Christmas Traditions

Today’s post is all about Christmas. I love Christmas time, with the pretty decorations, holiday baking, and extra family time it truly is a magical time of the year.

Christmas Tree, Dog, Golden retriever
This year will be my first Christmas that I will be away from my family. I know I will miss my family but on the other hand I am looking forward to experiencing an Icelandic Christmas.

Since I won’t be home this year I have been thinking about all the family traditions we do every year during Christmas time. Here are some of my favorite traditions that I will definitely miss this year.

Christmas Tea Party
Every year my Aunt hosts a Christmas tea party for the ladies in our family and I always look forward to this fun filled afternoon. My Aunt goes all out making a full spread of delicious treats, from homemade scones to finger sandwiches, mini pear pies and a variety of teas, it’s a little girl’s tea party fantasy come true.

To make the afternoon even more fun we have added a few twist to our tea party. Now our tea party requires all the ladies to wear a hat of their choice.
Tea Party, Christmas, HatsOne last part of our tea party is a gift exchange, which of course comes with a twist as well. The gift we bring must be a pair of earrings that reflects our personality or personal style. It is always a blast exchanging them and trying to guess who brought what earning. What girl doesn’t enjoy getting jewelry??!

Christmas Eve Pajamas
When I think about Christmas traditions this is one of the first ones to come to mind. I remember as a kid how exciting it was to get to open a gift on Christmas Eve, even if we always knew it would be a new pair of pajamas and slippers. For some reason though going to bed on Christmas Eve in new pajamas feels so special:) Last year my sisters and I all got matching leopard print onesies, most comfortable pajamas ever!

Pajamas, Christmas
Azora wasn’t to thrilled that she didn’t get her own pair so she decided to protest by crashing our picture. At least she finally decided to cooperate and show us her photogenic side. Sorry for the blurry and dark photo but just add to share Azora’s pose, it looks like she is a human sitting up with us ;)

Christmas, PajamasChristmas Story
Christmas Eve night, after we get our new pajamas on my family sits down to read a Christmas book before heading off to bed. It is always so nice cuddling up by the fire and sharing some quality family time. Such a special memory and a tradition I am looking forward to continuing on with my family one day.
photo 1

Christmas Morning Picture
On Christmas morning our parents have always made us girls wait at the top of the stairs before coming down together. I have now decided that my mom made us do this so she could capture a perfectly awkward family photo, complete with tired faces and bed head.
Christmas, Sisters, Morning
Like I said the perfect awkward family photo. I am sure the ones of us when we were younger where much more adorable, now they just give us a good laugh to look back on. I made sure to not zoom in to much on these photos, pretty sure my sisters would not be to happy with me if you could see how gorgeous we looked in these photos :)

Christmas, Morning, Sisters
Even though this is just a simple picture I have enjoyed looking back at the pictures from over the years of us girls in the same spot every Christmas morning. Maybe one of my sisters will have to hold up the computer with me on skype so I won’t miss out on the photo this year.

Christmas Breakfast
Christmas breakfast is something I look forward to all December long. Breakfast is easily my favorite meal of the day and we go all out on Christmas morning. I sure am going to miss my Dads Christmas morning blueberry french toast casserole!

Christmas, BreakfastAzora
Okay I know a dog can’t really count as a family tradition but since Azora is a Christmas puppy I just had to share some adorable pictures of her during the holidays.
Puppy, Christmas
Ridiculously cute right?? My sisters and I have always wanted to get a puppy for Christmas, just like every little kid out there, and even though I was 22 when we got her I was beyond excited.

Christmas, Santa, Dog
Yes this happened, I took my dog to meet Santa :) At our local pet store they had a Santa come in so people could bring their pets in to get a photo with Santa. Azora may have been terrified of Santa and peed on him but hey at least we got a cute picture
.

Dog, Christmas Tree
Azora is a big fan of Christmas time and likes to help out with the decorations. Sometimes she is not so helpful! Lucky for her she is cute, even when she is naughty and takes the ribbon out of the tree.

Azora
I will definitely miss my family this Christmas and all the special traditions we have. I am looking forward though to making new Christmas traditions and memories this year and sharing them with my family back home.

Question of the Day?
Does your family have any Christmas traditions? How do you deal with being away from your family during the holidays? 

December 9, 2013 by
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  • http://expat-tales.com Jamie @ Expat Tales

    Oh man, you had me at the matching Christmas onsies. That’s amazing.

    I’m so happy I’ll be able to go home for a bit of Christmas this year, even if it’s not on the actual days, but the few just before. I think it would have felt pretty odd to just miss out on my normal Christmas entirely. When I get back on the 24th, I’m thinking my husband and I will do a pretty chill Christmas of our own. Can’t say there will be any leopard print PJs involved though!

