12th Day of Sock Yarn

On the 12th Day of Sock Yarn, Simply Sock Yarn gave to me...

my own set of sock-sized Knitters Pride Dreamz!

To have a chance at the newest line of needles that I've added to the store in sizes US 0-2.5 (5 sets!), just answer the following question in the comments section below:

Tell us about a favorite Christmas/holiday/winter tradition that you have started for your family or one that your own parents did with you.  Does it involve wearing matching hand knit sweater to church?  What about a special breakfast that you can't live without?  Did you start an Ugly Christmas Sweater Party or Pub Crawl in your area that has become a big hit with your friends (this was a hit in my goup of friends this year)?

I like asking this question because each year I get such wonderful ideas from you.  The first year I asked this, one of you told me that each Christmas Eve you give your kids and husband special pj's to wear on Christmas morning.  Not only do the kids get to stop pestering you about opening up a present early, but then you can also control how nice they look in Christmas pictures because you've just gifted them something new and not in rags!  VERY SMART.  This picture shows James' second Christmas from several years ago.

One of you also told me that each year you use your kid's school picture and turn it into an ornament- either by ordering a nice one online or simply by inserting it into an inexpensive frame ornament.  Each year when you decorate the tree, you get to look back at how your kids have changed and remember where you all started.  I love that idea, and again, it's something I totally want to start when James' starts school in another year or so.

Each year, we buy one or two special blown glass ornaments while we are away on vacation or visiting friends or family.  It's kind of a souvenier of the trip, and each year we decorate the tree or mantle with these, we can remember where we were when we purchased them.  Right now, we have so few that they certainly can't cover a tree, so they live on the mantle.  But I hope that in a few decades, we have enough to put a pretty little tree up in the foyer that's covered with these little works of art.

Joe, James and I have a special breakfast each Christmas morning.  It's the one time of year I make cinnamon rolls (I used to buy the canned rolls, but last year started making these) and I serve them with fresh Jamison's bacon (a local butcher shop) and a fruit salad.  We do this every year, and I'd better get on making the dough for the rolls! 

So I'll leave you now for a few days to enjoy the lack of snow (at least in our parts- odd) and the abundance of family and friends.  Joe, James and I have a lot to celebrate this year, and YOU are all a big part of it.  Next year is going to bring big change in a wonderful way, and I'll definitely be sharing all the details as they come.  I'll be going blog-silent until Tuesday, but I'll see you again here (or in the store as we are open on Tuesday for you to spend all those in-store gift certificates!) next week.  I wish you a very happy weekend!

Comments

[Marianne]

Me and my son buy a Christmas ornament for his eventual collection every year. They have changed from tacky to tasteful over the years, and are a cute reminder of his childhood!

[Kay Morrissey]

I would have to say my favorite tradition was the making and eating of my grandma's pierogies. I love them, but no one in my family likes them, so I don't get to have them very often these days. Maybe I'll start a tradition for me?

[Sheila]

The first Christmas my husband and I were married, I got an ornament with that year's date on it. We have been doing a dated ornament for the year, for the last 27 years. Each year a child was born they were given a dated one for themselves too.

[Jill]

When my husband and I got married, we bought a Hallmark Christmas ornament to celebrate our first Christmas together. Every year after that we added more ornaments to the collection and have more ornaments than will fit on the tree now!

[Sarah]

We make special Haitian pastries (called pate) for breakfast on Christmas, puff pastry filled with meat (we do chicken). We had them in the hospital on Christmas morning after our daughter was born, and have made them ever since.

[Jackie]

Every year we must buy at least one ornament and a Santa figurine. Both of these collections are filled with a lot of memories.

[Ellen]

My favourite childhood Christmas tradition was carol singing with my aunts, uncles and cousins. Mom was a talented pianist, and all the family could sing pretty well. We would pass around sheets with the lyrics, but really, everyone knew them off by heart.

