Lets celebrate my chattiness with fun give aways! I thought I'd share my love of candy cane kisses, so I filled 2 of the jars I decorated with vinyl and ribbon with my favorite little treats. I also took time out of my busy day today and made these ornaments. I will write down everyone's names who comment to this post and have Cody and Cole each draw a name out of a bowl. Post #200 deserves 2 winners. :o) I wish I could give them to all of you, but I'm only one woman and don't have lots of money. :o) By the way...between the Zicam nasal swabs and doubling up on my Vemma, I feel great today...even after grocery shopping for 5 hours at 3 different stores for the graduation party.
Each winner will get the jar of kisses and 2 ornaments
Close up of the Jolene original ornaments. I used the bazzill bling paper...that's why they are sparkly.Traditions in the George home...
- Start decorating the weekend after Thanksgiving
- Black Friday shopping is a must...followed by breakfast out with Mark and my sisters
- Listen to Christmas music from the day after Thanksgiving through Christmas night
- Family Christmas Eve party here which includes yummy dinner, gift exchange for names we drew and white elephant game...so fun..and sometimes mean in a fun way. :o)
- Go to see the Mesa Arizona Temple lights
- Drive around looking at everyone's light displays
- Handmade Christmas cards
- Bake treats and make candy for all of the families on our street
- Everyone gets new pajamas Christmas Eve
- Read from the scriptures about the birth of Christ before we open presents Christmas morning...He is the reason for the season after all. :o)
Now lets hear what YOUR traditions are. I will have the boys draw the winning names on Saturday to give everyone a chance to post a comment. I really hope to hear from ALL of you...yes even the readers/lurkers that I don't hear from. :o)
62 comments:
Yeah...I'm your first comment! I bought some of those kisses over the weekend and fell in love with them...head over heels! You are so sweet to be giving some away!
In our house we make sure that we adopt either a family or an individual for the holiday season. This year we chose to adopt a few hundred dogs/cats at our local shelter. We loaded up our car and our dog and took dog/cat treats, toys and canned dog/cat food for the sick babies at the shelter.
We also watch "The Polar Express" on Christmas Eve. It's a wonderful tradition we started just last year.
I will put up my traditions over on my blog tonight...please feel free to come by and visit.
You are the bestest!!
if Husband & i are home for Christmas, then we spend Christmas eve @ my mom's to open presents (she cannot WAIT!). Regardless where we are, Husband & i open our gifts on Christmas morning, along with stockings! One big tradition for our stockings is always oranges & Lifesavers Sweet Stories! My mom & i usually bake goodies up the wazoo (such a good thing for the diabetics & chubby girls!) - we drive around to look at house lights and when i can convince the Husband, go to midnight mass. Also, i stock up on as many toys as the budget will allow & donate to the local fire department's "Spark of Love" toy drive.
I loved reading your traditions. Here are mine:
*Every year we put our tree up the same day as the Toronto Santa Clause parade.
*We always get to open one present on Christmas Eve and we get a 2nd gift that has our Christmas photo p.j's
* The tree comes down exactly 1 week after New Years.
* We always buy one gift together for the whole family. Usually a new board game.
We also start to decorate the day after thanksgiving. I think my favorite tradition was/is giving my daughter an ornament every year. When she got married last year (Sept.) their first Christmas tree together,in their own home, was decked out with ornaments. I will still be giving her and her hubby an ornament this year....
Oh Jolene, you have done a very bad, bad thing! You are the one that I heard about these CandyCane kisses first from and Oh.My.Word! That are delicious! I am in big trouble! So it would be absolutely wonderful to win your prize!
Even so, we have many Christmas traditions and I have talked about them in my blog over the last several weeks.
I enjoy creating new traditions, though, and sharing with others at this special time of the year.
YES!!! I decided to check before I left work on the off chance that you would post early. Hooray you did!!! HELLO! The Noel ornament has my name written all over it....LOL. I'm not a mint chocolate girl so I really want those beautiful jars to go to someone who will love those Candy Cane Kisses. But, those ornaments are too CUTE!!!
My main tradition is spending Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in Ajo,AZ where I was born and raised. We have tamales, flautas, and the whole Mexican food spread on Christmas Eve, before we head down to the center of town to 'the tree.' We watch the Santa parade, get in the 'goodie line' and then head to Church for Christmas Eve service. Christmas Day is filled with family, friends, presents, and the whole turkey, ham, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and gravy spread.
