Recently I released an ebook package called Creative Ways To Make Family Holiday Memories. It contains loads of tips and info to help you turn your holiday season from frustrating to fabulous. When I was putting it together, I drew on my own experiences as well as those of friends. But…I want to know about your holiday memories, problems, and experiences.
To help me understand and get to know you better, I’d like to ask you to answer any or all of these 3 questions (in a single post please.)
- What are your favorite childhood holiday memories and why?
- What traditions do you include in your Christmas celebration? Please describe them for me.
- What holiday issue or problem sucks the fun out of your celebration and how do you currently handle it?
Thanks!
Related posts:
My favorite Christmas memory is when my sister and I got baby furniture for our baby dolls. We got a high chair and a crib. We were thrilled!
ooo baby dolls! I remember when I was about 3 and I got a “stand-up” doll as big as I was! Thanks for sharing.
What are your favorite childhood holiday memories and why? After several years of a silver tree with a rotating color wheel, my Dad finally got the message. No one like the tree. I even when so far one year to hike into the woods with a small saw and cut down a real pine tree. I was so happy when the family tree was real again.
What traditions do you include in your Christmas celebration? Please describe them for me.
On the 1st Sunday of Advent, we put up and decorate our Christmas tree and advent wreath. As the ornaments are put on the tree, we remember when it was added to the tree and why the ornament was bought.
What holiday issue or problem sucks the fun out of your celebration and how do you currently handle it? I hate it when family members can’t gather for Advent celebrations (the four Sunday’s before Christmas). As my family has gotten older, I realize they have activities of their own, but I don’t like it.
Yay for you, Wendy! I love the smelly-good trees too! Ornaments are such wonderful keep sakes. I really enjoy making personalized ornaments for folks. There is just something about knowing I’ve helped to give several family members something they can use to “remember when.”
I’m with you, I really like it when family comes together for the holidays. When families change and grow, it can be hard to draw everyone together.
* What are your favorite childhood holiday memories and why? One of my favorite Christmas memories is when my dad built my sister and I a house for our Barbies and my mom sewed them clothes. At the time we didn’t have a lot of extra money, but it didn’t matter. Their gifts of time and love shone through.
* What traditions do you include in your Christmas celebration? Please describe them for me. We go to my husband’s parents for Christmas Eve. We open gifts, read the Bible story, and share a HUGE meal. It’s usually fun, but can be kind of stressful, which leads to my answer for the next question.
* What holiday issue or problem sucks the fun out of your celebration and how do you currently handle it? My in-laws can be rather . . .erm, tense. Things get stressful and it makes the day less fun. I try to stay out of the fray and keep quiet rather than opening my mouth and causing any further problems. Then, I breathe a sigh of relief when we finally go home.
Oh cool! You had designer Barbie clothes before they were in fashion. (sorry for the punny! lol) Sounds like you’ve got some good traditions going there. I’m sure the kids will appreciate your efforts, especially when they have kids of their own. As far as the issues go, there are a few suggestions in the Holiday Memories book to give you a few ideas to help deal with the situation.
What holiday issue or problem sucks the fun out of your celebration and how do you currently handle it?
I get stressed running around the mall from store to store trying to find the perfect gift for family members I don’t see every day so therefore, I don’t really know their likes and dislikes. The pressure to find a great gift without going over budget is no fun. Also, I feel like the time spent shopping keeps me from doing more meaningful things like creating new Christmas memories with my kids (i.e. ice skating, baking cookies, helping a charity).
Oh, man, Sheila! I totally understand. The main book in the grand prize has suggestions and ideas to help take a lot of that stress out of your holiday. Mmmm, baking cookies is one of the things that I do with my mom every year. Darn! I think I need to go find a cookie. Thanks for entering and good luck!
*Goes off on the search humming “C is for Cookie.”*
What holiday issue or problem sucks the fun out of your celebration and how do you currently handle it?
Well, I struggle with all the pressure my family puts on me to make to each of their houses on the holidays. It is physically impossible as they live across the country from each other, so I find myself having to choose each year which makes it no fun.
To deal with this, my husband and plan to start our own holiday traditions this year with our kids.
I understand, totally. The guilt and the desire to please everyone can be overwhelming, especially during the holidays. It sounds like you’re on the right track with the new traditions. There is a nice section in one of the ebooks about new traditions as well as dividing your holiday time up.