[Sue]

I'm restarting a tradition that we did when we were first married, 35 years ago. At that time, we would go to my parents' house and spend Christmas Eve night with them. We would get up early and make a special brunch with Champagne. My parents are gone now, so I've decided to start it again, inviting nearby friends to share brunch with us on Christmas Day.

[ikkinlala]

One of our family traditions is to do a big jigsaw puzzle over the holidays. It's a nice way to take a break from the bustle without feeling like you're hiding away.

[Lisa]

Every year I buy my son, my husband and myself each a Hallmark ornament that express's something about that persons year. We truly have a tree of memories. Merry Christmas.

[mary]

A tradition that still continues: Giving just one guft on Christmas Eve before the children went to bed. Usually it was slippers; some years crocheted or knitted stuffed animals. Merry
Christmas to all!

[Joni]

The main tradition I carried on to my kids is using a color code bow system instead of gift tags for the kid's presents. So they don't know which presents are which until they wake up christmas morning. Sometime in the night I put their color on their bed post. When my parents did this, they had a hard time finding 7 different colors of bows!

My favoriet one I've started (well expanded on from my childhood) We have cookies and hot chocolate while reading a bunch of christmas stories. We end with Twas the Night Before Christmas. When we wake up christmas morning, before we open presents we read Luke 2 from the Bible.

[Joyce]

I buy one new special tree ornament every year....for my own tree. When my nieces and nephews were young I bought each of them an ornament every Christmas....now they have their own trees and when I visit I see all the ornaments I gave them on their trees.

[Jane]

I have always knit our gifts for Christmas. We now have six children with spouces and ten grandchildren so I knit year-round. This has been a fun 12 days before Christmas. Thanks!

[5elementknitr]

We go to my husband's parents house for Christmas Eve and for Christmas Day's dinner, we go into Denver to have dinner with his brother and wife and more family

[Renee']

When I was little my dad would read Twas the Night Before Christmas when I was ready for bed - I remember that so vividly. Also, we go to the candlelight service at our church on Christmas Eve and that is very special. I wish you a very Merry Christmas!!!

[Liz Noyes]

As a blended family, my husband and I wanted to start some new traditions ( as well as keep a few old ones) for our children. This is our 13th Christmas and I have packed 4 tubs with each of the children's own ornaments they have collected thru their lives. Our tree is looking a little bare this year! We will be having our traditional Dutch Babies and bacon (!) for breakfast for all who come home on Christmas morning!

[Evie]

We have a photo we take each year on Christmas morning of all the children, taken in the same place in the house each year. It is so fun to compare the photo year to year and see how they have grown!

[sharon]

We give a special ornament every year and always watch the original Christmas Carol movie in black and white on Christmas Eve. Have a Merry Christmas!

[Margaret Marquis]

When my dad was alive, we had my mom over for Christmas Eve - dinner and all-then when to daddy's on Christmas. Now, our new celebration is Mom is with us on Christmas. This year we are skyping with my sister in Chicago - we will all open gifts together.

We too purchase ornaments from places we have been expect we just put them on the tree.

Another Christmas celebration thing I do is celebrate all month (Thanksgiving to Christmas) - enjoying parades, Kids for Tots and Santa Runs, tacky light tour, enjoying cookies, family and friends and the smells of the season. This way it is not just one hectic day but a month long celebration. Merry Christmas y'all. Have a wonderful one.

[Melanie]

We always go to a Christmas Eve service at our church and then drive around looking at Christmas lights. Since we live on the very edge of the East Coast, most years Santa visits while we are gone to church because he has to start so early to hit everyone in the world! When we come home from the lights the wrapping paper flies! This tradition allows everyone to get some sleep on Christmas morning. The best present a tired Mommy could receive! ;)

[kay]

We also buy photo ornaments, make cookies for Santa, and tour holiday light displays.

[Sue Bray]

When I was young - we would always have Oyster Stew on Christmas Eve. My dad's favorite from when he was a kid! He would love it we girls would tolerate it! LOL! He would read the Christmas story from Luke and 'Twas the night before Christmas. The stories have continued but not the oyster stew! Today we crazily get to different family homes - I usually make prime rib - but this year - I won't be home to put it in so we'll do it on boxing day - so Christmas Dinner will be coming out of 3 crock pots. Every kids stocking has new underwear and socks in it! They love it! :) I'll stop now to wish all of you a Blessed Holiday!

