12 Days of Christmas: Christmas Traditions!

I am so excited to participate in Aly and Molly's 12 Days of Christmas; today is all about Christmas Traditions!

Just writing this post is making me homesick; I am so excited to be in SC for Christmas!!!

{our new stockings!}

Growing up, we always spent Christmas with my Mema and Papa (mom's parents) in Lake City, SC. I can remember being so worried that Santa Claus might forget that we were at their house and not ours! We always put out cookies, milk, and a note for Santa, and would leave a banana (??) for a little reindeer snack. My mema always slept with me on Christmas Eve, and would tap on the bed to make me think the reindeer were walking on the roof; that always made me fall asleep real quick! On Christmas morning, it was a very important rule that my little brother, Ben, and I had to walk down the stairs to see our presents at the exact same time. That meant that if he woke up at 4AM, he had to coax me out of bed, too, so we could go downstairs.We spent the rest of our time in Lake City playing with all of our cool, new stuff and were thankful that Santa remembered where we were.{Now I wonder how in the world my parents got all of our presents there without us seeing anything...they were talented!}

My grandparents moved to Greenville to be closer to us when I was in middle school, so all of our Christmas plans changed. On Christmas Eve, we have dinner (chili) with family, and attend a service at church. We won't ever go to a midnight service again after my dad and brother passed out and snored at one a few years ago! ;) My brother and I still have to walk downstairs at the same time on Christmas morning, which he hates because I so enjoy sleeping in; those presents can wait! My mom always makes her famous Breakfast Casserole, and we open presents around a toasty fire. After opening the presents from under the tree, we dig into the stockings we have had since we were born to see what kind of goodies we got. My grandparents usually come over for breakfast and to see our presents, although the kind of things we get now aren't as fun to see as all of our new toys used to be! 

{our delicious meal last year}

{sweet baby Lainey Kate last Christmas}

{we're still at the kid table}

We always go to my grandparents house for Christmas Day lunch, and usually fill up on so much delicious food that nobody wants to eat dinner. My brother and sister in law usually come with their two sweet girls dressed in precious Christmas dresses. The past few years, my family has gone to the movies on Christmas night; we like seeing a good movie that needs a big discussion afterward! 

Our traditions may not sound special or formal, but I wouldn't have it any other way!

Now that I am married and will someday have my own little family, I would LOVE to find some new traditions to start on our first Christmas together as husband and wife and share with our children many years down the road. I am excited to fuse together my family traditions with my husband's family traditions and also have some of our very own. Any ideas??