christmas traditions // guest post by kelsie

traditions and christmas go together at our house like coffee and my mornings (see what I did there?;). they just go, and without them something seems wrong. tradition during the christmas season is a big deal for us.

Christmas in our family really begins weeks before Christmas. We like to say it is  pretty much just a month long holiday. Every year when we were kids the Christmas traditions would start on Christmas Eve. We would go to grandma and grandpa's house around midday. All of us cousins would usually just play around or help grandma out with last minute Christmas cookies (we take our cookies very seriously, folks.). Once evening would arrive we would go to our church's candlelight Christmas Eve service. I looked forward to this ever year for it brought singing Christmas hymns by candlelight, a story from our pastor, and usually a delicious candy cane or two.

Once the service would get over we would all get back to granny and grandpa's house where the mini houses are lit (my favorite),  the abundance of Christmas decorations happily greet you, and the delicious smell of potato soup would await us. It sounds weird to have potato soup on Christmas Eve, huh? Well that's our meal every year, and it's one of the most delicious traditions. Usually we would have to wait a good amount of time for the soup to finish cooking. So while we wait we would track Santa. Yes, we would track Santa. There is a website called the Norad Santa tracker . It sounds silly, but it was one of my favorite things to do with my cousins every year.:)

Once we would finish the delicious potato soup (we had to eat every bite in order to open presents) we would go and read out of  the book of Luke in the Bible, the real Christmas story. We usually would go around and each read a verse. We did this before we opened presents so we could get our focus on what's really important and be reminded of the real reason for the season, not presents. Of course though, once present opening time came around, it was quite fun. After we would open all the presents from each other after reading it was time to go home. On the way home every year I would get so anxious that we wouldn't make it home before midnight and that Santa would skip our house.:) But thankfully, of course he made it ever year. :)

Then we would usually anxiously greet Christmas morning with jumping on my parents bed letting them know what the day was! And the day usually follows with lots of food and time with family.

that's our Christmas.
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kelsie is the name. 

northerner gone southerner, lover of the ocean (mountains are cool too), and happy journal-er. 

writer + coffee drinker at bella ragazza. 

(also really excited for christmas!)

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(thanks Jo for asking me to guest post, her blog is the best you guys, and she is pretty much awesome)
what are some of your favorite Christmas traditions?

Have a Merry Christmas!

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