Traditions

Like a little kid I can hardly hold back the excitement to hang up the stockings, wrap every surface in twinkle lights and blare Christmas music all day long.  I start aching for all things red, green and glittery and this year I gave in and decorated before Thanksgiving. Daddy doesn’t like that. He gets very defensive when people start thinking about Christmas before Thanksgiving. He feels we are somehow cheating on Thanksgiving! With all the happy feelings Christmas brings, for me, the thing I look forward to most surrounding the holiday season are the special family traditions we have created and will continue to create.

It begins Thanksgiving morning. Our Christmas Elf, Krissy returns from her many busy months helping Santa at the North Pole. Addi was having a sleep over with Grandma Deaette on the living room floor. When she woke up she found several piles of ice crystals on and near her and a trail leading to the kitchen. She was so confused and curious as she forgot to expect Krissy’s return. Landon, asleep in his bed and found the same.  At the end of the trail Addi found her elf sitting in a tree on the counter. We found Landon on his belly giggling at his door collecting “rocks” at the door to his room. The crystals led the kids to a letter Krissy had hand-stamped and a small gift for each.

From Thanksgiving until Christmas Eve morning, Addison wakes up excited to find where Krissy has hidden herself. This year Landon also participated and even found Krissy a few times before Addi did. She is a very well-behaved elf and likes to observe our family without being too michevious. I sure appreciate that. She isn’t destructive and seems to be very tidy and clean.  She loves to do her gymnastics from all sorts of high spots. One night she was warming up and reading a Christmas book near the fireplace and she got too close, burning her skirt. (The un-elfed story is mom forgot she was sitting in Addi’s bedroom lamp and when I turned it off, before going to bed, found that Krissy’s skirt nearly on fire. So scary.)

When Addi is away at school Krissy gets spun and dropped and wrapped in baby blankets and kissed. Addi’s hard and fast rule of no touching or her magic will disappear goes right out the window and  Landon plays with her. One day he really, really wanted to give her a bath!

Usually on the Sunday of the Thanksgiving weekend we head to the woods to hunt our Christmas tree. This year, however, because of the frigid temps and Daddy’s work schedule we did not get out until a week later. It was still very cold out, about 20 below. We picked up our “road kill” tree off the side of the road. Someone had either dumped it for a better one, or it blew out of a truck. Well, as hillbilly as we can be we had no problem flipping a u-turn and claiming it as our own! We continued up the canyon and I still made everyone get out and smile for our Christmas card photo, even though it was freezing, freezing cold. We made it quick! And we all agreed it was good-enough.

Addi loves choosing her own tree. It is a tradition we created for her when she was just two. I am usually jealous of the tree she picks! It was so cold she could hardly talk. She walked the little trail, not choosing the first one or even the second or third. She finally instructed her daddy which tree had spoke to her and he marched up to saw it down.  I tried to trade her trees again this year. She has a good eye and sees the diamond in the rough. Her tree is always better than mine!

She loves decorating her tree in pink sparkly ornaments. She was so sweet and encouraged her little brother to help with her most prized tradition.

We started a brand new tradition this year. Grandma Deaette gave us Daddy’s childhood Christmas train. I know it will be something the kids look forward to each year.

Throughout December we bake, although this year, not so much. In years past we have always made Christmas dog treats for the special dogs in our life and cookie cutter sugar cookies for the special humans. We did neither this year. For the first time we put together a gingerbread house and that was so much fun.

“ta-da”

We watched Addi and her schoolmates in their Christmas program. They all were adorable as usual.

We try each year around Christmastime to make a trip home to Missoula.  It was a very quick trip this year.

We pulled into Missoula to a fresh blanket of snow. The kids enjoyed the new snow and went sledding on Papa’s hill. 

The next morning we had a huge breakfast with the gang and Grandpa Dave at Grandma and Grandpa Luedtke’s.

Our friends, Katie and Jesse were also in town and we were able to meet them for Ava’s carousel birthday party. It was a great time at the carousel with friends and we got to meet and cuddle little Leland.

In the evening, we met Daddy’s aunts, uncles and cousins at the annual family gathering. It was wonderful to see everyone, even if for only short minute. After that we met Grandpa and Grandpa Powell for our Christmas celebration, dinner and gifts!

Grandma and Grandpa Powell gave the kids a cowboy/cowgirl themed gift bundle all atop a giant stuffed horse. It was so cute. Both kids were shaking with excitement to find a new pair of cowboy boots, horse book and western shirt! 

We’ve always made sure to be in our own home on Christmas Eve and Christmas morning. I’ve always wanted my kids to be able to open their gifts slowly, enjoying each one and taking as much time in between as they want to. I never wanted to rush them through Christmas morning to have to hurry to be somewhere. Our families have always been so understanding and supportive of my little request. And I have always appreciated that from them.