Good luck with the big graduation party and enjoy your boy as he is Home for the Holidays! :-)
Noel
:-)
Love your ornaments! I made some like that for our church craft fair. Love those bazzill tags.
We all get jammies on Christmas Eve too! It's the one and only gift we can open until Christmas morning.
We all go to church together (with my mom and step father), this year Kevin and I are Mary and Joseph in the all church pageant! Finally, all my life I've always been a shepard or a sheep! Apparently no one sees me as the angel! :)
We read Twas the Night Before Christmas to the boys right before they go to sleep on Christmas Eve.
The boys get a present from Santa that is left unwrapped under the tree (was my tradition when I was little too.)
The boys also get a visit from Santa on Christmas Eve and he brings that one present they've been begging for! (Or course I have to "help" a little by stearing them away from the huge things like the trampoline Logan wanted earlier this month.)
Happy 200th post!
Forgot to add, we also choose two boy's names off the angel tree at church, who are the same ages as our boys that year. We get them a special gift. We want to teach the boys that it's important to give to others who are less fortunate than we are.
Well, my DH and I tend to shop together the Sunday before Christmas to bond, shop and celebrate my b'day since it's the 20th.
Gary bakes cookies on x-mas eve day and I sit down with teh children to decorate them. The children each choose a special cookie for Santa and we leave him Pepsi.
Once the children are in bed, Gary and I wrap the gifts. We us 3 different wrappings for each of the children.
Those are about our only traditions.
Oh, boys, pull Jen when you do...remember I'm the nice gal that sent your nephew the fishes :) ROFLMAO
We always read the Christmas Story from the bible on Christmas eve.
We also do a yule log and put ribbons and things we made on it and talk about the year past and then also what we can do in the next to always help other people.
We also have an assortment of Christmas stories I have collected over the years and we take turns picking out which ones to read together.
And can't forget driving around looking at all the displays.
Merry Christmas
ok first, I read your blog everyday although don't post, just love everything you blog about. Because of you I am now addicted to those kisses and have polished off a whole bag of them and only bought the bag monday nigh!!!
Farnsworth traditions:::
*shopping black friday at BESTBUY
*buying the christmas tree and putting it up by Dec 1.
*buying my kids cute christmas jammies even tho there old they still love getting toasty jammies.
*making 24 dozen sugar/butter cream frosting cookies!!!
*hanging our lights on our two story house by myself!!
*listening to christmas music starting the day after thanksgiving.
*opening one present 1 week before christmas.
*Christmas morning celebrating the Birth of Christ and thanking Jesus for everything we have!!!
*spending christmas day with my 7 bro/sis 4sisternlaws/3brotherinlaws and 28 nephews and nieces!!
I have decided you twin works down the street at the local grocery store. I kept looking at her lately thinking she "reminded" me of someone LOL, and today it clicked. Crossing fingers the your boys pull out my name ;-)
Many of our Christmas traditions are the same...especially Christmas Eve...I love having the whole family over for dinner, the gift exchange and the white elephant...so fun! Thanks for the post ~ I love your blog!!
Woo Hoo!!! I found the peppermint kisses in Florida!!!
We drive around and look at all the pretty Christmas lights. There is a special neighborhood where my friend Amy lives...she has a blog...and the entire neighborhood decorates and they set out lighted luminaries. When you enter the development they ask you to dim your car lights so you get the total effect. It's so pretty and festive.
Spending time with family.
Baking cookies.
Listening to Christmas CD's while I address cards.
Singing along with the Christmas songs on the car radio.
Choose my name guys!!!
Well...I am impressed by your fabu creativity (as usual) I love the idea of posting Xmas traditions...I think I will do that on my blog soon, because I'm realizing that it would take up too much space to do it here...I hope I win these since I can not for the life of me remember to pick up any of these kisses at the store!!!
Here's the main tradition in my family, Jolene. Since I was 2.5 months old, Mom has always given me brand-new pjs on Christmas Eve; she's a firm believer that children should have on brand-new pjs for Santa. I'm about to celebrate my 32nd Christmas. There was a Fed Ex box waiting for me when I arrived home tonight. I know that it includes my new pjs, slippers, and robe!!!
CONGRATS!!!
Congratulations on your 200th post Jolene! I love reading your blog and enjoy seeing all your craftyness. And hope that one day I can be a super woman like you!
