We normally don’t do this because both events are big enough that they should be separate, but we are pressed for time this year.
This time, I decided to do something different with the decision-making process around both traditions! Instead of picking which tree for our house and where to go for Christmas Dinner, I decided to open it up to the kids (my wife and I both have made the decisions in the past). So I let my son pick out the tree this year and my daughter decided where to go for Christmas dinner!
While the tree my son choose wasn’t one that I would have picked, it still was decent enough, and was a fine choice! He had the privilege of cutting it down (lucky him)! However, he chose to cut it down about 6 inches too high, so when we got home, the tree will be the smallest one we ever had (lol). Hopefully, he nor my daughter will notice!
We lucked out with my daughter, she whittled down her choice for the Christmas dinner to the “Fighter Group” restaurant and “Red Lobster“. In the end she decided to stick with tradition and go with the “Fighter Group” restaurant.
So with both Christmas Traditions, I let the kids make the decision as to the direction of the traditions! I think this will be better for their involvement in the process, and help them feel more important!
If you have kids, do you try to promote leadership and decision-making qualities?
-MR
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Yesterday, we finally got our tree. We held out for snow as long as we possible could, but it just didn’t happen.
Old tyme Christmas tree
The tree is small but nice, it’s a Frazier fir… It cost $54 (ouch)… The hot chocolate and cookied cost another $5.50. So after all was said and done, it almost cost me $60 for our Christmas Tradition this year.
Yes, $60 is expesive for a tree, especially considering we have an artificial tree down in the basement. But it makes the kids (and me) happy.
I was proud of my son! I injured my back a week ago so my son ended up pulling my daughter around in the plastic sled while looking for the perfect tree. He did a great job! And he even tried to cut down the tree (he only got half way through before I took over). Next year, I told him I’d let him cut down the tree all by himself.
This year was different than past years, the area on the tree farm we normally go for trees was mostly depleted, so they were taking groups over to a different part of the farm in a hayride wagons pulled by tractors. It was fun, but cold.
After we cut down our tree, and rode the hayride wagon back to the main farm, I tied down the tree on the car rack. My family went in and bought hot chocolate and cookies. Next, they sat in rocking chairs by the cast iron stove, listened to the christmas music, and finished off the cookies and hot chocolate.
Next, we all went back to the car, turned on the Christmas music and drove home.
Another thing different this year was that the kids played their Nintendo DSs all the way home. I think next year, the DSs will have to stay at home. We might take our dog next year too.
Overall, it was another great experience, even if there wasn’t any snow…
Christmas was always a special time for me as a kid!
Christmas Tree
It was my grandmother use to make it a very special time of the year. She went all out, she had a large Santa that stood in a sleigh decoration with individual reindeer that she would put on the top of her organ. Beneath the Santa decoration, she had a sheet of white foamy material that looked like snow.
The Christmas tree was put up with silver garland, special fancy homemade ornaments, silver tinsel hanging perfectly straight, and about 3 strings of lights (my grandfather hated to get them working every year). She also put decoration throughout the house, it was magical when I was a small boy. On one special gift for each person that she bought a gift for, she would wrap it so that it would create a wintry or Christmas scene (this was a lot of work).
Most years, my grandfather would go and buy a real fir-tree when I was younger, so the room that the tree was in would have a faint pine tree smell. My grandmother use to play Christmas songs (O Christmas Tree, Here comes Santa Clause, Silent Night, Rudolph, Frosty the snowman, etc) on her organ and we would sing some of the songs together. I was a great time! So, now that I have kids, this is a hard act to follow, but I wanted to do something.
So I decided to start a new family tradition.
On a whim, when my son was 1 and 1/2, we decided to buy a real Christmas tree instead of using an artificial one like I’ve had since I became an adult. Close to where we live is a large family owned tree farm. So I decided to give it a try…, and to my surprise, I was very impressed!
While we could buy a cut Christmas tree there, they also gave you the option of taking a saw and sled and cutting down your own Christmas tree. And this is exactly what I did that first year. Then when we went in to pay for it, we encountered another great surprise. They had Christmas music playing, and had a bunch of chair around an open hearth stove. They then sell popcorn, cookies and hot chocolate. So that is what we did! And to top off everything, they usually have 2 real reindeer in a fenced in area just to add a bit of extra Christmas flavor. It’s truly a great experience!
Since that first year, we have been doing it that way ever since. Now, my son and daughter alternate picking the tree every year making it that much more fun. This year, we are going to take our dog too. We usually wait for it to snow before going to pick out the tree (this is tough sometimes, because we don’t always get snow in December).
Now, you are probably wondering how much my newly created “family tradition” cost… Well since we usually go with the more expense fir trees, so in total, it costs me about $60.00. It’s one of the few times during the year that I’m a spendthrift 🙂
It’s worth it though… Oh, I forgot to mention that on the way to the tree farm, we play Christmas music in the car with the kids singing the songs… It’s a very Norman Rockwell-like experience. Using this activity, I’ve been able to recapture some of the Christmas spirit I encountered as a small child, and hopefully made it magically the same way for my kids.