On Christmas Eve, we enjoy the candlelight service at church. When I told Landon it was time to get dressed for church, he whined, “I don’t want to go to church, I want to go fishing.”

The Traditional Christmas Eve Family Photo

Addi loves the now traditional candy cane heart picture!

Our neighbors and friends in our new(ish) community and their welcoming arms have meant the world to us. This town feels like home and as a small token of appreciation to say thank you, we delivered jars of homemade sugar scrub, peaches and pickles to them. Merry Christmas Friends.

On Christmas Eve night, we enjoy a simple dinner and a quiet night at home, just the four of us. The kids each open one gift, a new pair of Christmas pajamas. And then the Christmas crazy kicks in. They called in their ‘elf dance’ and they didn’t stop bouncing around until bedtime. Just as it should be!

Landon took this picture!

Addi took this picture!

Addi prepares Santa’s cookie, hot chocolate and thank you note. She was upset this year that we did not get our cookie-cutter sugar cookies made. Poor Santa had to settle with a chocolate chip cookie, but we made it extra big to make up for his disappointment.

After reading The Night Before Christmas, my sweet babies were tucked in all snug in their beds.

Addison is very, very dependent on schedules, time tables and tradition. She, unfortunately, got from me my extreme anxiety and if her day in any way varies from the norm she panics a little bit. If something out of the ordinary changes she ‘like totally freaks out’. Well, for example not having a cookie cutter sugar cookie ready for Santa was almost too much to handle. Christmas is now extra special because of her slight mental instability (!) because she loves and looks forward to the traditions as much as I do. Those things that I did or that happened without my cautious effort became tradition for her and those things are now tradition for us and Landon. I have carried many childhood Christmas traditions to my family and I am sure I will see some of our traditions passed on to their children, and that, Lord willing, will be a very cool thing to be apart of.

Landon was awake first on Christmas morning. He sleepily stumbled into our room, like he does most mornings, and cuddles. Around 8:30 I said to him, “Merry Christmas honey. You get to open all your presents today.” He literally sprang to life and said, “Me get ’em.” He was out of bed in a blink of an eye and he hurried downstairs. We were sure we would hear wrapping paper tearing. After a while of silence we decided we better see what he was up to. I found him and Addi cuddling in her bed. It was the sweetest Christmas moment ever.

We always start with our stockings. As usual the most exciting stocking stuffer gift are character bandaids.

Landon, as expected, opened one gift per hour! He insisted on assembling, batteries and all, each gift and playing with that toy for a long time before being talked into opening the next. I wouldn’t have it any other way. He truly and deeply loves each gift and flails his arms in giddy excitement each time a new toy is unveiled.

Addi, too, deeply appreciates each gift. She opened a gift from Aunt Moni and Uncle Mike, a beautiful sterling silver cross necklace and she about collapsed when she said, “How did they know?” On Christmas Eve, when her and I were getting ready she asked to borrow one of my cross necklaces. She said she wished she had own of her own to wear. And little did she know one of her very own was waiting for her under the tree. She was amazed and a little shocked! Auntie Sara and Uncle James sent a Ferby. I had no idea she even knew what a Ferby was. She opened it and squealed, “Aunt Sara always knows just what I want.” She had a heart-felled reaction to every single gift she opens. She is so sincere and appreciative of every gift and I just love spoiling her for this reason! It was so funny when she opened from Papa a nerf dart gun. I’m talking a high-powered AR-15 semi-automatic assault rifle and she, with a huge grin on her face, said, “Are you sure Papa got this one for me??” Soon after that were setting up the plastic farm animal set from Grandma and Grandpa Luedtke as targets and trying to out shoot each other! Just like Christmas was meant to be!!!!

Cowboy complete. Boots, check. Hat, check!!!

Papa was able to join us later Christmas afternoon! After a relaxing ham dinner Christmas night, for the next two days we mucked horse and goat shelters and cleaned the chicken coop. We swept, yes, swept Addi’s room and he vacuumed the basement, because it is not the LAZY P Farm when Papa is here!

Per as usual, the kids and Papa are in their own special world working on something fascinating and magical and I am the lucky one looking in from the outside observing and not fully understanding the depth of bond they share. I am left feeling full and utterly grateful that they have each other.

Uncle Spencer came home to Montana for Christmas and along with Grandma and Grandpa Powell came to the farm overnight a few days after Christmas. I know I have said this before, but it is always a party when Uncle Spence is in town. It seems to be just enough to tease us, but any time spent with him is special.