Our Christmas Eve tradions include the girls opening their new ornament for the year, a tradtion that I know many share, but started with my Great Aunt Orella makeing me a styrofom ball with beads, very simple but it is the first ornament on the tree and the first one off. It is really special to me, she made it the year after I was born.
Then we put out the cookies and milk for Santa and carrots for the reindeer (my Sarah, said when she was 2, don't you think that the reindeer get hungry pulling the sled with all my toys!) and then the girls get in their pjs and we all get milk and cookies and pile in the car to drive around and look at Christmas lights. Then after the girls fall asleep, we go home and I begin wrapping presents while watching A Christmas Story, it never gets old.
Congratulations again Jolene on your 200th post, I can't wait to read the 2000th! Have a great weekend with Chad. And I so want to make Chili and cornbread soon!
Jen
Jolene,
I love reading your blog. You are one busy crafty lady. I love those candy cane kisses too! One of our traditions is to construct a gingerbread house and make ornaments Thanksgiving night. We also take turns unwrapping gifts instead of just tearing into them all at once. Congrats on your 200th post.
We share many of the same traditions - new pj's on Christmas Eve, Temple Lights, Christmas Eve festivities, baking, and so on. So much fun. Pick me boys !!!!
Hey, I love those cute little treats. I just want to know...where did you get those jars? I've been looking for some like that EVERYWHERE!
Since you started talking about the Hershey kisses, I have been looking for them. The more you mention them, the more I want to try them. I dont think they are available in Canada yet, much to my dismay. Your home and decorations are beautiful, and I love seeing how you have displayed your treasures
I hope I win, I hope I win, I hope I win!!!
Sending Christmas stories to missionaries. Doing something new each year (Nutcracker, ice skating, New York City, Boston Symphony, tree lighting downtown, live nativity at the Joseph Smith Birthplace in Sharon, Vermont. The last few years I haven't bought gifts (I hate the malls this time of year). I make treats and send them to my family in the other three corners of the country.
Congradulations to you! Woohoo, 200th!
My traditions are:
We set up the christmas village and the tree the day after Thanksgiving.
The first week-end of December we have a "Candy cane Tea Party" just me and the 4 girls' and their friends.
The second week-end we hit ALL the local craft bazaars.
The third week we make our gingerbread houses. And decorate our cookies and make all the goodies for teachers, bus drivers, sunday school teachers, etc.
Christmas Eve, we attend the Candle light service at our Church, come home put on the Carols make hot cocoa and open the gifts from all my Arizona relatives (we live in Washington) and my hubby and I and all 4 girls exchange one gift.
Christmas Day family comes to our home which I love, but mainly because we have the only children on this side of the family. I make over-night french toast with apples and cranberries. We open gifts and enjoy each other.
Thank you for your blog, I am very encouraged by your talent and you being a wife and mother of 5, I have 4, so I know I could try to keep up.
Blessings
Tiara
Grrr.....I'm starting to hate this whole new Blogger/Gmail thing. It just ate my post!!!!
Anyway, I love your traditions and the ornaments and little jars are so cute!! So sweet of you to make those and do them as an RAK!
I love how you read about Christ's birth before opening presents. How awesome would that be? Hmmm...how to convince my 3 little kids and hubby to try that?? LOL
We used to always go to the lighting ceremony at Temple Square the night after Thanksgiving. It really started in high school when our high school choir had a huge performance in the Tabernacle every year that night. It was fun to be a part of and then I went back every year until they stopped doing it (I think it had to do with the politics of other schools not getting the opportunity to do it). Anyway, we haven't been since my 5-year-old was a baby and we definitely need to go this year, as I love seeing the lights and all the Christmas displays they have out. My kids would just love it. And now that the chickenpox are gone, we can all go out in public together again!! LOL
Congrats on the 200th post Jolene =o). As for traditions, ours are very simple. We go to a service on Christmas eve and then sit down as a family to watch a Christmas movie. Christmas morning my parents come round by 6.30am and then all presents are exchanged and opened. Christmas lunch is a family affair with whatever family is in town coming to join us.
Jolene, those ornaments are too darn cute! Love 'em.
Oh this is sooo much fun!!
Some Traditions of the Glave household
- Mike makes pecan pancakes every Christmas morniing
- We open one Christmas gift on Christmas Eve
- Butter nut cake is a MUST in our household. It's a cake my mother always made. I'm the only one that will eat it, yet I still make it
- Stockings are hung by the chimney with care in hopes that St. Nicholas soon will be there
Missy
WOW 200 posts. I can't believe it.
