New Christmas Traditions

Remember last year when I was asking what Traditions I could start?! Well, we began a few, but I think those will be modified this year with a new baby!

We may not always be at our home for Christmas morning, since we will be going to Hilton Head each year for part of Christmas, but, when we are...here are some traditions we are hoping to keep with Christmas morning~

*Set out one bigger gift or something Harper really wants unwrapped from Santa. {i'm soooo excited about her santa gift this year!} After all the gifts are opened, we'll open the stockings.

*I'll make a big Christmas breakfast that morning.  I'm thinking of making breakfast souffle and tater tot casserole for this year since it will just be me and Brian eating! :)

*Christmas night, hold our "Happy Birthday Jesus" party! I want Harper to know the real reason for Christmas! I want to have a little party each Christmas Day night, but I've got to be realistic about it and what I will really have time to do, no matter where we are! So, I am thinking of reading this cute book, God Gave Us Christmas, that I bought this year, hopefully getting Harper a Little People Nativity set and reading about that story, and then having a cupcake and blowing out the candle as we sing! We've got a very fun table-top party banner already and some plates for the cupcakes!!

...and a few traditions for the Christmas Holiday Season...
*Along with our advent calendar that was mine made from my Nanny I showed here, I'm taking Joey's idea! I love this! I'm going to work on collecting Christmas and Nativity books this year. I will eventually collect 25 children's books...one for each day in December up until Christmas (I've already gotten 5 from the Scholastic sale!).  I'll wrap them up each year and Harper will get to pick out one and open it, and we will read it together as a family! I'm quite excited about this, as family time is the most important! Plus I won't have to think of little candies and things to fill up an advent box or chart! haha! I'm hoping to find some good deals on Christmas books after the holiday! Open to suggestions of book titles!

the bin is kind of uggs, but I tried to make it cricut-cute

*Brian and I get ornaments everywhere we go, and we get each other ornaments each year, but we will start purchasing a 'family' ornament each year and putting the date on it. Here's ours this year -

*Using Elf on the Shelf for a fun way to keep Harper interested in 'being good' for Santa and for the fun of the magic!  Can't wait to hide Elf all around the house (and get a better name for him! haha)

I'm really excited to spend Christmas day at our house this year! It will be the first time EVER, but I think it will be really fun to just be able to lay low all day with Brian and Harper!

I'm sure we'll be adding to traditions...I'd love to hear what you do!!

Christmas Cocktail

Ok, I swear this is my last Christmas post! ha!

On Thursday we had our 5th Annual Christmas Cocktail with my college girlfriends.  It seems like every year it's harder to schedule this; so quite a few girls missed, but it was still so fun!

Thanks Sarai & Kelley for hosting! :)

Sarai's cute wine charm tree

brownie pops! yum!

the girls

girls + hubs

Mandy and I with the hostess, Sarai

Afterwards we... went out dancing till 2am....ha! Just kidding! Maybe about 3 years ago we did this, but now we are old and were perfectly content with playing Catchphrase all night long!

Festivus! {Christmas Post 1}

Well, the holiday has started! :) B and I just returned from sunny Hilton Head Island for Christmas with his Mom and step-family. Christmas has been off to a great start with lots of family time, food, and very thoughtful gifts!

Festivus is the annual gathering of all B's family and Mike's family (B's mom's hubby).  The first year we were together we all met at Isle of Palms, SC in a large beach house. Last year, we stayed in KY, and this year we got to have it at th MIL and FIL's new home in HHI!

We flew out Saturday and returned late Wednesday night. We had such a blast between walks on the beach, Wii games, bowling, golfing, and definitely lots and lots of eating!!  My MIL always has everything prepared so well {which I can imagine is a feat with all the people she was housing in her home!} and I took some really yummy recipes which I will share soon {remember bacon pasta?! Mmmm! Just one of her recipes I've shared.}

This year the Johnson 5 were in attendance, Jenny & baby Danny, and us.  B's sis and her family weren't able to come nor were the FIL's son and his family.  Maybe next year!
Here's a few pics of the trip ~ although we didn't get a big family photo {Grrrrr!!!} I got a few!

The Beach! :)

My MIL monogrammed my new placemats while I was there! Don't forget to visit her Etsy site!

I continuously am thankful that my hubby and I both enjoy spending time with one another's families. It truly {at least I'd imagine so} makes everything a lot easier! I love that both families are Christian as well.  During our walk on the beach, hubby and I reflected on this past year and how incredibly blessed we are in our lives. B and I spend a lot of time together, and while it's awesome and what is best for us, nothing is like being away from work! It helps re-focus us so much better!

And yes, I am handling the off-traditions of our Christmas this year! Look at me~I'm actually growing up. :)

PS- Festivus is from that Seinfield episode...get it?!

Traditions {I need your help!}

This is our first married Christmas.  We've worked it out so that we get to stay the night in our home Christmas Eve and wake up on Christmas morning together. I'm so excited! Although this will be the very first year I won't spend the night at my Mom and Dad's house on Christmas Eve; I'm actually dealing very well with it!
I don't really like messing with Traditions, but it seems like the past few years it's just happened and I've had to deal with it. First, with my Nanny's passing, we had to change around our routine for Christmas Eve.  Then, we added Eric {my BIL} in the mix, baby Colby, added B's family in the mix, and this year, we'll add Cameron and us being married. Yea, it's going to be very different. I get it. That's called growing up. But still, I don't always do so well with change!

So, I want to start some type of very small tradition for just the 2 of us this year and I need your ideas! I thought about making some kind of easy breakfast for us to eat as we are opening up each other's gifts...or maybe the same type of gift we hide for one another...I don't know. I know it couldn't be something that would take too long because who knows how much 'morning time' we will have before we have to start getting ready to travel to both sides of our family {which I'm not complaining, I think it will be fun, I'm just saying...}

So, please help! Any ideas are welcomed! Just post them below in the comments. :)

PS- A few people have emailed asking where I got our stockings. Jennifer told me about a new little place on Clay Ave. in Lexington called Caught Ya Lookin'. It's adorable. The owner is in her late 20's and she was so nice. I went in and an hour later I had gone through tons of different fabrics putting my two together!