[Sharon]

We always get together on Christmas eve and have a soup supper with clam chowder and potato soup before opening presents

[Ruth]

When my children were babies until they left home, I purchased a special ornament for them each year. As they got older, it was a treat to pick out their yearly ornament with their help.
Now, living far from my family, we don't get together as much for the holiday, but every year the grandkids and step-grandkids get that special yearly ornament.

[Kathy]

I started buying or making an ornament each year for my daughter. When she moved into her own home, she had ornaments for her first tree. I continue to do the same for my two grandsons. Of course, I only had one child so it was a little more doable.

[Kate]

My husband and I have started our Christmas traditions by making all of our ornaments- I've knit most of the actual ornaments, and last year he made a topper for the tree that is made out of felt and shaped like a Robot dressed as Santa - Robot Santa!

[Karen]

I make cinnamon rolls for Christmas morning breakfast! Nobody has to cook and it is a special treat!

[Dawn]

We play The Polar Express while decorating the tree & house.

Have a Merry Christmas Allison!

[Diane Eskritt]

We try to make a jigsaw puzzle, the more pieces the better

[Kim Baker]

Each of my kids gets a special ornament every year.

[Debbie H]

Mine was making cookies with my daughter. It was always so much fun. Now she's moved away and my hubby just passed away, so I'll have to make up some solo traditions now.

[Leslie Fehr]

The family tradition has always been decorating the tree on Christmas Eve Day. It would sit in the corner with just lights and the Angel on top until then. We could invite a special friend for a buffet lunch and would spend the afternoon hanging ornaments. Then it was off to the Grandparents house to join the rest of the family. On the way home, there were trips down side streets to see the lights and outside decorations. This was something that we looked forward to every year and I miss it very much.

[Mary Ann]

Our family celebration starts on Christmas Eve with a gathering of family at my husbands sisters house. Good food and a very good time. Then its off to midnight mass. Presents are shared on Christmas morning, then a good dinner and usually a game of Dominos after and of course football!

[Ashley W]

I do cinnamon rolls every Christmas morning too. I change the dough every few years, but the cinnamon-sugar ratio comes from an old Atlanta restaurant called Herrens. My parents always let us put up a small tree I our rooms so that when we woke up in the middle of the night we could see that Santa had come and go back to sleep without waking them up.

[hannah gaffney]

new Pjs for christmas eve here too!

[Lynne]

For many years, I've read Barbara Robinson's "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever" to my daughters. This has to be one of the funniest books ever written -- if you've ever participated in a church Christmas pageant or gone to elementary school. No matter how many times we've read it, it still convulses us with laughter, and my babies are 23 and 26 now.

[Jeanne B]

We have shrimp scampi and calamari for Christmas Eve, relax and open presents. It is just my husband, son and myself.

[Kim Deiro]

I have a specially decorated Christmas only photo album. Every year I put in pictures of my daughter and others, with Santa. My daughter is now 27 years old and she still indulges my Santa picture obsession! We also open one gift Christmas Eve

[Helen]

We have these peanuts that someone made to look like little men. They have pipe cleaners for arms & legs. A painted face and hat. No 2 are alike. ABout a dozen. We hide them on the tree and around the house. When our children were little they had to find them.
Now our grandaughter asked if we were going to hide the peanut men. :)

[Vickie]

My husband an I spend a quiet Christmas morning at home before making the trip to my brother's house to spend the rest of the day with family.

[Dianne]

When I was little I always allowed to open one present on Christmas Eve. Again today, Santa arrived a little bit early, and my dogs received a toy before Christmas day! Trying to keep that tradition alive!!!

[Jo]

When we were kids we opened presents on Christmas eve, and then Santa came in the night so there were presents on Christmas morning.

