Christmas is a really special holiday for me and my family.
Some of my favorite memories are centered around this time of year.
When I was growing up, we would all go up to our grandparent’s house for a huge lunch before the kid’s would all open presents from all the relatives. Since my mom was the oldest of 11 children, my brother and I would get loads of sweet and thoughtful gifts from all of the aunts and uncles. It was a special time that I will never forget.
Time has passed and many of our family members have gone to heaven, but approximately 40 of us still meet in west Tennessee at my Aunt Teresa’s house on Christmas Day and share gifts with all the younger cousins.
I feel very lucky to be a part of my big, precious family!
I asked friends and readers for their Christmas traditions. Here are some of the traditions and memories that were shared with us:
“For the last decade at least, every Christmas Eve, our family goes to Christmas Eve Mass. We then come home to have dinner (usually taco soup), swap a few gifts, then watch It’s A Wonderful Life, usually with a fire crackling in the fireplace. No matter how many times I’ve seen that movie, it always makes me tear up at the end: ‘No man is a failure who has friends.’” — Ally
“All of my family would come to town and stay at my Grandmother’s house… cousins, aunts, uncles, etc. We would all spend the night there in the huge basement and do a fun campout. We played games, ate candy till we were sick, and sang Christmas carols. Those wonderful memories will last with me forever.” — Jo Lynne
“We like to watch the movie It’s a Wonderful Life and remember the many blessings around us even in challenging times.” — Kelley
We at Stoney Creek Farm are so blessed to have the opportunity to guide you to a more sustainable life through our blog, conference, and learning resources. We don’t take a day for granted that we get to be a part of your life, and you get to be a part of ours!
If you’re still looking for Christmas ideas, we’ve rounded up a few of our previous Christmas blog posts:
10 Activities to Create Memories with the Whole Family this Christmas
In this post, we compiled a list of 10 family-friendly, memory-making activities for Christmas. We’ve also made sure these 10 Christmas activities are sustainable and inexpensive!
5 Tips for a Sustainable Christmas Week
Though you likely already have some of these tasks complete (like wrapping your gifts), there are still tips in this post for Christmas Day and onward, like how to repurpose your leftovers and tips for recycling.
All I Want for Christmas is Less Stress: 8 Ways to Add Meaning & Joy to Your Christmas Season
The stress of prepping for Christmas—shopping for gifts, booking travel, planning the menu, preparing your home for guests—can easily steal away the simple joy of the Christmas season itself.
In this post, we invite you to slow down and plan for some Christmas activities that will add meaning and memories to your holiday season.
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We hope you have a beautiful, blessed Christmas this year, full of love and sweet memories!
— Leigh and Olin Funderburk of Stoney Creek Farm
