Question of the Day: What is Your Favorite Christmas Tradition?

My favorite is a tie between two. The first is my potluck the Saturday before Christmas. We started this about 20 years ago to prevent scheduling conflicts with other Christmas dinners. Plus, there is no menu. We just bring whatever we want, such as chilibeans, pigs in a blanket, taco dip, etc. We each bring a gift and draw numbers. But my favorite part is the gag gift swap. We each bring a gag gift(or two). Everyone draws a number. Each person has the opportunity to either pick a gift from the pile or take an already opened gift from someone else. After two steals, it is dead and no one can take it anymore. We have so much fun! Past gifts have been toe seperators, adult diapers, whoopie cushions and of course someone always brings a lacy undergarment. We enjoy it much more than the real gifts!

My other favorite was started a few years ago. We have a birthday party for Jesus at my In-laws house. We eat dinner, then while enjoying cake, my Father-in-law reads the story of Jesus’ birth from the bible. After the girls play, we have a 30 minute ride back home, which makes the girls sleepy. Then we set out cookies, snuggle in bed and Daddy and I wait for Santa.

I love the branch in #7 and the window films in #9! I am not super creative either! White blinds or lace sheers! Ugh!
Bernice

I make ALL my window treatments. When I was younger, I wanted to be an interior designer, but didn’t feel confident to achieve my dream. Instead, since I knew how to sew, and since I never felt store-bought curtains achieved the goal and look I wanted, I read everything I could get my hands on about window treatments, bought books, patterns, and with a regular sewing machine, made my own. I’ve made swags, pinch pleats, tab tops, valances, roman shades. I have a 4×8′ padded board that I iron the large ones on and now I lay out everything on the floor of my home. I used to sew for others, but now I’m too busy, so I just do it for myself.

Wow, I love the dropcloth idea. And good point about putting the shades higher than the windows!