Friday Top 10-Holiday Traditions

Christmas is a time of year that makes me realize I am not a kid anymore. This is the time of year that I get flooded with so many memories from my childhood from Christmas pasts. I get to think about the holiday traditions that I want to start with my kids. Over the last couple of years it has been really cool to play Santa with our kids and see Christmas again through their eyes. So my top 10 List today will be the Holiday Traditions that I grew up with and the ones we have started in the Koenig house.

Helm House
1. Pictures with Santa every year that my mom still has in a book.
2. The Christmas Cantata at church. We were in it every year with the adult choir and then we would have a fellowship afterward in the fellowship hall and the Pastor would dress up as Santa. I miss being a part of a Christmas Cantata.
3. 12 Days of Christmas. We got gifts in our stockings for the 12 days before Christmas.
4. Getting to unwrap one gift on Christmas eve from mother and daddy.
5. Putting out cookies for Santa and carrots for the reindeer on Christmas eve.
6. Daddy reading the Christmas story or the The Night Before Christmas before bed. Then we would watch on the news to see where Santa was located on the Doppler system and head to bed.
7. The Friday before Christmas would be with the Helm cousins at my grandparents in San Marcos. As teens our tradition was to throw wrapping paper at the ceiling fan and see who could shoot it the farthest. Yes, it is Texas and the ceiling fan was on in December.
8. As teens we went on a Ski trip with our Church leaving Christmas night with the Family. That was awesome!
9. Shopping with my mom for Christmas gifts for the family. I wish we still did that.
10. Looking through all the Christmas pictures we got in cards from family. I love Christmas cards.

Koenig House
1. Pictures with Santa. (I can't find them this year since we moved. GRRR!)
2. Watching some of our favorite Christmas movies with the kids when they come on TV and drinking hot chocolate.
3. Taking the kids to look at Christmas lights and watching their reactions.
4. Decorating for Christmas the Friday after Thanksgiving.
5. Baking cookies for Santa and leaving them out with milk. We leave out deer corn for the reindeer.
6. Reading the Christmas story from the bible on Christmas eve by the Christmas tree.
7. Picking a family in need from the church or community and delivering their Christmas to them on Christmas Eve. We always try to include the kids in on this. If not then we do an angel tree gift and pick a kid close to the age of ours so they can help pick out the toy.
8. This year I started reading a chapter book to them every night, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. It is one of my favorites from childhood.
9. Making Christmas paper crafts to help decorate the house.
10. On Christmas morning we open gifts as a family, then the kids get to play with their gifts while we make a special breakfast and eat it while watching the Disney Parade in Disney World. It is my goal and dream to surprise the kids by leaving Christmas night for Disney World and spending the week after Christmas there through New Years eve. Then we go get ready and head to Nonna and Grandpa's by 11:00 to open presents and spend the day there. Great Grandparents Nana and Grandad spend the day with us too. On Christmas Night (For the last 11 or 12 years) our high school youth group goes to the movies all together. This was a tradition started in college when everyone would come home for the holidays. If it is a kid friendly movie then my kids go if not they spend the night at Grandpa's and Nonna's house.

I linked up with Sugarplum Creations today because I love the idea shared on this site.