I don't know why, but already I'm thinking about what kind of things Mr Baker and I will do for Christmases with our kids...even though Christmas is 5 months away, and Christmas with KIDS (not infants) is at least 4 years away
(I think my 2 favorite things about this movie are the crescendoing chorus of Mormon Tabernacle Choir and the Dad helping retrieve the Baby Jesus for the daughter. It reminds me so much of my first memory of my Dad. I had those candy bracelet and necklaces, but they were on the counter in the kitchen --this was before my brothers were born so I was at least 4-- I was just a little too short to reach them. Then all of a sudden, my giant of a dad was there next to me. He picked up the candy necklace and bracelet, put them around my neck and wrist, respectfully, and then I said thank you and scurried. It's a favorite memory of mine)Christmases for the Baker family are going to be humble affairs for most of our kids lives--but not pitiful. Stemming from the fact that we neither want nor will have the means of providing massive gift giving extravaganzas, Mr Baker and I want to have Christmas traditions in our family that will make it more a fun time to be together rather than the "how much of my wish list did Mom and Dad deliver"
My younger brothers and I would stay up Christmas Eve watching Disney movies. And there was the Christmas Eve dinner of Spaetzle, lentils, brats, and German potato salad. Oma had her Christmas Pyramids from Germany, which I loved. Oma would also take me to see the Nutcracker Ballet whenever she could--would remains one of my absolute favorite Christmas gifts of all time. We most often had a live Christmas tree and Mom would take some of the trimmed branches and light a few sprigs just enough to spread the scent of pine throughout the house. She did it because Oma did it when my mom was a little girl, and Oma did it because it reminded her of the candles they let on their Christmas trees in Germany when Oma was a little girl. And then of course their is steak and eggs and sop chocolate for breakfast Christmas morning. And of course we read the Christmas Story on Christmas Eve
Some of these family traditions, although treasured, are out of our price range (IE steak and shrimp cocktail, Nutcracker ballet, live Christmas tree ... bummer) But we can keep up some of them: German food for Christmas Eve, Sop chocolate Christmas morning and I 'm sure I could scrounge a pine branch from somewhere.
My mom's best friend Margaret's family acts out the Nativity every year. I saw a picture of one they did a couple years ago and with the advent of grandkids as well as their own grown up children--it has become quite an epic show. So that is something Mr Baker and I will consider doing when we've got a few children running around.
Some other ideas I had were, instead of just buying candy, we might spend Christmas Eve day making candies as a family--I have a cookbook solely dedicated to candy making. I got that idea after my roommate one semester spent an evening with her sister-in-law and mom (who were visiting) making truffles--and they were very good.
Then there's that time in between the last present being opened and before the big feast of Christmas Dinner when you just don't know what to do--especially when you outgrow getting toys and although you may be thrilled to get cashmere socks, they are not very entertaining for very long--not like how a gi joe jeep could be. You could watch "A Christmas Story" with Dad, but by Christmas Day you've already watched it a million times. You might want to watch "Joy to the World" with Oma, but Dad's already watching "A Christmas Story" so the only other option is to go upstairs--but that doesn't work for Oma and besides Mom's in her room getting a much needed nap in prep for Dinner that night (which will be epic on all accounts mind you). And you don't want to go to your own room because no one's there and it's a mess anyway. So I think with Mr Baker and I we'll gather up all the kids after the presents and make ginger bread houses, then Mr Baker can play with the kids and read them Christmas Stories while I take my nap and make my own epic dinner on all accounts. But these are all things that won't be much fun until Poppyseed is like 2, So I don't know what we'll do until then.
I think Mr Baker is starting his own tradition in that all he wants for Christmas is pie--Pecan Pie being his FAVORITE--it's what he wanted last year and it's what he wants this year and many years on. And he likes that that store bought pecan pies have all that filling and only a few nuts, which I cannot understand because I was so blessed to have my mom's which is a lot of nuts and just the right amount of filling. Then I realized that Mr Baker is a convert to true pie enjoyment--he was not "born under the crust" you could say. But I think in time he will come to appreciate the difference when he realizes he can eat much more of my mom's pie without "and you shall run and not be weary" not gaining a second meaning in regards to "the Virginia Quickstep"
I always enjoyed Christmases with my family and I want my kids to also have fond memories. What are some of the things you loved about Christmas when you were a Kid
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