[Cathy Briggs]

After we open gifts, I make a German Puff Baby which is so delicious with powdered sugar and maple syrup. I had lost my recipe some years ago and was delighted to have found another copy in my mother's stack of old recipes that I inherited after she passed. It was especially meaningful to know that she treasured the same dish. Have a wonderful holiday.

[Nancy]

Growing up our family tradition was to visit each of my Aunt's and Uncle's homes on Christmas day. My parents and I would get up, open our presents, have some breakfast get dressed and go visit the relatives. If we got to someones home and they were out we just went to the next home. We would catch them somewhere. My family is mostly gone now, but my cousins and I do try to get together over Christmas and when possible we have dessert and someone else's home.

[Abby]

Somewhere along the way, the tradition of having Mexican food on xmas eve got started. So today I am making tacos and refried bean dip and lime salsa rice. And we are having tequila sunrises with homemade grenadine. And for dessert, ginger snaps and/or mini cheesecakes. I've sampled the ginger snaps, but maybe I should make sure the cheesecake is edible.

[kim]

my husband gets up super early Christmas morning in his new pj's (that's my family tradition from childhood - new fluffy flannel pajamas!) and makes these super flakey biscuits and CHOCOLATE gravy for dipping! my kids were afraid to eat chocolate for breakfast the first time-lol, but it has become something we all look forward to. it doesn't hurt that he cleans the kitchen too! merry Christmas indeed!

[Allison]

mimosas with breakfast! New Christmas jammies for Christmas Eve - if UPS gets here today!

[Carol]

Soup supper with friends and the Feast of light, festival of lessons and Carols on the Sunday before Christmas

[Jan]

An ornament collection was started for me the first year I had my own tree. I have enjoyed collecting ornaments for my kids trees as they both now have houses of their own.
I think I would like to start a new tradition for next year. I want to knit a baby sock from leftovers of every pair of socks I make this year and use them to decorate a small tree. ANd each year- add more- must be sure to date them too.

Hug the ones you hold dear and have a blessed Christmas.

[Margo]

We don't do anything special. Happy holidays to you and yours.

[Jane]

I still fill Christmas stockings after everyone else is asleep, even though my babies are 24 and 28! We also have a Christmas Eve service at our church - usually a late one, but we're going to the early service this year to see the children's pageant. The only food that absolutely has to be made each year is my mother's dressing recipe. Nowadays I put pulled cooked chicken in it instead of roasting a turkey separately, and it still tastes just as good. Enjoy your holidays with your family!

[Ruth viste]

Potato soup for supper on Christmas Eve, my mom finally told me that they started this because my dad didn't like oysters, so she made oyster stew without the oysters.

[Lucy Portland]

We always get Chinese food after church. On Christmas day we have a breakfast casserole.

[Carol]

Merry Christmas to you and your beautiful family, Allison!

[Mary]

We have our Christmas on Christmas eve but Santa fills the stockings for Christmas morning. Breakfast is egg bake, cinnamon rolls and mimosas. yes our children are grown.

[Pam Stocks]

First... Merry Christmas to you and your family.
I have continued my families tradition of filling the stockings and putting out all the presents (unwrapped presents are from Santa) after my kids go to bed. They are 13 and 24 but nothing has changed. A new tradition I've started is blueberry muffins for Christmas breakfast and a Taco Bake casserole for dinner..

[captainsharmie]

we don't do many exciting traditions over here. i think the most fun is the secret santa exchange i do with my friends. it's a good way to have fun with friends before the crazy family holiday time begins!

[Autumn Pilditch]

Our tradition starts on Christmas Eve. Every year we have dinner with my parents, go to Christmas eve service at Church. Then we go back there and open presents. It means we can sleep in a bit on Christmas day. Sometimes if we time it right my parents take the kids overnight too :)

[Lynn Beck]

When my children were small and my husband was deployed overseas I started making baked apples in the crockpot. I was wrapping into the wee hours of the morning and started the apples before I went to bed for a few hours of sleep before the kids woke.

