Everyone, I must say, I'm happy that its finally here. Yes, I mean that time of year. Now, I'd like some idea-sharing. So why don't y'all list all your old traditions and your new ones right hither???!! Let's all inspire each other!

I need some new ideas this year.

Here's our usual list

-baking and decorating cookies
-mini gingerbread houses
-board games
-movies
-everyone makes one dish for xmas dinner
-on the 25th, pancake/waffle breakfast while opening presents
-watch movies, chrismas and new releases
-of course, play sinatra, dean martin and andy williams. The entire 3 days.

this year, i'm gonna try to do some new things

-this year, we're going to attempt to put on a homemade puppet show. Everyone takes part in it. Then we're gonna video take it. We'll make the puppets from scratch and then the set, we'll coordinate the script and then adjust everything else. Yeah, its a mini studio production right in my living room.

We (my hubby and 3 kids) drive around the neighborhoods that are known to have spectacular outdoor decorations. And each year they get better and better. We bring bags of popcorn. Then we come home and have some hot chocolate and watch a holiday movie together. My kids are getting quite old now, and one is even away in college but it's something we look forward to every year.

I bought the cutest cookie cutters that allow you to make 3D Xmas cookies--reindeer, trees, sleighs and snowmen. I can't wait to do that with the kids.

We have an animal park (not exactly a zoo) near our home and they do a great Christmas lights production as well as some animal shows and a miniature railroad display. At night you can go for the show, but also during the day you can go see the rr train display and the animals.

We too drive around and look at the lights...I have enjoyed this since I was a little one. My kids are grown and don't really care about it any longer but DH and I still do.

I used to make ornaments each year for a while. I quit that some time ago but it was fun. And when the kids were old enough they started making some too. I really should get back to doing that...I enjoyed it. Now I just buy a new ornament or two every year. That and a Santa...I collect Santa's and Angels.

Only tradition we really have was having our Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve so we could have a nice, relaxing Christmas Day. Also, we always attend a midnight mass on Christmas Eve. It's not actually at midnight so not sure why they call it that. But it's a nice ending to the day. Of course this year it is all out the window. DS#2 is in the Army and home from Iraq until Monday so we are having our Christmas dinner this Saturday. He'll open his gifts as well so he can take them with him when he goes back. So not sure what will be for dinner on Christmas Eve this year. But we will still attend Mass.

On Christmas Day everyone opens gifts and then heads to their bedrooms leaving me and DH to watch t.v. The holidays definitely are not what they were when the kids were small. But they are still nice and we have a nice time.

Maybe this is the year to start new traditions!

After our Christmas meal, our family always divides up at several tables and plays dominoes or Texas Hold-em. Teenagers included. (what do you expect, it's Oklahoma , LOL). We also play Family Feud and Charades. It's a lot of fun and everyone gets pretty crazy. We all do a Dirty Santa game that is great fun.

A few years ago we printed out a bunch of copies of the words to favorite Christmas songs (we found the lyrics on the internet). Everyone (family, friends, in-laws) sang the songs together. We sounded pretty terrible but had so much fun we've done it every year since.

We also do a gift exchange game that involves stealing other people's gifts and is quite fun.

we used to go ride and look at the Christmas lights in the good neighborhoods. My favorite is that my grandmother would always find some cool story to tell - usually from a magazine like "The Good Old Days" or something christmassy. It was really cool.

Sadly, Christmas hasn't really been the same since Grandma passed, and now the family is scattered across the globe so we don't do anything with them at all. My husbands family gets together, and we draw names at thanksgiving for xmas gifts. They don't have any traditions. I can't wait to have a home so I can start making my own.

Gary, I believe that it is true in Nebraska.

lol that is so the dreadful obligation - i mean holiday - tradition i need to introduce to my inlaws!!

LOL, Gary, but there are always a few cop friends of DH's that show up to play games. Maybe they are there for security purposes. LOL