By the chimney with care,
In hopes that my in-laws soon will be here!
Last night, as we spent the evening cleaning and getting everything else ready for our big weekend, the Fabulous Dude hung our stockings by the fireplace. For some reason, he didn't want to have them hung all through the month of December, but wanted to wait until it was closer to Christmas. Well, since today is "Christmas Eve", I think it's close enough.
Stockings have got to be one of my favourite parts of Christmas.
Each year, Santa Mom and Santa Mom-in-Law fill stockings for us when we celebrate Christmas with each respective family. This is the first year we won't be visiting both sets of parents at some point over the holidays - since FD's family is coming here this weekend to celebrate Christmas. I've got mixed feelings about this. I love hosting here at my place, but I will be sad to miss celebrating Christmas at their house - they are just as much my family as my own.
With his family, we all get up in the morning to find our stockings at the foot of our bed. Although as we have gotten older, Santa can't always keep up with us at night, so sometimes our stockings are actually there before we go to bed. But I never peak. Honest. . Growing up, the FD and his sisters would all take their stockings into their parents room and open them on their bed. We have done that a few times since I've been around, but the last couple of years, it's been more and more difficult because there are quite a few more bodies to fit on the bed.
At my house, we all get up at a reasonable time (last year was something ridiculous like 5 am, thanks to my brother) and go up to the living room to see if Santa came. Then, we all sit at our assigned spot - which I very strategically plan each year - to open our stockings. We all open them at once. And then we clean up the paper, move our gifts out of the way, get our coffee and begin the gifts under the tree. With those gifts, we hand them all out into piles and then go one by one to open them.
This is the first year that FD and I are giving stockings to each other. We'll be exchanging them here at home, the last Saturday before we leave for the holidays. Then we have plans to watch some Christmas movies, go see some lights and enjoy a mini-Christmas dinner together. I am excited about some of the things I've picked up for his stocking. It's been so fun. I would tell you some of the things, but the last time I said anything about a surprise for the FD***, he randomly chose that day to be the only day in his life that he read my blog, so I better be careful.
MIL said she's bringing stocking stuff for all of us this weekend, but we aren't opening them, we're all to keep them with us and open them at Christmas. But, since we'll be with my family on Christmas, our plan is to combine them with the stockings we give each other.
Santa Mom wraps the stockings but Santa Mom-in-Law doesn't. This has been a constant debate between the FD and I over the past few years. We have finally come to a "compromise". That "compromise" is that Santa FD and Santa Lucy will wrap their stockings. AKA - compromise = I got my way.
So, that is what we do for our stockings. What about you? I'm always curious to know what types of stocking traditions other people have.
Does "Santa" wrap the gifts in your stockings?
Is there something that you always get in your stocking?
When/where do you open your stockings?
***P.S. If you want to see the most amazing photo EVER of the FD, please check out the linked post.
Each year, Santa Mom and Santa Mom-in-Law fill stockings for us when we celebrate Christmas with each respective family. This is the first year we won't be visiting both sets of parents at some point over the holidays - since FD's family is coming here this weekend to celebrate Christmas. I've got mixed feelings about this. I love hosting here at my place, but I will be sad to miss celebrating Christmas at their house - they are just as much my family as my own.
With his family, we all get up in the morning to find our stockings at the foot of our bed. Although as we have gotten older, Santa can't always keep up with us at night, so sometimes our stockings are actually there before we go to bed. But I never peak. Honest. . Growing up, the FD and his sisters would all take their stockings into their parents room and open them on their bed. We have done that a few times since I've been around, but the last couple of years, it's been more and more difficult because there are quite a few more bodies to fit on the bed.
At my house, we all get up at a reasonable time (last year was something ridiculous like 5 am, thanks to my brother) and go up to the living room to see if Santa came. Then, we all sit at our assigned spot - which I very strategically plan each year - to open our stockings. We all open them at once. And then we clean up the paper, move our gifts out of the way, get our coffee and begin the gifts under the tree. With those gifts, we hand them all out into piles and then go one by one to open them.
