ornament that I put on the tree. I got the ornament in 1st grade that was engraved with our last name on it from school.
On Christmas Eve, my Mom makes meatball and sausage for anyone who would stop by. Later in the evening, and after watching The Christmas Carol, we would go and visit my my Mom's 2 brother's..Uncle Howard and Aunt Charlotte, and Uncle Wesley and Aunt Virginia. Once we got home and when my brother and I were in bed my Mom and Dad ( who was usually tipsy by then) would decorate the tree and bring the gifts out. I remmebr my Mom telling me of one year my Dad was drunk and wanted all the presents under the tree including other family members..My Mom tried to explain to him that we were too young and would open them all! My dad wouldn't listen and they ended up kicking presents down the hall back and forth to each other! Luckily that tradition died after My brothr and I no longer "believed", much to my mom's relief! LOL
Another Christmas Eve tradition that is still carried on today is my dad reading Twas the Night Before Christmas to my brother and I..This tradition has been carried on since we were little. Even as teens and young adults..if we lived at home, we had to listen to my Dad read the story! Some years my boyfriends even endured the story!! LOL
A Christmas Eve tradition that started out as a Dad-kid tradition to a Dad-daughter tradition. When we were about 4 or 5 my Dad would take my brother and I out shopping on Christmas Eve for my Mom. The first year after we came home, my brother ran to my mom and told her what we got her..That ended the tradition for home. It was officially a Dad-daughter tradition from then on..Now, my girls go with my Dad if I can't go! This year I will be going home for Christmas so the tradition will still live on for another year!!

 My grandmother on my Dad's side was very religious with an Irish Catholic upbringing. She had a lot of traditions  that I still carry on today.
My grandmother always had a Nativity at Christmas time. Before my grandfather died they bought a Nativity piece for their church! The nativity I remember is a ceramic one that she painted herself. My Mom also has the same ceramic nativity that my grandmother had. We would go to the Paint Shak and help them pick out ceramics to paint!
I always have a Nativity or 2 displayed. It's important to me that my children know why we celebrate Christmas!
My grandmother always gave a Christmas card with the 3 wisemen to friends and family. It was believed to bring you good luck in the coming year! She also had a little plaque on the back of the front door which was said to bring good luck to the family in the coming year!
When my grandmother died I inherited her wisemen from her Nativity. I display them next to one of my Nativities.

These are just a few of my family's Christmas traditions..I hope to make a book of our Christmas traditions soon!! So what are your family traditions?? Post your favorite tradition and you could win a prize!!

Can't wait to read yours!!