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Advent calendar, opening one gift on christmas eve (my husband always did this, too!), hot chocolate on christmas morning while we do "Santa"!

We always got new pjs on Christmas Eve to wear and open pictures in, so I plan on keeping this tradition alive (we still do this at my mom's, the nieces all wear matching ones!)

Stockings are a must, this was one of my favorite parts.

And I plan on having a special Christmas morning breakfast that we have every year, casserole or cinammon rolls, something yummy

Once baby is older, we will do Elf on a Shelf too, I have already been pinning ideas for it!

Hubs and I started a tradition a few years ago of having Harry Potter movie marathons. We'll continue that with LO. I'd like to come with a breakfast tradition that I'll make every year, only on Christmas. I love sense memories like that.

@jessiejo17: omg yes - Elf on the shelf! Pinterest has the best ideaS!

My dad used to always read/recite The Night Before Christmas to my brother and I on Christmas Eve . . . I loved that!

My DH and his brother always get a box/container of their favorite homemade goodies that they are not required to share with anyone.

I *love* the idea of the Santa's beard advent, and the HP marathon! Ooooh, and the scrumptious Christmas breakfast, too!

What's Elf on a Shelf?

@Thehistoryofus: Oh wow that is fun! I absolutely love the gift giving part. But I can barely keep a secret, I am pretty sure I have given my DH all his Christmas gifts like 2 months before Christmas because I get so dang excited. I think I will tlel my family to try that though!!!

Advent calendar and new PJ's for Christmas Eve. My whole family gets together on Christmas Eve, it is chaos, but my favorite night of the year. Since everyone is at my parent's house, we stay there, do Christmas morning with them, then drive to the inlaws for Christmas dinner. I guess this will be the last year we sleep over. I want to do Santa in our home each year.

@Honeybee: It's a little stuffed elf that you hide each night, or set up scenes of him doing all kinds of mischief, and the kids find him each morning.

We're Jewish, so our Christmas traditions are a little different

We go to a theme park because there are usually very little lines, and then we go to Chinese for dinner. Usually Christmas eve we'll see a movie.

@regberadaisy: it is fairly new, it's a cute way to keep kids interested in staying "good" for Santa close to the holidays. It also keeps them busy and distracted up to the big day with something else to focus on! http://elfontheshelf.com/AboutUs/TheTradition.aspx

@mrs. bird: you are NOT the only one creeped out by the elf! no thank you.

A tradition I'd love to pick up again once we have kids is cutting down our own tree. Growing up, every year we'd go to the same place, have lunch at the same hole-in-the-wall restaurant afterward, and sing christmas carols the whole way there and back.

My sister and I also slept under the christmas tree every christmas eve so "Santa" could carry us back to bed. Our parents must have had full-faith that we were deep sleepers!

@mrs. bird: You are totally not. http://www.peopleiwanttopunchinthethroat.com/2011/12/over-achieving-elf-on-shelf-mommies.html

My hubs and I started a new tradition of our own we call Christmas campout. The day we buy our tree, we set it up and decorate, then camp out on an air mattress under the twinkly lights and watch Christmas movies until we fall asleep. Traditions we brought from our individual families were Advent wreaths and calendars, Christmas breakfast, and a lights tour on Christmas night. I've already started making a stocking for our LO too!

Our anniversary is a week before Christmas so Hubs and I give each other ornaments that have to do with the year previous. Also, we'll get a new ornament for LO each year so that when she's an adult, she'll have all of her ornaments. Hubs' parents did this for both of their kids and they each have quite a collection. It's fun to see what they were interested in each year.

@Arden: @coacheswife123: Ok, I showed my husband the Elf on the Shelf, and he loves it! We're going to get this for the kids and start after Thanskgiving!

We do cut down our own tree every year on the day after Thanksgiving. It's fun, but a lot of work when you have two babies to cart with you out into forest!

I thought people just took photos of the elf doing this to be funny, but he's like a Santa spy? I vote creepy. But then, we don't do Santa.

Now that I've gone and been unfun....I'm soooo excited for Christmas this year! It's Wonder Baby's first Christmas, and the first year that Toddler Girl will really "get it".

I love the new pj's idea! We will probably do Norwegian Christmas Eve, like DH's family, and open presents from that side of the family; then Christmas morning presents from our little family. Then get together with my family later that day or on boxing day. This will be our first time not just spending the week at my parents, I feel like it's our first real family Christmas.

Funny that you're thinking of Christmas, I added Trans Siberian Orchestra to my playlist today just b/c I wanted to listen to Carol of the Bells... in Aug.
Christmas wasn't really big in our house growing up since we're not religious, but we always had a picture of us every year standing in front of the tree so we could see how tall we were getting (Artificial tree that we used every year). No LO yet, but I see us doing that also. Other than that, I dont know yet.

@PurplePumps: haha I have a iTunes playlist! I'm not allowed to play it at home until after thanksgiving. But usually by oct/nov I have reloaded it onto my iPhone and listen to it a work with earbuds in.