This is the first year that FD and I are giving stockings to each other. We'll be exchanging them here at home, the last Saturday before we leave for the holidays. Then we have plans to watch some Christmas movies, go see some lights and enjoy a mini-Christmas dinner together. I am excited about some of the things I've picked up for his stocking. It's been so fun. I would tell you some of the things, but the last time I said anything about a surprise for the FD***, he randomly chose that day to be the only day in his life that he read my blog, so I better be careful.
MIL said she's bringing stocking stuff for all of us this weekend, but we aren't opening them, we're all to keep them with us and open them at Christmas. But, since we'll be with my family on Christmas, our plan is to combine them with the stockings we give each other.
Santa Mom wraps the stockings but Santa Mom-in-Law doesn't. This has been a constant debate between the FD and I over the past few years. We have finally come to a "compromise". That "compromise" is that Santa FD and Santa Lucy will wrap their stockings. AKA - compromise = I got my way.
So, that is what we do for our stockings. What about you? I'm always curious to know what types of stocking traditions other people have.
Does "Santa" wrap the gifts in your stockings?
Is there something that you always get in your stocking?
When/where do you open your stockings?
***P.S. If you want to see the most amazing photo EVER of the FD, please check out the linked post.
13 comments:
Love your stockings!! Mine aren't even hung yet. They're still waiting on the couch. Sigh...
We usually don't fill them up, though, even when they are hung. I'm afraid they'll fall, lol!!
This is so cool! We hang stockings, but rarely ever put anything in them :-( We always did St. Nick (google it if you aren't sure what it is!) So on Dec. 6th we'd come downstairs to find our stockings filled with stuff from St. Nicolas. It was so cool and a fun early Christmas gift. Since we've grown up and moved away, my mom will sometimes send the items to us, but sometimes she forgets! :-) We don't wrap the things in our stockings, that's a lot of work! haha
Have fun doing stockings this year! It is so cute and I think I might just start this tradition next year with the hubby!
i have been talking and talking and talking about how much I miss stockings.
I love that yours get filled.
Santa does not wrap the things in our stockings (which are too heavy to leave hung up, so once filled they get placed on the fireplace), and he doesn't wrap the presents he leaves under the tree, but all the presents from Mom and Dad are wrapped. How fun that it's "Christmas Eve" for you! If you go MIA for a little while again, I will totally understand. ;) Have fun and I can't wait to hear all about it!
Christmas Eve already?! What?! haha. Well, I know I'm not quite that behind.
First I should just say that you are too stinking cute.
Okay. Move on.
We wrap our stocking stuff too. Er, Santa does. When I was little, my brother and I always got an orange at the bottom of our stocking. My kids Hate the orange thing, so we do apples. An apple in the toe. I don't even know why. It's just the way it is. ;) I love the idea of bringing them all in to bed and doing them together. We might have to try that this year.
I wish you all the happiest of Christmases this weekend. Enjoy the time.
XO*T
Wow! So many of your traditions are just like my family's. Weird, eh???
i love love love love love love your hearth!! :)
but you're wrong about Santa. he most certainly does NOT wrap gifts of any variety. he just leaves them out on the fireplace for us. and he certainly doesn't wrap stocking stuffers.
Mr. Ken and I open our stockings after presents. It just adds to the suspense of the day!
Melinda
my MIL gives us stockings, but does not wrap the gifts. when my mom used to do our stockings when my brother and i were younger - everything was wrapped. more fun that way - more presents to unwrap!! :)
Love the stockings. At my parents house...we also get up at like 5-6 in the morning :) All the kids (me, sis, and bro) get to open our stockings...but then we have to wait for our parents to get up to open any gifts. First we open our gifts from each other...and then my parents give us their gifts to us.
One year we opened our gifts from each other before my parents got up. We got in HUGE trouble. It may've been my idea. Whoops.
Our family opens gifts the EXACT SAME WAY! Down to the strategic spots, and the all at once stockings, and the one by one gifts!
Whoa!
In our house, Santa never wrapped stocking gifts and I've carried on that tradition with my kids. Stockings are opened Christmas morning, probably at 3-4 in the morning. What kid can honestly wait? For heaven sakes, even college kids like mine!! I just found your blog on Kara's and I can't wait to try some of your Christmas fav's. Thanks for sharing and Merry Christmas!!
Awww. I love hearing about others' traditions at Christmastime. So sweet! And by the way....my parents still sign presents from "Santa"!!
Post a Comment