Twas the month before Christmas...

Now that Thanksgiving is officially past, Christmas is less than a month away! I've already put the snowman doormat outside the front door with a holiday wreath hanging above. A few Christmas fixtures and garlands are hung, snowman snow globes are on the coffee table, and there are two stockings hanging over the fireplace.

Steve and I have established a few traditions since we've been married. As with all traditions, they take time to develop. I'll share a few of them at the end, but I wanted to throw out an idea first. I've thought of doing paper prayer/thought stockings around the fireplace since it's just the two of us and it looks so lonely. We can't have all our family and friends here in person, but perhaps they could be with us in spirit and in thought. =)

Simply post a message and/or prayer request in the comment box on here or send me a message on Facebook, and I'll create a stocking for you/your family to post on our wall so we will have a reminder to think of you and pray for you throughout the holiday season!

Hornaday House Traditions:

• Tour of Lights. Steve and I pour steaming hot cocoa into a thermos for each of us. We dig through the cupboards to find canned goods we can donate to needy families. We then bundle up with coats, gloves, mittens, and scarves, and hop in the car to take a drive through the neighborhood that is known for its many blocks of creative, unique light displays. Blocks and blocks of painted wooden cut-outs, moving creatures, musical displays... It's so much fun! At the beginning of the tour, you donate your canned goods and they give each person a free mini candy cane to enjoy during the tour. One of our favorite displays from last year was a house that was completely decorated with lights, except one strand or lights was hanging down half-way across the garage. At the end of the strand of lights, was the Grinch pulling them down and putting them in his bag! SO funny!
  
  
• Whenever we can make it back to Wisconsin to visit my family, we really enjoy driving through the Rotary Lights as well. So many childhood memories there!
  
  
• Christmas Tree. We don't have a set time for putting up our Christmas tree. It's sort of whenever we get to it. Hot cocoa is, again, one of our tradition elements. =) We start a fire in the fireplace, put "White Christmas" with Bing Cosby on the tv, pour ourselves some hot cocoa, and decorate the tree.. Nothing says Christmas like Bing's satiny voice! It's fun to tell the stories of each of the ornaments as we hang them on the tree. I ALWAYS use multi-colored lights. Steve and I both have memories of falling asleep by the glow of Christmas lights. Neither of our families were big on Santa Claus.
  
  
• Christmas Eve Dinner. Growing up, my mom (Barb), had always put together a fondue dinner for Christmas Eve. I remember being tiny and having to wait for my color stick to be placed in the pot by an adult and then asking every minute if it was done yet. Since I don't know much about doing fondue, and Steve's family has never really done it, we tend to skip it when we're in Oregon. I've begun making enchiladas instead, with lots of green chilies and red peppers for a festive touch.
  
  
• Presents. My family always opened presents on Christmas Eve. I think we still tend to do that, however it gets a little confusing between all the families. As we got older, we began drawing names. We do that off and on from year to year.

That's about all the traditions we have. What about you and your family??