New Christmas Traditions

Our Christmas this year was filled with the challenges and excitement of blending old traditions with new.  Between trying to coordinate schedules, getting time off from work, and being 5 hours away from family, we had to let go of some of the traditions we had while growing up and create new traditions of our own.  I will never forget the night Chris and I went to pick out our Christmas tree. After singing Country Christmas carols on the way there, strapping it to the roof & digging out the ornament boxes, we restrung the lights and star garland until they were just right and hung ornaments that our parents had given us from childhood.  The tree was snowman themed, complete with a top hat and red bulbs.  Almost every ornament was a snowman that my mom and I had painted or collected while I was growing up.

I've always wanted to be one of those people whose packages are all wrapped in coordinating paper.  I'm proud to say that I was- each gift was wrapped in either brown kraft paper or navy snowman paper with twine and red ribbon.  Our stockings were also Snowmen, hung on reindeer hooks.  They looked so nice glowing by the multiple fires that Chris has made this season.  

Both of our families came to our apartment a few days before Christmas so that we could all be together to celebrate. Setting the table and cooking together was so fun, and afterwards we opened gifts and watched National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (a tradition of both of our families that we could share together).  Dad made the neatest wooden shelf tray from rustic bard board and a snowman from light blocks to add to my snowman collection. And I had to include a picture of my first Kate from Chris :)

Our first Christmas together was different from anything we could have imagined- but it was perfect.  I look forward to many more Christmases together and can't wait for traditions to be made for the first time and celebrated for years to come.

[Photo editing courtesy of Instagram]