[Holli]

I've just gotten home from one of our Christmas traditions, our friends' Christmas Eve brunch. Years ago the kids would all still be in their jammies. Now they and their friends are all driving, filling up the cul de sac as well as the couches. Later tonight will be our other Christmas Eve tradition, one I've done since childhood, and that is church. Always the best place to be this time of year. Going tomorrow too after the sacred cow of Christmas, my MIL's Christmas breakfast.

[Merna]

No Xmas celebrations here, so we often take a short RV trip around this time. We're lucky enough to be able to chose between desert and ocean.

[Kathy Sue]

Whatever else we have for Christmas dinner, there is always something Mexican. If there is only one, it is tamales. And we do Mexican for New Year's, too. I have tears streaming down my face reading all your comments! Merry Christmas to all!

[Marilyn]

We always gave our children new pajamas on Christmas Eve and a small toy. Now we are doing it with our grandchildren - all boys. We have our Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve and the kids get to go home all clean and ready for a good nights sleep. Right!!!!!

[Patti Ritz]

We don't always have "Christmas" on Christmas as my son's family has several places to go for Christmas. I do bake the same cookies every year.

[francine]

Making cookies and swapping them between families.

[Cecilia David]

For Christmas Eve since we live in an area that has a great deal of individuals of Italian descent, we have an Italian dinner and then go to late church on the Eve. And if Italian does not agree with everyone, I revert to my husband's family native New Orleans chicken and anduille sausage with rice.
For Christmas morning, we have homemade waffles and this year I ordered special sausage to go with.

[Michelle]

On Christmas Eve, we always have a huge pizza dinner, followed by a Christmas cookie buffet, followed by present opening. Then, on Christmas day, we have a traditiona ravioli dinner and usually watch some sort of Xmas movie.

[Larissa]

The kids read Twas the Night before Christmas aloud before bed on Christmas eve. In the morning we open presents, drink champagne, and nibble on chocolate.

[SusanB-knits]

Since moving to TX, we have started the tradition of having a Mexican dinner on Christmas Eve. I make the beef enchiladas, my daughter makes the chicken enchiladas, and we buy the tamales (I haven't learned to make them yet). We also have side dishes of rice, beans, and dips. After church service, we invite close family friends over to share the meal.

[Julie]

Every year since we were in college, my good friend Rhonda and I have been giving each other a Christmas tree ornament. I've been out of college a long time, so there are a lot of "Rhonda Ornaments"on my tree. I can't wait to find out what she sent this year!

[jenna m]

we do the German pickle tradition at our home. It's wonderful. The parent hides the pickle ornament on the tree and first kid to find it gets the pickle prize.

[Lori]

We too give the new pajama gifting. My friend told us that her mother always did this, so I promptly started doing it. Enjoy the cinnamon rolls! I discovered Pioneer Woman a couple of years ago and will never eat another cinnamon roll again.

[Bobbi]

My husband and I have a dated ornament for every year since we met.
I make a dated ornament each year for each of my nieces, nephews, grandchildren and now great grandchild. These are ornaments that their parents pack up separately and when the kids leave home they take their special ornaments with them to start decorating their own trees.

[NancyN]

My favorite tradition is filling Christmas stockings on Christmas Eve. Everyone tries to sneak presents into each others stockings without getting caught!

[Sara]

When my kids were little, we always spent Christmas Eve with my in-laws and Christmas Day with my family. But now all the grands have passed away, so in 2001 we started a tradition of having a fondue dinner on CHristmas Eve. It really is a bunch of work, but we all sit around and talk and bond and enjoy each others company. And eat fudge!

[Joan]

Every Christmas I put a new pin on my children's Christmas stocking. One year I found their favorite animal.

[Anne]

My mom always gave us Christmas eve pj's and continued the tradition with the grandchildren. Last year was my first year as a grandma so I got to do it too! This year I'm going to add a night-time story book.

I wish you all a Merry Christmas. I have enjoyed the 12 days of Christmas and the responses very much.

