Me and Marg prepare the Christmas Eve salad.
Margaret and Grandmother
Setting the table.
Matt and Ashley - December 2003 (5 Years ago....)
Matt and Ashley - November 2008
Leaving the Church
Chilly bridesmaids
Groomsmen
Down the aisle
Stevie and Wil got a new bed from Santa.
Matt and I will be celebrating our own Christmas this weekend. It gives us a chance to have Christmas dinner and presents in our own house. It's also a chance to create some traditions and carry on others.
This year we are just doing "stocking stuffer" type stuff for presents to each other. We split up at the mall with a set amount of money and had one hour to shop and spend the money on each other. I'm excited about the surprises I got for Matt, but I can't blog in too much detail since he'll read it!
What are some of our other Christmas traditions, you ask?
1. Red Velvet Cake - The second Christmas after we got married we hosted a dinner for our families. Our parents and siblings were there. I made my first turkey for dinner and I made Red Velvet cake for dessert. Now I make it every year with cream cheese icing and green sprinkles. Since it's been just me and Matt for dinner for the past 2 years, I've made cupcakes. Very tasty...
2. Presents with treats in the for the dogs to open - Yes, I know, I'm weird about my dogs. I don't have any kids yet, so cut me some slack. There is nothing funnier than seeing Stevie try to nose her way into a package to get to the food. We also buy them a new bed every Christmas. After about a year, the older one looks pretty rough.
3. Bing Crosby - I could listen to Bing Crosby anytime of the year and I could watch White Christmas any day. Andrea and I would put in White Christmas on Sunday afternoons even in mid July (nothing keeps you cooler in the summer). I know all the songs and lyrics and lines. Bing's soft, mellow, deep and awesome voice always puts me in the Christmas spirit.
4. Advent countdown - I love Advent/Christmas countdown calendars. I found an awesome Christmas scene made from PlayMobil toys at a toy store in St. Augustine. Each day you open up a new part of the set, whether it be a bird, park bench or kid with his dog and the last day you open Santa. It sets up an entire scene. SO FUN! Check it out here.
5. Presents for family - Matt and I really enjoy trying to find creative ways to gift our loved ones. We have some fun stuff this year. We have even done some home made gifts that were very successful.
6. Salvation Army Angels - I love to shop for babies, so I adopt a baby every year to buy toys for. Our first year to adopt a baby was when we were living with my parents and praying for Matt to find a job. We were so worried about our future that year, it was nice to focus on someone else. We were broke, but we did the best we could for that baby. Her name was Josie and I obsessed over what toy was the most age appropriate but would still grow with her. I hope her Christmas was merry that year, she certainly blessed ours. This year we adopted 2 angels, a baby girl named Tymisha and a 12-year-old boy named Devonte. Matt and I have decided that this will be a tradition we carry on with our children.
7. Christmas lights - we love to drive around and listen to Christmas music and look at Christmas lights. Steve and Wil love the drives, too.
8. Anniversary Christmas Ornament - The holiday season means so much to me and one important date in my life is December 20, when Matt and I got married. We started giving each other a Christmas ornament then and have kept that tradition every year. This year he got Ninja turtles and I got Rudolph and friends from the Rankin/Bass movie that comes on during the holidays. (I love that movie almost as much as I love Bing). Matt's also gotten fish and Santa grilling and golfing ornaments. I've gotten lots of cute, sparkly snowmen and even a white terrier to represent Asta, another character from a beloved movie (The Thin Man - watch it!). There's an ornament I found at a surplus store in Russelville, it's of a couple that look to be set in the 40's or 50's dressed to the 9's and seem to be walking down a windy sidewalk. The man is carrying a playbill in one hand and escorting his lady with the other. We love this ornament as we love to go to performances and plays. It reminds us of each other and all our fun dates. In fact, every ornament on our tree tells a story.
9. Books - I love to collect children's books. My favorite section of the bookstore has always been the kids' section. I have several copies of The Night Before Christmas (which I can recite by heart). Some are pop-up and some just have pretty pictures.
10. Decorations - Matt and I have often jokingly referred to ourselves as Who's from Whoville. If you've ever seen Ron Howard/Jim Carey's version of the Grinch, then you understand why. We kind of OVER decorate for Christmas...I have 3 full tress and 7-8 small trees throughout my house. Tons of lights and garland, Green and red bows, nutcrackers, stockings, snowmen, nativity sets, candles and Santas. We love it though, our house is like a Christmas cottage and we wouldn't have it any other way.
I redecorated the tree after shopping in Hobby Lobby over Thanksgiving break. It's cute now. I love the look of red with lime green and kelly green. You can't see the lime green too much from this picture, but it's there.