Christmas Traditions - Pittsburgh,PA

We also have a Santa Key (I can't remember where I got it, sorry) and put that on the doorknob on Christmas Eve so he can "get in".
We haven't really established traditions since I keep having babies around Christmas:) We do always make sugar cookies around then because kids love to decorate those. Also, I make gingerbread cookies that we decorate a L. tree with and the L. ones always sneak bites from them. It's pretty funny when you notice bites out of the decorations!

Right now our traditions are Christmas Eve with his family, Christmas morning at home and Christmas day afternoon at my parents house. We go out and get a tree together and then decorate it (of course!). I'd like to start making a chain counting down to Christmas as they are older. We put our stockings on the wall on nails and I figured once kids are old enough to ask how Santa gets in, I will just tell them they he gets in with a key or maybe through the garage. We also decorate the house together. We drive around and look at Christmas decorations. Oh and we set out cookies, milk and some kind of veggie for the reindeer. I know some people who sprinkle glitter into the front yard to 'show' the reindeer where to land!

When I was growing up, our tradition was to eat pizza on Christmas Eve (sometimes homemade, sometimes delivered) then we went to Church together. We read a Christmas story together before bed, then laid out cookies for Santa.

Here is what we do in our house. We buy new christmas jammies for our boys (mommy and daddy sometimes get new ones also) and they open and wear them on Christmas Eve Night so they wake up in nice jammies for pictures and to feel special. We also bake cookies for Santa as a family on Christmas Eve, we also have a rule that we stay home for Christmas no traveling and we ready the Night Before Christmas together. For the fireplace issue, we just moved and now have a fireplace but in previous years we have told our oldest son (4) that since we didnt have a fireplace that Santa had a magic key and came right in the front door and his Reindeer sat in the yard instead of on the roof.

Always opening the gifts on christmas eve, we are one of santas first stops

We were lucky enough to have a stay at home mom. She always baked lots of things and we loved to help. She would ask us what one thing we wanted to bake and she would make it.
She had us make different ornaments every year, too. One year it was decopage balls, once it was fabric covered balls, painted dough ornaments, clothespin reindeer, eyelet lace mini wreaths, etc. When we go visit we still see them on her tree and remember the great time together as family. I want to do the same with my girls.

As for santa, we havent told them anything yet. This will probably be the first Christmas they remember so it will be great to get ideas from others that answer you!

The only traditions we really follow is on the 13th of December we put the star on top of the Tree (our daughter's bday), and we hang stocking on Christmas Eve.
We too, don't have a chimney, my Mom got us a "Santa Key", I think she got it at Kirklands, we have fun hanging on the door, and of course we put carrots on the grass for the reindeer :-)
Have fun!!

Having grown up in South Florida, I always wondered how Santa delivered his toys to us. We had it so that we left the front door unlocked and that was how he got into the house. However, since Santa is so magical, why not have it that he can create his own fireplace on an outside wall and come down that. You can create a L. bit of "ash" from burning a piece of paper or charcoal and put it near a wall that he would use.

As for traditions, well, that is a L. harder. Growing up, we cooked the traditional turkey dinner and had a bunch of friends come over to enjoy the feast. We also had kids in and out of the house all day looking at what everyone got.

Now that we have our own daughter, my husband and I have Christmas morning here at our house so we don't have to worry about Santa finding us and then drive down to the in-law's for the rest of the day. I very much miss the traditional big Christmas dinner we had.

There really is no wrong answer for a tradition. Do what you enjoy and the kids will be happy.

So many people here have wonderful ideas and traditions. I just wanted to say- use whatever ideas you like, or want to do.

But most importantly, know that some traditions are the ones that just HAPPEN with your family- a L. joke one year that gets repeated every year after, a cookie recipe you try that becomes a favorite, going to a certain place to get a tree and going back every year. You just never know when a 'tradition' is going to spring up!

We are chock-full of traditions in my family, lol, but I still like making new ones with my OWN part of the family too! I'm sure you'll develop a lot of great ones!

-We hang stockings on the fireplace
-We have an advent calendar
-We have a Christmas Elf
- on Christmas Eve, the kids put out a plate of cookies and milk for Santa... as his snack. And my Daughter writes him a letter.
-Every year, I make a photo Christmas ornament of each of my kids, from www.kodakgallery.com and then, later when they are adults and have their own family, I will give them their photo ornaments. Our tree, is decorated with these photo ornaments, since our kids were born, and each year, it shows how they have grown... and is very special.
- We go to the cemetery to bring flowers for Grandpa... we even have a stocking that we hang for him, on our Fireplace... to remember him. The kids love that.
- We make cookies
-Taking a photo with Santa at the Mall....
- the kids help decorate the tree
- each of my kids, chooses an underprivileged child, to 'donate' a gift to... via the community programs in our city.
- We (I), make a photo book, of the kids/events we have had during the year. So EACH year, our photos are compiled, thus organized, in photo books, each year. I either use Costco or the Kodak Gallery website for this.
- I make a photo calendar, of the kids, for gifts to Grandma and Aunty. I use www.vistaprint.com for this. It is very reasonable and nice and not expensive.

-OH! If you go to www.etsy.com they have "Santa Letters" or "Letters from Santa"... that can be mailed to your child/children. Addressed FROM Santa. I have done this, and my kids LOVE it. It is then, a sentimental souvenir of their childhood... which they then can have when they are adults themselves, to show to their kids or family.

My kids, still believe in Santa.... so its nice.
For my friends who do not have a fireplace... they hang stockings in a certain wall... using string. And they tell their kids, Santa ALWAYS has a way, to come to ALL homes, even without a fireplace... because he is "magic."

Good luck,
Susan

I think its wonderful that you are creating traditions and most importantly memories for your family. My mother always allowed us to open one gift on christmas eve and they were always christmas pajamas and yes we match, there were 5 total kids in our family. in the morning my dad would play christmas music and we would all gather to see what was left in our stockings and then began opening gifts one at a time (I'm sure so christmas morning would last longer!) and we also got to see exactly what we all got. Our first home didnt have a fireplace either and I remember my mom telling me that Santa had a key to every house and I always imagined it looked like that of a janitors full of keys!

Our family traditions:
-Handmade stockings! I used my kids' clothes they came home from the hospital in as fabric for stuff on the outside, they are beautiful and I love them!
-We eat Chinese food for Christmas Eve dinner!
-We eat prime rib for Christmas dinner at our house with the whole family!
-We eat Christmas morning brunch at our house w/my sister and her family!
-We open 1 gift on Christmas Eve, yes it pj's, we don't match but we coordinate:)
-Santa brings the stockings down and puts them and everyones gifts in individual piles so we are all ready to go in the morning.
-We dump the stockings out all together but we take turns opening gifts, it makes the morning last longer and we get to see what everyone else gets and their reactions:)
-Santa only brings each kid 1 gift and it is ALWAYS un-wrapped with only a red bow and it is always put together/set up and in working order (it is usually a big gift)!
-Hubby always builds a huge fire in the fireplace on Christmas Eve so it's ready to light first thing in the morning...my favorite part!

I had to claim Christmas morning because my in-laws were trying to take it over! My hubby grew up spending every Thanksgiving and Christmas at a resort somewhere skiing but I wanted my kids to grow up spending Christmas morning at home in front of the fireplace! Now my in-laws take us all skiing/snowboarding either before or after Christmas, depending on when we get my stepsons.