Sunday, December 7, 2008

Winter Wonderland

Well, we finally have a covering of snow that is going to stay, I believe! (I've been waiting to put up this neat picture Jess took until it actually looked like winter here!)
Now that it is feeling more like winter (or I should say looking more like winter - it's been feeling like it for a while!) I have been thinking about some winter and Christmas activities we have enjoyed in the past. As Seth and Haddie grow we find that we are implementing some old family traditions, as well as seeking out some fun new ones to use with our little family. : ) I thought I'd share some favorite winter activities and Christmas traditions that come to mind off the top of my head...
*Hockey was a favorite winter past time for Steve's family. Steve played through 9th grade, his dad played and coached, and he even has an uncle who was recently inducted into the High School Athletic Hall of Fame in hockey!
*When I was little, my siblings and I loved it when my dad pulled out his old El Tigre snowmobile and a huge inner tube from one of the tractor tires to give us a ride. (We were also kind of nerds. Another favorite winter pastime was running around our yard pretending that we were on dogsleds. Of course, we had a name for each of the imaginary dogs that pulled our sleds!) ;o)
*As I got older, I enjoyed riding horse bareback in the snowy fields in the winter time. It was too cold to mess with saddles! (These were actual horses, not imaginary ones this time!)
*In our teen years, Steve and I both had lots of fun playing pep band for winter sports - I played the flute and he played just about every other instrument in the band! (I was also on the dance team. Whoa... there's no way I could do the splits anymore! Hehe!)
*A Christmas family tradition on Steve's side was to have a candle light steak dinner on Christmas Eve. Their family worked hard to be frugal all year long, but on that night they celebrated the importance of Christmas with a very special meal.
*My family had a tradition of going to the candle light Christmas Eve service at church, and then taking a long route home to look at all the lights in the near-by towns. Once home, my mom took out her good China - usually for a meal of wild rice soup and bottles of Coke (the glass Christmas edition kind)!
So, those are a few that came to mind. Anyone have any winter activities or Christmas traditions they would like to share? (Especially if you have any that include kids. We're looking for some fun ones Seth and Haddie might enjoy!)
Now I have to jet. I have LOTS of laundry to fold! ;o)
Good Night! (Or Good morning or afternoon!)
~Natalie

2 comments:

Lori said...

My favorite Christmas tradition was making cookies with my family (Dad too!)- peppernuts is our german heritage cookie of choice. Even as toddlers we had a role in making these cookies. As adults we got together and had a cookie baking marathon and now the nieces (age 4 and 2)get in on the act.

The other tradition is a mouse ornament hung on the lowest branch of the Christmas tree. When one of us kids would try to touch the presents (shaking it -Does it sound like a puzzle or legos?) the mouse would "squeak", doing his duty as the guardian of the gifts. When my older sister was old enough to realize the sound wasn't actually from the mouse but from my parents, she got to be "the squeaker" and keep the rest of us out of trouble. =0). As grown ups we now each have a mouse at the bottom of our tree.

Rachael said...

Hey Nat, come on, you can still do the splits! I am lucky if I can touch my toes:)