Happy Thursday! It’s only the third Thursday of the month, but Monthly Musings is coming a little early this month. Next week is Thanksgiving (holy cow November is flying) so Holly and Patty bumped it up a week.
This month we are talking about the holidays. I love Christmas decorations, but I am doubly excited for it this year. If our Christmas decorations weren’t in the attic, I think I would be decorating already.
1. Share your favorite holiday traditions.
There are a few things that we do just about every year that I really look forward to. The church where the boys went to preschool has a drive through nativity and it is one of my favorite things to kick off the Christmas season.
My parents’ town has an electric lights parade the weekend after Thanksgiving. We make reservations in a restaurant where we can sit in the window and watch the parade. It’s so fun!
I love our Christmas Eve dinner! It is one of my favorite meals of the year. I am excited to be making it with my parents and my sister’s family this year!
We always bake cookies with my mom. My sister joins us when she’s in town but that hasn’t happened for a couple years. It is my grandmother’s recipe and that makes it so special!
I love decorating the tree together. I’ve gotten an ornament that celebrates something that happened that year since I was a little girl and we continue the tradition for Jack and Luke. We also get ornaments on our vacations. It is so fun to remember all the good times while we decorate the tree.
2. Do you see holiday lights? Driving tour on your own? Attend a park or festival?
We sure do! I always try to plan a new way to see Christmas lights – we’ve done Enchant, a run through a lights display, zoo lights, boat lights, Hershey Park, and more.
Every Friday night in December, the boys get in their pjs and we stop for a fun drink – hot chocolate, milkshakes, slurpees – and drive through local neighborhoods to see the lights displays. This started when Jack and Luke were little and Jeff worked really late every Friday night. It was a great way to entertain tired kids and embrace the beautiful lights.
3. Favorite holiday recipe?
I love my homemade buttercream candy. It isn’t particularly holiday-ish but I only make it this time of year. It is pretty simple and so so yummy!
4. Must have holiday fashion staples?
In the lead up to Christmas, I would be lost without my Christmas sneakers and fun graphic t-shirts.
I have so much fun with my Christmas jewelry from Cora’s Den! I can’t wait to pick out a few new pieces this year. You can use code SUNSHINEANDBOOKS10 when you shop to save a little!
I love plaids and golds at the holidays to make everything a little fancier.
5. Any special or extra festive plans this year?
Yes!! My sister Annie is coming for Christmas with her husband and my sweet niece Maggie!! Annie hasn’t been here for Christmas in years and I am so excited to celebrate with her all week!
6. Best holiday planning tip?
Lists, lists, lists!! I could not get it all done without my lists. I also try to remember that being together is enough! Together with family, together with friends, together just the four of us. I want to do it all, but I need to remember that being together is so wonderful!
7. Favorite holiday movie?
Oh where do I start… I will quote Christmas Vacation all year long and I love it! I also love Elf and the Charlie Brown Christmas. If I don’t say White Christmas, my mom might personally kick me out of the family. Don’t worry Mom, I love it! 😉 I love all the claymation movies. And Hallmark, I can’t leave out Hallmark movies!
8. Die Hard… Christmas movie or not?
It sure is!
9. Tree/decorations up before or after Thanksgiving?
We always put them up starting Friday after Thanksgiving as soon as I wake up. On the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, Jeff brings all the Christmas stuff down from the attic and stacks it between our two cars. I call it the Great Wall of Christmas and it makes me so happy! I am ready to put it up right now, but I’ll wait until next Friday.
10. Do you celebrate other holidays in December? Hanukkah? Kwanzaa? Others?
I don’t. We do Christmas and we do it big all December long!
Well, I cannot wait for the holiday season to start now!! I can’t wait to see everyone else’s answers to these fun questions! Thanks for hosting Holly and Patty! Have a great day full of sunshine and books!
Oh I loved reading all of this- love your Christmas light traditions and so happy for you that your sister will be there to celebrate this year! Your tees and earrings are always always adorable and I am obsessed with that gold and plaid outfit you have one- insert heart eyed emoji 😉 Thanks for linking up Sarah!
The Great Wall of Christmas!!! Hahaha!!! We have a very small fort of Christmas 🙂 I love decorating day though.
I like you merry shirt!
You have so many fun traditions! I love all your festive shirts, shoes and necklaces. So exciting that your sister will be with you all for Christmas. It will be here before we know it!
Oh I am going to be in trouble because I forgot White Christmas on our movie list. Thank you for the reminder.
I love that you have dinner and watch the parade.
Thanks for joining us today Sarah and Happy Thanksgiving.
Patty
We had that same ornament tradition growing up and have kept it up with our boys (though thankfully I start early as Alec’s ornament came in with the wrong name on it this year). I also pick up an ornament each year when we’re on vacation so decorating the tree is like a trip down memory lane.