christmas traditions

I have been thinking non-stop about Christmas traditions to do with J. Here is what I have come up with so far:

1. Visit to Santa-Did this every year with my family and every year we hung our yearly photos. Visiting my Grandma and Grandpa was the best because they hung all their children's photos, too.

2. A framed picture ornament with yearly photos. Something like this:

3. Holiday baking-The Martha Stewart Sugar Cookie recipe is amazing! I bought the same cookie cutters I used every year as a kid!

4. Christmas Ships on Alki Beach-When we were little we could hear/see the caroling from our house. As soon as we heard/saw the ships, we would pile in my mom's van, drive the three blocks to Alki to listen/watch, and dream of all our Christmas wishes.

5. Snow fall at Pacific Place-The soap snow really does look real. Plus they have the best bell choir.

6. Buying a new ornament for J

7. Skiing in Idaho-J is all ready with her first Schweitzer sweatshirt. She also has her first pink, cozy snowsuit hanging in her closet.

8. Driving around W. Seattle looking at holiday lights.

9. Christmas mass-There is something special about Christmas mass and music. When I was a school girl at Holy Rosary I secretly wanted to play Mary in the annual Christmas mass production. Never happened, but I did love singing all those Christmas songs in the choir.

10. Tree decorating while listening to Frank Sinatra's Christmas album (on repeat). Yep, had the tape as a kid and so of course I now have the CD.

11. Hanging my Great Grandmother's handmade Christmas ornaments. They were too fragile and special to hang on the tree, so we always hung them with ribbon from the windowsills. They look a lot like this:

12. Watching all the holiday movie classics

13. Last but not least, a new Christmas book each year. I loved, adored reading ours when I was small. My favorite was a Rudolf one that actually played the song when you opened the book.

I'm sure I am forgetting something, but we are off to a great start!