I’ll never forget the first Christmas I spent with my husband and his family before we were actually married. We were all dressed up from attending the Christmas Eve church service, the tree was lit, and I was still putting on my best behavior to win the approval of my future in-laws. I pulled up a chair ready to enjoy the evening when Ryan’s father turned on the video camera. As if on queue, Ryan and his sister dutifully left the ro
om and re-entered with their childhood stockings to be hung while stating the year and wishing the camera a Merry Christmas.
“It’s your turn, Christie.”
“Wait. What?”
“Here’s your stocking. Go ahead and hang it.”
I don’t typically get stage fright, but getting that stocking to hang on the tiny hook while staring through a camera into the eyes of my future father-in-law was like trying to walk across the stage to accept an Oscar without tripping. I was terrified. This was their family tradition. It was obviously important to them since at the age of twenty, my husband was still willingly participating. If I screwed this up, I could kiss any future daughter-in-law of the year award goodbye.
I survived, and I still look back on this tradition fondly as it was the first time I was exposed to traditions that weren’t those of my family’s and the ones I grew up with, which made me wonder – What will my fellow JMB Contributors be doing throughout this season that is unique to them? I asked a few of them to share some of the traditions they treasure this time of year.
Jacksonville Mom’s Blog Holiday Traditions
The 24 Books of Christmas
Every year I wrap up 24 Christmas books and each night the kids open one to read. When the decorations get put away after the first of the year, the books get put away also. That way they seem special when they get to open them again in December. If you don’t have 24 books specifically about Christmas, mix in some about snow or winter – Shannon Beckham
Family Pictures Going Back to 1978
We do a family pic holding a sign with the year on it in front of the tree. My dad started it and now we do them every year. I have them going all the way back to 1978 – Meg Sacks
Cookies, Eggs, and Bacon
We always decorate sugar cookies for santa. When I was little sometimes my mom would do it with all of our friends after school on the last day before break. We also always have hole in one eggs & bacon Christmas morning – Megan Kilis
A Little Boozy Fondu, Anyone?
We started a tradition of doing a fondu on Christmas night! It’s adults only, as it’s a traditional Swiss recipe full of alcohol (my father-in-law is from Switzerland, so this is his mother’s fondu pot and recipe).
Also, it was always tradition in my family growing up to order all food trays (meat, cheese, relish), along with shrimp & cheddar biscuits from Red Lobster (the nicest seafood restaurant in Illinois growing up). There was no stress on Christmas Eve and everyone ate, drank, and grazed all day and played board games. – Brandi Knoepfel
The Family that Puzzles Together, Stays Together
We haven’t done it lately but my mom always made a cheese ball and crackers for Santa. It’s delicious! We also would do a 1,000 piece puzzle over the week between Christmas and New Year’s. We had it out on our counter so you could try and get a few pieces in as you walked by. Christmas day was when we’d get a majority of it done as my entire family would come to our house. I remember sitting there for hours talking and trying to get some in. – Jena Pugh
Finally, one last tradition I think we can all agree on – Christmas PJs! Vicky Lane and her family open Christmas Pajamas on Christmas Eve. Who doesn’t want a cute Christmas morning PJ picture to document the day?
Those are just a few of the many traditions from Jacksonville Moms Blog Contributors and their families. How about you? Is your holiday filled with unique advent ideas, traditional pictures, or my personal favorite – boozy fondu? What traditions have you established in your families or carried over from your own childhood? 