    • Haha right best Christmas pajamas ever! Enjoy your time back at home always great to be home for the holidays! Even though I am bummed I won’t be home at least here in Iceland they have a pretty relaxed day on Christmas day so I can skype with everyone at home while they are all together. Maybe your husband needs to get you some Christmas leopard print pjs:) Have a great Christmas and trip back home with your family!

  • http://gravatar.com/blushandbarbells BlushandBarbells

    I don’t know what blueberry french toast casserole is but I’m pretty sure I need to have that for Christmas breakfast.
    I hope you enjoy your Christmas in Iceland! You might come up with some new traditions.

    • Right, the french toast casserole is amazing! Thank you, I am really looking forward to celebrating a whole new set of traditions this year here in Iceland:) Have a wonderful Christmas as well! Hope your Christmas breakfast is amazing also;)

      • David Eusted

        Kit, maybe you should be sharing some of our family traditional recipes! That Blueberry Friench toast is total gourmet and taste so amazing! Pretty too! Your last post just about had me puddle up…. I love that you are having this great experience and look forward to hearing all about it each time you make a new post. I am so very proud you are my girl on a whirl and hope you have a fun twirl! I miss my Kit… have a great day and know you are loved! Keep going after your dreams and never stop! Love, Dad

  • http://tothedayslikethis.blogspot.co.uk/ Sammy Dorn

    These are such beautiful Christmas traditions!! Because it is usually 30 degrees plus in Aus for Christmas, my family’s ‘tradition’ is an afternoon whirlpool. In the afternoon when we have all had a few drinks we jump in the pool and create a massive whirlpool. It started when we were kids and it has kept rolling on every year and we get more and more serious about it haha. Also, it’s not Christmas without kilos of prawns! :)

    • Thank you so much! I actually lived in Sydney for a term during college and flew home Christmas eve so I def experienced the hot Christmas summer there. Felt so strange to be going to the beach in December! I love the whirlpool idea sounds like a blast, and you can never go wrong with seafood in my mind! Have a Merry Christmas:)

  • http://www.fattofitgeek.com Kate

    Oh you have some lovely Christmas traditions, particularly the pajamas on Christmas eve! We don’t have so many in my family so I don’t necessarily miss traditions now I am away but I do miss the general family time.
    I had my first Christmas away last year and I can promise it’s not as hard as you anticipate it to be. I actually quite liked it… the missing things came after when I heard what a nice time they’d all had!

    • Thank you, I still look forward to the Christmas eve pajamas even as an adult:) I think I will have the same feeling, not as hard until I hear about all the fun they had! At least we have exciting new things around us to keep us entertained and make our own Christmas traditions. Have a Merry Christmas!

  • http://gravatar.com/danniellek Dannielle

    I can’t honestly think of one single tradition, it was more just a collection of things like putting up the winter villages and decorations together, opening our stockings and getting the dogs to open theirs, and then a giant family dinner alternated between our house and my aunts house. I haven’t been home for the holidays the past few years and while I miss my family, it was always snowy and stressful and as everyone got older harder, so I’m ok to miss out on it now and celebrate new traditions. Hope you have an amazing first Christmas in Iceland :)

    • Oh the winter villages I love them! My parents have been collecting theirs for years. Your Christmas day sounds lovely, and just love the idea of the dogs getting to open their stockings as well! I understand all the stress the older we get, I know I won’t miss all the holiday craziness either things are so much more relaxed here in Iceland. I am looking forward to experiencing an Icelandic Christmas this year:) Thanks so much and a very Merry Christmas to you!

  • Aunt karen

    U r a blessed my sweet sweet kaelene & niece. Family memories can not b replaced ur folks n family love each of u girls so much. Is hard w my girls out of state but so blessed to b part of some of ur memories. Enjoy this special x in iceland n make memories the 1st of many for u both. Hugs n more hugs sweetie. Luv u! Auntie Karen. Merry merry n blessed christmas

  • http://www.megantofrancewithlove.blogspot.com Megan

    This is my first Christmas as an expat too! Some of our family traditions are doing the “white elephant” exchange game, where everybody brings one gift and you draw numbers to open and then you can “steal” other peoples. (I think technically they’re supposed to be ‘gag’ gifts, but we do good ones lol) I really enjoy because it’s less about the presents and more about having fun with family. And when my great-grandma was still living all the women would get together and make Christmas candy like chocolate covered cherries. And everybody piling in somebody’s car to search for the best decorated house. My husband and I have started our own tradition of buying one special ornament each year and writing the year on the back. Last year we found a really cool one with a bride in groom, perfect since 2012 was the year we got married :)
    Hope you have a wonderful holiday season in Iceland! :)

    • http://unlockingkiki.com/ Kiki

      I hope you have a wonderful first Christmas as an expat! I love family traditions and white elephant gift exchange is always such a blast! What a great idea to get a new ornament each year, I may have to start that :) Have a wonderful holiday season as well!