You have 31 comments so far, wow see people do read your blog, maybe I should try that. It seems to bring out the lurkers.
CONGRATS
Love all your traditions, I will have to think of mine and post them to my blog. Great idea.
Have a Great Weekend!!
Sound like you will be plenty busy
Post 200 that's AWESOME... I love it!!
Thank you so much for the Candle information... I just received a book in the mail yesterday!!!
Also I took a picture of my tree without the lights...
Check it out...
http://www.myscrapblog.com/carlaandmarty
TTFN
Carla
CONGRATS ON THE 200TH POST!
This is SO cool! You are the sweetest thing in the world! I hung the ornament you made for me. The pine cone frame with you and me in the middle. It made me smile!
Love ya,
Gina
I love the candies and the ornaments! Adorable job on all of it!!!
Such a sweet idea to give something away for your 200th post! I may have to do that for my 300th!!! So . . .put my name in! I'm always up for getting candy in the mail!
Love your list of traditions. I'm definitley going to post about this next week on my blog. But right now, thinking of . . .
* Family Advent worship at home
* Making a homemade ornament
* Christmas brunch with my parents
* Taking turns putting up the toppers on the trees year after year
* My snowmen and nutcracker collections
* Stockings from Grandma
Have a great day!
My family's traditions are --
Putting up decorations is done all together & while listening to Christmas music
My Dad always puts the decorations away the day after New Years Day
We put lights on the house after Thanksgiving
Baking Christmas cookies
Lots of egg nog & rum
Dooley's on everything
Theres too many to name really!!!
I hope I win!
We do lots of the ones already posted...but one of our favorites is making gingerbread houses with my husbands family...and then blowing them up. Childish I know, but so much fun. I have heard rave reviews about those peppermint kisses...I might have to make a run to Target!
Jolene: I don't know how I came across your blog, but I so enjoy reading it! You have a beautiful home and family. You are so full of ideas!! Thanks for sharing and have a wonderful Christmas!
Jolene, those are darling!! I love the ornaments! Congrats on your 200th post. You go girl. All of your traditions sound wonderful. :) I hope I win too! I haven't seen peppermint kisses here. Why do you get ALL the good stuff? :) Love you, Tember
I'm comment 41.. WOW! you have a lot of readers! I'm so impressed with those ornaments, they look great.. and the ones you showed us pictures of a couple of weeks ago that you painted are so cute. I'm jealous of your ability to paint like that!
Beautiful, just beautiful! I am curious to know what the recipe is for the green chex mix in your previous post... Can you post it.
Thanks! Jenay
Wow Jolene, congrats on your 200th! And look at how many people read about you and love you - amazing!!
As far as traditions, I have spent nearly the last 12 Christmas Eve's alone due to family being out of state and my husband's position at UPS! (Can't leave until all of Santa's reindeer are parked back in their stable!) But this year will be different! Not only will my parents be here but with the 24th falling on a Sunday, we will all be together, can't wait! Kids are now 2 & 3 and starting to get interested and excited about Christmas!! We put our tree up Thanksgiving weekend too, must watch Christmas Vaction, eat way too much, decorate gingerbread houses, adopt a family, and take the tree down over new years!
Have a wonderful weekend with Chad home and the rest of your precious family! Amy =)
Look at how many comments you have on your blog!!! Is this some kind of record??? We should be sending you a prize!!!
Look at all the comments! But then, everyone loves you!
Your things are amazing! You are just a wonder dear Jolene.
Happy 200th!!
Love your traditions list. We share many of those. It is just a fun, busy, happy time.
Have a wonderful weekend and stay well. Enjoy yourself! You deserve it after all your hard work!
Warmest wishes,
Sue
I am one of your lurkers, have never posted but really want to win your stuff.. You also got me and my kids addicted to the peppermint kisses, now I can't find them anymore!!!! I just want you to know I love your blog, hearing about your kids and family. I think you are a wonderful, amazing woman.. Tell your boys to draw my name!!!
Julie
One of our favorite traditions is the filling of stockings. I sometimes think we love our stockings more than the rest of the gifts. I think I spend more time shopping for the stocking stuffers. So much fun!
Congratulations on your 200th post!
You have the best traditions - I especially like the pajama one!
