Traditions.

I love our Christmas traditions! In fact, they are one of the things I enjoy most about Christmas, because they are all centered on Jesus and family! I want to carry them into my future Koemans family!


Tradition #1:
Christmas tree hunting and decorating. As I posted before, we pretty much always go into the woods and cut our own tree. No store parking lot, no tree farm, just the natural woods untouched by commercialism. During this hunting time we usually take sleds and sometimes snacks and hot chocolate. Then, for the decorating part, we have lots of fun, holiday snacks, we play Christmas music, and we try to all decorate as a family! Our tree's "theme" is family. There's no color scheme, nothing orderly. It's special ornaments given to us each year, hand-painted ones by my both of my grandmas, and hand-made ones by us kids. I love it. I'd take our tree, decorated this way, over any perfectly themed and matched tree any day.

Tradition #2:
Ornaments. Every year, sometime between December 1 and December 25, my mom gives each one of us kids an ornament. The purpose is so that when we get move out of the house we can take our own box of ornaments to begin decorating our tree with.


Tradition #3:
Shopping for stockings. Our family plus Jason puts out names in a cup. Everyone draws a name and gets $15. We all go to one store at the same time (this year was Target) and shop for the name we picked. It's all supposed to be secret! This is how our stockings get filled! It's a great and fun way to do it! Heidi had my stocking this year and gave me several pairs of bright/fun socks, purple nail polish, a mug, latte mix, chapstick, and snowflake and snowman gel window clings.


Tradition #4:
Christmas Eve. We go to a Christmas Eve service and then get together with the Kellers to have soup and hang out. Sometimes we watch White Christmas. Once we get back home we open our stockings! Then the kids sleep under the Christmas tree!

Tradition #5:
Christmas morning. We wake up (this year my dad had to wake us up at 9am!!) and eat breakfast, then read the Christmas story, then open presents. Sometimes we even have to do kennels at the clinic!


Tradition #6:
Opening presents. We all take turns, one at a time, from youngest to oldest. And you have to say thank you.


Tradition #7:
No Santa. Period. Unless it's a joke. Santa's not real and I don't believe in lying to my kids.


Tradition #8:
Bless a family. We like to include someone(s) in our Christmas that need some extra blessing in their life. Sometimes that means bringing presents and stockings stuffers and Christmas treats to a family who is bankrupt and who's dad tried to commit suicide. Sometimes that means having an employee of my dad's over. Christmas is also about giving and fellowship. I like to emphasis that.