i love {holiday traditions}

traditions are great to have all year round, but there is something so special about holiday traditions to me. some people may go out as a family to cut down their own christmas tree while others might enjoy going down to local shelters to volunteer. but no matter what the tradition, or how many you may have, continuing traditions & starting your own can be so much fun & really make holidays memorable.

as a kid i always remember listening to christmas music, but not just any christmas music. i loved to decorate the christmas tree at my mom's house while listening to neil diamond's christmas album. this must have been my mom's favorite album or something because i just remember it always being in the cd player during christmas time. now that i am a few years older it just isn't christmas unless i get to listen to neil diamond sing all of the classic christmas tunes! in fact, last year my mom surprised me & sent me an early present...can you guess what it was? ha. neil diamond! woohoo! now i get to listen to him whenever i want.
{p.s. i also LOVE christina aguilera's christmas cd...i've had that one since middle school}

something that i love to do at christmas time is to make & decorate gingerbread houses. making these fun little houses has become an early tradition that i would love to continue. for the past 3 years i have made at least one gingerbread house around the holidays. in fact, a few years ago i ended up making 3 houses! i love arts & crafts, so decorating with sugary treats is the best of both worlds! you get to snack on candy, listen to tunes, hang out with family or friends & build something wonderful! 

another little tradition that we do in our family is something that my sister & i were introduced to about 8 years ago when my dad married my stepmom, nancy. nancy's mom, nani, loves to makes TONS & TONS of sugar cookies in various christmas shapes for all of the grandkids to decorate. every year we all spend a few hours decorating all of the cookies. with 5 boys & 3 girls {this year there will be 3 extra boys} you can only imagine the mess that is made. ;) once all of the cookies are finished & dry, nani packages them up & gives them out to all of the little families. it just isn't christmas anymore without munching on those yummy frosted cookies over christmas break. {last year we didn't make it to LA for christmas so mark & i continued this tradition on our own here in provo!}

{the picture of us with hats is a little christmas dinner tradition that mark's mom has always done!}
there are many more traditions out there, but just thinking about these three little ones make me giddy & excited for the holiday season every year! i am so thankful to my parents and family members for continuing & starting traditions that have made the holidays so special for me! i can't wait to do the same for my kids!