Our traditions include decorating ASAP after Thanksgiving. As a child, we also went to my dad's family on Christmas Eve, and then to my mom's family on Christmas Day. We got to take one toy each to play with/show our cousins. It was great!
Now, we open our presents on Christmas Eve, after reading the Christmas story. We save the stockings for Christmas morning, though! And last night, I started what will be a new tradition - decorating a gingerbread house.
And somewhere in there, we find time to ride around looking at light displays.
Way to go on the 200 post....
We don't have a lot of traditions in our family.... It's really hard sometimes, since we are a blended family and the kids have been gone every other Christmas...
But, when they are home, we always:
*Go to my moms on Christmas Eve, she cooks sloppy joes, sausage cheese dip and so much more....
*I always wrap santa gifts on Christmas Eve.... I absolutly Love this.....
Ok, I'm sure there's more but for some reason I can't think right now....I know we are really exciting....Please enter my name in the pot..... T
The ornaments are darling! You are such an inspiration!
I'm going to post my traditions on my blog today! What a great topic!!!
Oh count me in! Hi Jolene - I found your blog (among others) through Missy's. You are so creative- I love the sneak peaks into your home! I hope to have a blog started within the next week along with all my Christmas duties to complete.
I was at Pic N Save (Macfrugals, Big Lots) yesterday and found peppermint kisses there -You have inspired me to try a bag!
Happy Holidays
Cassandra
Happy Holidays Jolene, I found you and your dear family from my dear friend September. And maybe someday we can have lunch at Tia Rosa's as a get to Mesa 4=5X a year on business. Its my favorite place too...love the salmon tacos!
Mary Ann
Congrats on post #200! You are a one-woman scrapbooking, cardmaking, house decorating whiz!
We try to read a Christmas related story every night and read a scripture and sing a carol with it. We have not been good this year, kids and parents going too many different directions.
My favorite tradition is one that Santa started at our house. He always leaves little packages of cold cereal in the kids stockings and oranges, so breakfast is taken care of.
Handmade cards, music, some candy and cookies, gifts are opened one at a time starting with the youngest. With 7 kids it can take all morning to open gifts.
Some traditions at our home:
The kids get Christmas PJ's on Christmas eve. The one present they get to open that night.
Listen to christmas music starting Dec 1
My little ones get an ornament each year.
Bake cookies and make fudge
Christmas night spend with my brothers family and we have a white elephant exchange.
Those are some traditions I can think of right now. Thanks for sharing your blog with us.
Kathy
I am back just in time by the looks of it!!! LOL
You have been nice and busy by the looks of it.
I am only up to 14 blogs
Amie
Wow JOlene.. you have SO many comments ... you are one popular lady! hehe!
Our traditions..
-decorate the house the first weekend in December
-Christmas eve we always go for a walk
-nothing can be opened on christmas morning until Mom & dad have their coffee! (although now that I'm older, I agree! hehe)
-bacon & eggs, with orange juice on Christmas morning
-see my Mom's side of the family Christmas day
Have a great day Jolene :)
Last year we joined in some new traditions with my boyfriend's side of the family. Christmas eve is always one big party with his family. Christmas morning at my house with my kids, no presents opened until I'm awake and have camera in hand. Then over to boyfriend's parents house for Christmas breakfast made by his dad (whatever you want to eat, he'll make). then open presents there. Until I joined the family there were no kids around and so they have dogs that get presents and run around like crazy with their new toys and bones. lol... then I'm off to my parents house for presents and there is always a new game involved so sit around and play that the rest of the evening. I always get together with my mom's side of the family a few weeks before christmas and celebrate. This year since our kids are older and already have too much stuff.. we took them shopping to buy for needy children.
Anyway I could go on and on but you have enough stuff to read! lol
I'm just checking back in to see how many millions of comments you have on your blog!!! hehehe
Dang Jolene, I'm away from my computer and I log on to this. Too fun! I'm number 60! You did a great job on the ornaments and I would love to get some of those kisses.
Diane
Wow, 60 comments. I haven't been here for a couple of days and I am missing all the fun. Being Saturday, I might be too late for the drawing, but wanted to say *hi* anyway. On your recommendation, I am trying the Candy Cane Kisses. They are tasty. They remind me of those wedding mints, mixed in with some crushed candy canes. And addictive.
Wow...your 200th post! Awesome! Those ornaments are so cool, by the way!
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