[Donna]

when my children were home we would read the Christmas story from Luke 2, then take turns opening presents so everyone could share in the gift. Another thing we did: each person had to buy or make something for each stocking - when our children were young we would get a package of gum or a candy bar from them.

[Stephanie]

We love to go and carol in the neighborhood!

[Beverly J. Killick]

When growing up, every Christmas, we would go and visit my Dad's side of his family. First, his mother and sister, Then another sister, then on to his brother's. All have passed on, but the memories are still there. The manger w/Christmas trees surrounding, the stable, baby Jesus, w/Mary and Joseph was always beautiful.
God bless.

[Ann Austerman]

When my sons were very young and very excited about seeing what Santa brought, I wanted to try and avoid the 3AM wake ups, especially since Mom and Dad probably just got to bed from getting everything ready. I started putting lots of interesting things in the boys stockings so that they would be occupied for a while. I told them, "If it's dark when you wake up, you can get your stockings and take them up to your room until it's light". The stockings were hung at the bottom of the stairway. Now, the boys are in their late 20's and their stockings are still one of their favorite part of Christmas.

[Cindy Kuipers]

When I was little our family tradition was that we got to open one present on Christmas Eve. It was always pajamas. We were excited to get a new pair of pjs!

[Betsy Kay]

Every year, my mom, dad, hubby and I eat pizza for brunch.... Hubby and I have to go later in the day for Christmas dinner and he suggested for my parents to just do something simple so its more fun.... homemade pizza, can't get much simpler and it frees up time!!

[Andrea]

The one tradition that stands out to me is the fact that every year growing up we would watch It's a Wonderful Life because my mom used to watch it with her mother every year. It used to drive me crazy but now that i'm grown and moved away, I bought the dvd and have to watch it each year (although I generally watch it on a different day).

[Kathy B]

We don't have much for traditions for Christmas since my siblings all live in different towns. But we each have special ornaments from past days that we use each year to remind us of the Christmas trees we saw every year at grandma's house.

[Jess White]

A tradition my husband and I have started is to have Xmas in Florida! We wake up and open presents, followed by eggs benedict and mimosas!

[Ruth g]

I make raisin bran muffins on Christmas morning. The mix stays in the fridge and we can have them the next several days.

[Sara]

It has become a tradition for me to make chocolate ginger biscotti every year. I used to make ginger bread men and paint outfit on them, including bikini's and speedo's for when I ran short on icing, but now it's the biscotti.

[Judy]

Lighting the menorah and eating latkes.

[Kim]

There is a restaurant about an hour from home. Going for Christmas Eve lunch is a tradition. On our way home from there right now. Merry Christmas.

[Cynthia]

Our family does Christmas Eve together, and Christmas morning I go to church. Then my tradition is to spend the rest of Christmas day NAPPING!!!

;-)

[Kylene]

My husband, sons, and I travel to spend the holidays with my family. My mother cooks shrimp for dinner on Christmas Eve, and on Christmas morning, she makes cinnamon rolls.

[Terri]

When my husband and I got married, we decided to get a Christmas ornament each year, with that date on it. Some of the years we have gotten 2, if we have gone somewhere special. Our other tradition is a Christmas brunch, an oven souffle, that I make on Christmas Eve day and we put in the oven while opening the gifts on Christmas morning. Yum! Merry Christmas!

[Cynthia Parker]

We always have our favorite shrimp dish Christmas Eve and roast beef with Yorkshire pudding Christmas Day. I used to make kidney stew and waffles for Christmas breakfast but not any more.

[Charissa]

We usually go to the movies followed by a nice Asian dinner with friends.

[chevas]

My mother-in-laws corn casserole is a must.....she didn't make it one year and everyone FREAKED!!

[Martha]

For many years I cross-stitched an ornament for each Christmas but that got old. Now I like to have waffles for breakfast, :-)

[Yolanda]

New pj's on Christmas Eve, with lots of munchies, board games and a family movie.
When my children were little they had a book called "Santa Mouse" - every year they search the tree for little gifts tied with yellow ribbon that Santa Mouse leaves!

[Veronica]

We go to the snow.