Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Jingle Bell Tag




I am participating in a "Jingle Bell Tag" blog hop with several friends. Thank you Renee, from Launderlife.com, for organizing the tag questions and designing the graphic.

1. What were your favorite/least favorite childhood holiday traditions?
I loved every tradition that surrounded Christmas when I was growing up. My favorites were knowing that each year after the Christmas parade we would decorate my parents Christmas Tree. We also stood in the same place at the parade each year & now I stand there with my children. I also loved shooting off Fireworks each year with my mom’s family each year on Christmas Eve.
When my sisters & I were older a tradition that we call the “shoebox gifts” got started by accident. My parents had been in a hurry wrapping gifts and realized they had purchased too many stocking stuffers, so they threw several small items & a movie in a shoebox and wrapped it up. We now get shoebox gifts filled with socks, yearly planners, office supplies, and little trinkets.

2. What's your favorite holiday tradition(s) that you’ve started as an adult in your own family?
My favorite tradition up until this year was visiting the lights show at Cheehaw Park in Albany, GA. We always go to see my in laws over Thanksgiving and would drive up to attend the light show on Friday night. There are thousands of lights that you drive thru, an area where you can roast marshmallows over an open fire, a meet & greet with Santa, and you can pay extra to ride a train and view additional lights. We looked forward to it each year but they changed the schedule for 2013 and it’s no longer open Thanksgiving weekend. L

3. When do you put the tree up and start playing holiday music?
I begin playing Christmas music the day after Thanksgiving.
We normally put up the Christmas tree on December 1st but we were traveling this year so we put it up the first week of December.

4. What are you asking Santa to leave for you under the tree and in your stocking this year?
I haven’t asked for anything so I am interested in seeing what Santa comes up with. I would love to find fun new makeup in my stocking.

5. What was your favorite holiday gift you received as a child?
My favorite Christmas gifts from my parents growing up were a old school game boy and all the accessories. Another year I got a 3 wheeler ATV, my sisters got a motorcycle & a go cart. We had a blast with those gifts for years to come.
My favorite gift that didn’t come from my parents was a hand stitched blanket that my grandmother had a lady in our community make for me. I cherish is and use it almost daily.

6. How do you give back during the holidays?
We do a lot of “acts of kindness” during the holiday season and discuss the reasons with our children when we are doing them. We donate canned food, take meals to friends who are going through a rough time, donate toys or needed items to the Ronald Mcdonald House, give candy canes to tired cashiers as we shop, and lots of other things. It’s great to give back year around but it feels more magical during Christmas.

7. What is your favorite holiday movie?
ELF! I can quote most of the movie.

8. Fill in the blank: "It wouldn't be the holidays without _____."
It wouldn’t be Christmas without Jesus and memories with my family.  

4 comments:

  1. Quoting ELF has almost become a game in our house! Glad we're not alone... :)

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    1. Same here. My niece thinks it hilarious that I am so into that movie. lol

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  2. This was a great read Leah! I will have to remember this one next christmas! :)

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