7/28/11

Christmas In July

I don't know why I didn't decide to do a Christmas in July post sooner, but thankfully I realized if I was going to do one, I needed to do it now!!  July is almost over!

Our Christmas tree and a few gifts from last year. Note: our tree looked much better than it does in this picture!  I had just gotten a new camera and knew not what I was doing!

All of our cute stockings I made myself.  Nothing fancy, but super cute.  The names are Sparta, Duke, Dutchess, Wifey, and Hubby.

This fancy smancy tree is my mom's.  I love the color of her walls.  Makes me want to eat avocado.

She totally beats me at decorating!  See that snowman over the fireplace? Yea, she painted that herself!

I love Christmas.  It's a beautiful time of year.  I don't like over crowded stores.  But, being as my husband works until 1 in the morning, we usually do all our shopping at like, 3 AM.  It's not so crowded then!  I love the snow and the cold, the niceness of people, the corny Christmas sweaters, I love singing Christmas hymns at church, and I love the Christmas sermon, I love the adorable nativity, and I love hearing the story of Jesus' birth, even though I've heard it a bajillion times!  I love pretending to still believe in Santa, and I love buying my dogs toys, and my cats food (we all know that's all cats want anyway!)  I love the hot chocolate, the Christmas lights, and picking out and decorating the Christmas tree!  I love decorating, and the warmness of the season.  I LOVE buying people gifts, wrapping their gifts, and giving them their gifts.  I love cookie days, and all the delicious food that's everywhere!

I am eagarly awaiting this years Christmas.  This will be my husband and I's THIRD Christmas as a married couple, which seems crazy.  It will be our 7th together as a couple.  We're still creating traditions.  So far, this is what we do every year.

1.  Buy, and cut down a real tree.  (Preferably the biggest tree you possible can, and drive home wondering if it will really fit!)  Last year we waited until like the first weekend in December.  This year I think we're going the weekend after Thanksgiving.  This was such a fun experience, and I totally wish I would have had a good camera to take pictures!
2.  Use immense, and insane amounts of tinsel on the tree.  I'm ashamed to admit that we used at least 4 boxes of tinsel last year.
3.  Spend Christmas Eve at my mom and dads with the rest of my family.
4.  Spend Christmas morning with each other, open gifts, then head to mom and dad's again to spend the day.
5.  Make as many cinnamon rolls as possible for Christmas Eve.
6.  Have a cookie day, where you bake as many cookies as possible.
7.  Share cookie baskets with neighbors or friends.
8.  Get hot chocolate, get in the car and drive and check out everyone's awesome lights and lighted nativities.

So, those are our traditions thus far, what are your Christmas traditions?  Does Santa visit your home?  Do you do a Christmas tree?  Please feel free to share in the comments section!

Smart and Trendy Moms

8 comments:

♥Jennette♥ said...

Thanks for joining me on Social Parade Follow on Friday on Smart and Trendy Moms , I am a follower ! Hope to make you a follower as well! Have a great day...
Jennette
Smart and Trendy Moms
http://www.smartandtrendymoms.com/

Vicki said...

Hi! New follower dropping in from the Social Parade link-up!!! Enjpy your weekend!!!

-Vicki

Whitney said...

Yay, glad I'm not the only one that gets into the Christmas spirit mid year! haha. I'm also working on establishing some simple Christmas traditions for our home. I found a great advent calendar with daily idea cards from Etsy (http://www.etsy.com/listing/61672402/merry-christmas-advent-calendar-and). They also have one for Thanksgiving. I'm planning on getting both of these to try to bring some more meaningful and simple celebrations to such a busy & distracting time of year. A couple of central practices we have is to do an Operation Christmas Child box. We also designate "Black Friday" for decorating so that we can bypass the shopping mess. When it comes to gift giving we purchase gifts for our parents and nieces & nephew only. We actually decided years ago to not gift to each other. Instead, we'll each pick a Angel Tree or other need to gift to. Since our birthdays are just the next month, we really like gifting for those instead of the consumer craze of Christmas. I really enjoyed your ideas and photos of your celebration traditions! Looks really nice! :)

Unknown said...

Hello from the social parade! I love christmas in July--I look for stocking stuffers all year round!

I'm a new follower--i love the background image too! Stop by when you get the chance--i have a giveaway up right now!
~Carolyn
Cookin for my Captain

Stacy Uncorked said...

I love Christmas, too! And love all the traditions you and your hubby do. :) We always open our friends and family gifts on Christmas Eve, then Christmas Day it's Santa Gifts - I have to make sure I get a few for the hubby and I, because Princess Nagger noticed the one year I forgot...and thought we'd been naughty that year! :)

Following you from the Social Parade - have a great weekend! :)

Aloha: Back to School Shopping - Let the Foraging Begin!

Lisa Weidknecht said...

I'm a new follower! Come follow me back at www.weidknecht.com!

aimymichelle said...

i love the lights and the music. i lovelovelove making sugar cookies and eating the dough. its so fun. and watching rudolph. so amazing.

Taryn McCracken said...

I love Christmas time! I bake cookies with my Mom, Sister and the kids every year. We also have a lot of places to visit on Christmas day because both my parents and my in-laws are divorced and re-married. So, for every place we go, we give them some sort of dessert. Sometimes, it's a tin of cookies, one year was a chocolate mousse malt ball pie. That way it doesn't feel so much like we're stopping in, eating and leaving. LOL

I'm a new follower from the social parade. I'd love for you to stop by and visit me at The Thought that Counts