Cunningham Christmas Traditions

I have been thinking a lot about traditions lately (it's that time of the year) and have read many blogs reflecting on the topic which made be think about our families traditions.   

When Bj and I married 17 years ago, we didn't have a lot of discussions about what traditions and what we wanted for this time of year.  Over the 20 years we've celebrated Christmas together the traditions sort of fell into place.

We've always celebrated Christmas Eve with Bj's family and Christmas Day with my family.  This has been the foundation of our traditions and here are other traditions that have developed in the last 20 years:

Our family and Kami's family meet at my mother-in-law's house for a Christmas Eve lunch and gift exchange.

We leave Paula's and drive to Bj's cousin Connie's house for Christmas Eve dinner.

Christmas morning, we wake-up and open presents as a family and then eat cinnamon rolls for breakfast.

Around noon, my parents, my sister and her family come to our house to exchange gifts and have dinner.

One highlight of Christmas dinner are my mom's cheesy potatoes (aka: Bj's potatoes).

A new tradition that we started last year is wearing pajamas for Christmas...we like hanging out in our jammies.

 

We hope these traditions withstand the test of time and are things my kids will appreciate even when they are grown.  Who knows, maybe we'll add a few more before they begin creating traditions of their own.

What traditions do you and your family enjoy?

The Cunningham Family Dictionary

As most kids do, my two girls made up there own words for everyday items.  Here is a list of some of those words:

mo-mo  (mo mo)  n  milk in a sippy cup.

sippy cup  (sippy cup)  n  a plastic cup with a lid on it.  Inside the lid is a valve that stops the milk from leaking out when the child turns the cup upside down.

'key  (key)  n  for Kelsey it's a blanket made by my friend Jody.  For Hailey it's a blanket made by Grandma Honey.

Grandma Honey  (grandma honey)  n  Bj's mom Paula.

go way me  (go way me)  v  a phrase Kelsey used in the middle of a tempertantrum requesting that we leave her a lone.

I hold you   (I hold you)  v  another phrase Kelsey created.  She used this one when she wanted to snuggle.  It was not a question, but rather a statement.

paper toilet*  (paper toilet)  n  paper used in the bathroom, aka: toilet paper.

TP Cruiser*  (TP Cruiser)  n  aka:  the Chrysler PT Cruiser.

*Hailey often flipped words around (ex: tooth brush/brush tooth)

A Christmas Surprise

"Girls, come here," my dad said in a whisper.  "I forgot a present for your mom in my closet.  It's heavy so I need both of you to go and get it for me." 

The year was 1983, I was 10 and my sister was 7. 

We tip-toed off to my dad's room in your night gowns and socks like we were on a secret CIA mission.  We located our target and slowly opened the door, keeping our eyes open and remembering our mission, a gift for mom.  My eyes locked on an object that just didn't seem correct.  Is that what I think it is?  No, it couldn't be.  I've already opened many great presents.  Next thing I remember is screaming, I'm not sure if it was me or my sister.  I grabbed the object and ran to the living room, hoping the package I was carrying was for me and my sister, not my mom. 

Thankfully, my dad had lied.  He didn't send us on a mission for my mom, but on a mission to find our last Christmas gift...an Atari 2600!! 

Hailey Channels Annie

When we gave Hailey the middle name Anne, I never thought it would become her alter ego.  Hailey has always dressed in phases...there was the stretch pants phase, the skirt phase and the Annie phase. 


It all began when she saw the movie Annie (the 1999 version starring Kathy Bates and Victor Garber).  Hailey was still in the skirt phase and had one red dress she wore often.  After seeing the movie it became her Annie dress.   

Image courtesy of http://www.imbd.com/




Hailey was obsessed with Annie. She watched the movie several dozen times, wore her one red dress often and even dressed as Annie on Halloween.  Her only wish for Christmas that year was an Annie dress...over the course of this phase she would end-up with three Annie dresses (simple red dresses).  When Hailey opened her Annie dress present Christmas morning...she held it up and started singing, "It's my Annie dress, my Annie dress," as she twirled around the living room. 


The Annie phase only lasted a few more months...nine years later, in her jeans and sloppy shoes phase, I often think of my little girl twirling her red dress.




Halloween 2001
(this also became her Christmas dress...
she wouldn't even consider wearing a different dress)

Annie dress #3 - the one she received for Christmas





A Spiderman Christmas

I remember it was the first Christmas when Kelsey actually understood what Christmas was -a man in a red suite with a white beard brings me presents.  I think she was almost 3 years old, not quite old enough to create her Christmas wish list and this is when "Santa" must listen in on 2 and 3 year old conversations to determine what the Christmas wishes are. 

All of the shopping was done, everything wrapped, and we were just waiting for the big day.  Bj and I waited until the last minute -Dec. 23 I believe- to take the kids to sit on Santa's lap and have a picture with him -what were we thinking...long line, Santa's dinner break...it took forever!.  When it was finally Kelsey's turn to sit on Santa's lap, she crawled up into his lap and quickly told him she wanted a Spiderman for Christmas. 

Huh?  Where did that come from? Did I hear her correctly?  Spiderman? And when Mommy was quizzing her about wish ideas, why was this not mentioned?

In my quest to make Christmas magical and special and wonderful for my family I was on a mission...I needed to find a Spiderman before Christmas Eve -about 12 hours...Yikes!- I recruited the help of Papa, this amazing man who will stop at nothing to make sure his grandchildren get whatever they wanted -a superhero in is grandchildren's eyes-. 

Late morning, on Dec. 24, Papa called and said, "It's in your milk box."  Sure enough a Snowboarding Spiderman -no she's not really into snowboarding, it was the only Spiderman left in the South King County area- appeared in the milk box in time for Christmas Eve.

Kelsey woke-up the next morning and found her wish under the tree...she loved it and Spiderman enjoyed many hours of play with Barbie.

Spiderman image courtesy of Bing Images