It's finally cooling down in Texas and Thanksgiving and Christmas are on my mind! Today I'm partnering with Gymboree to share my favorite family Christmas traditions and some adorable winter outfits.
Holiday traditions, do you have them? Adding another activity to my to-do list during the busiest time of the year can be stressful however as I grow older I look back on holiday traditions I celebrated as a child and realize they are some of the fondest memories I have. My goal for Christmas traditions are not to go above and beyond to prove a point to myself , friends or family, but instead to fully enjoy the season and create wonderful memories with my children they will remember when they are adults. I keep it simple! You will NEVER find an elf on my shelf. That takes way too much effort ; )
1.) CHRISTMAS DECOR
Every year I put up our Christmas tree and decorations while playing Christmas Vacation in the background. Alex usually lounges while I decorate the tree ; ) I don't mind because I wouldn't want him styling our tree/house anyway. The past few years while I've decorated my kids have been napping because I need free hands, but my hope in the future is to have their help ; ) Once I'm done with the tree Alex will lift Turner up to put the star on the top.
2.) CHRISTMAS LIGHTS
We pile in the car and drive around near by neighborhoods to look at Christmas lights. I love this one because there's not a lot of pressure on what day or time we go. The past few years we've hit up the local lights show our city puts on, but we make sure to go on a school night because weekends are CRAZY!
3.) HOLIDAY CARDS
I absolutely LOVE receiving holiday cards from my family and friends, and that joy motivates me to send out cards for my own family. We usually take family photos in October or November, and I try to have them ordered and sent out by the first week of December. I'm not sure this is something we'll do every year, but I love having the family photos to cherish for years to come. These outfits from Gymboree are perfect for family photos because they are comfy yet adorable! Whitney was obsessed with her polka dot dress and glitter high tops, and Turner for the FIRST time didn't complain about his pants. He wears athletic shorts every day, so I was ecstatic when he enjoyed these sweater fleece joggers.
4.) TRAVEL TO FAMILY
It might sound weird but traveling is one of our biggest holiday traditions. We don't have a lot of Christmas Eve/Christmas day traditions because we're always at someone else's home. My mom and sister live 2 hours south and my in-laws live 4 hours north. Every year we trade off which family we'll stay with during Christmas. When I was a kid my parents had a similar situation, except my grandparents were much farther. I always loved packing in the car, listening to Christmas music and fighting with my siblings ; ). I'm sure it was stressful for my parents, but I never noticed. The tables have turned and now Alex and I are the ones loading up the car with gifts and heading out on the road. I'm curious. Do you spend Christmas at home?
This time of year is the best time to be a kid, and seeing my children light up with every tradition is one of my greatest joys as a parent. What are your favorite holiday traditions? Are they simple? Extravagant? I would love to hear!
Whitney: Dress | Coat | Shoes | Beanie
Walt: Shirt | Vest | Pants | Shoes | Beanie
Turner: Shirt | Vest | Pants | Shoes | Beanie
This post was sponsored by Gymboree, but all thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands I love!
No comments:
Post a Comment