Family Christmas Traditions

One of our Christmas Eve traditions since I was a little girl is to eat dinner at the round coffee table in my parent's living room. When we were kids it was such a unique and fun experience for that one day a year to have our meal sitting cross-legged on the floor in front of the fireplace. We usually have salmon and shrimp as the main course and after dinner we go around the table and share our best and worst memories from the year before. This is always a special time of reflection, some years we can all share in the joy of one another's accomplishments or good luck while other years it's a time to comfort each other.

Next we open two presents that my mom gets us, one is pajamas and the other is an ornament for the tree. Over the years I have accumulated enough ornaments from my mom to fill my own tree because of this tradition! When we were little kids we used to have a dance party to Christmas tunes in our pj's before we went to bed. Those are some great memories that I'd love to recreate with my own children someday.

Nowadays it's a tight squeeze with five to seven adults sitting on the floor around the coffee table, but it doesn't quite feel like Christmas unless we're cross-legged in front of the fire.


What are your Christmas traditions? I'd love to hear in the comments!

3 comments

  1. What a fun tradition!

    Growing up we always went to my aunts house for Christmas Eve and after dinner my dad or grandpa always reads "The Night Before Christmas" while the grandkids huddle around on the couch. After that we would open 1 present (from my aunt), and on the way home we'd drive through a bunch of neighborhoods looking at Christmas lights.

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  2. I always get an ornament or two each year -- I have a pretty full tree of my own to show for it! It is a favorite tradition of mine. Now I get my hubby an ornament every year and I will absolutely continue this one when kids of my own come along.

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  3. My family (mom and me) were a little too spastic to have a christmas eve tradition every year. I'm excited to start my own as the fam grows and I think this one is to my liking. Such a fun idea and also love the use of glassybaby ;) Make sure to post a pic of your table this year Teresa!

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