Up until three years ago, the biggest tradition we had was to watch "The Christmas Story" from start to finish at least twice between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Then I had a minor brush with breast cancer that scared the bejeezus out of me. I began thinking seriously of my immortality. I wanted to start a tradition that was sure to be near the top of my children, as well as their children's, list of favorite memories.
Every year at the beginning of December, I rent a couple of cabins at a nearby state park. Both cabins are on the lake and share a wharf. It's perfect for fishing if it's not too cold outside. We've had weekends when it was warm and balmy (remember, I live in south central Louisiana) and we've had cold fronts move in, bringing icy wind and rain, in which case we light up the fireplace inside and the bonfire outside. We bring one of my artificial trees, and the kids make homemade decorations to adorn the tree. We open gifts the first night so the kids can play with their toys all weekend. The children open first then the adults play the white elephant gift game. It's turned into a real blast for everyone and a weekend that we all look forward to. I'm including a shot of one of the gorgeous views we get to take advantage of.
So what's your favorite Chritstmas tradition? Leave a comment (along with your name and email address so I can contact you if you win) and you will be eligible to win a free copy of my first book, Some Day Somebody. Either an autographed copy in paperback, or a free download...your choice. I'll also throw in a download of my new short story, Hart's Desire, as well as a little souvenir from Cajun country.Have a wonderful Christmas!Lori
Lori Leger
Author Contemporary Romance with a Cajun flair
Some Day Somebody: Book 1 of La Fleur de Love series
Last First Kiss: Book 2 of La Fleur de Love series
Hart's Desire: an ebook short
We have a Christmas pickle which I hide on the tree for the kids to find on Christmas morn. It is to bring good luck.
ReplyDeletedebby236 at gmail dot com
Awesome post Lori!
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Trish
Thanks for commenting ladies! Debby, is that pickle tradition something handed down from generations or did you come up with it yourself?
ReplyDeleteThanks Trish!
Lori
Hi Lori, hope you and all of your bunch have a great Christmas get together. Our tradition has just about faded away: Jim has six siblings who have spouses & bunches of kids. We used to gather, caravan around town to look at Christmas lights, sing our favorite songs, each tell a favorite Christmas experience, eat pink lemonade pies and other good stuff ... but now, his mom has passed along with one sister and his dad is in a nursing home. The siblings have all gone their own way, having Christmas with inlaws. My dad is dead. My bro has Christmas in Colorado with his grown kids. My mom barely knows what day it is. What a sad holiday season! I think I deserve to win a hard copy of your first book! Yeah, I do! :) Actually, we're in TX right now having Christmas with my mom who suspects it Christmas because we have gifts for her ... then we'll head home Friday morning & have some lively fun with our daughter when she comes home Friday. :)
ReplyDeleteThat's a great tradition, Lori.
ReplyDeleteWe just bought a condo in Perdido, maybe we will have to start a new tradition there.
It's all about family, isn't it.
Great photos, Lori! Traditions... The kids and I always bake, leave out cookies for Santa, listen to Christmas music and watch our fave holiday movies!
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Lori! What a beautiful water view. The girls and I usually make cookies. And we have a couple of movies that are "must see" during the season.
ReplyDeleteAt 53, I'm still practically a newly-wed. (Two years and counting.) My Own True Love and I are still building traditions, our own and integrating traditions from both our families. The one thing that is consistent so far is Xmas stockings, whether we're at home or on the road. This year we're visiting the family where stockings are only for kids, so we're opening ours in our hotel room before we go over. Santa's going to have to be fast and sneaky to fill those babies.
ReplyDeleteLove the photos, Lori! Our traditions remain the same, opening presents early on Christmas morning, going to Mass, and having a big Christmas feast. Good, good times!
ReplyDeleteJess, you poor thing! Tell that daughter to get on the ball and give you grandbabies. I promise you they're all the motivation you'll need to start some new ones. Dawn, a condo in Perdido sounds like a great place to start a new tradition. Kellie and Jenn, cookies, music and must see movies...all great traditions. Pam, I love it...have stockings will travel! Farrah...Christmas morning mass and good eating...definitely a tradition I could live with. When I was little, we'd go to midnight mass and it was always so beautiful! Thanks for commenting. I'll draw for the winner at midnight and let you know tomorrow.
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The winner of my giveaway was Ms. Farrah, Rochon of New Orleans, La. Congrats Farrah!!!
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Great post, Lori. Love the water pix. Our Christmas traditions is decorating the tree after Thanksgiving dinner. One of the others is making cookies and getting them and the glass of milk ready for Santa.
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas everyone. Hugs,
I love the picture of the Cypress Knees coming out of the water. Is that a fairly typical Louisiana bayou scene? Beautiful!
ReplyDeleteWe started a new tradition about 3 years ago. We do a "traditional" Thanksgiving meal but have adopted a more casual approach to the Christmas holiday. My husband makes his delicious chili--one pot venison, one pot beef--and it simmers all morning the day we choose for our family celebration. The kiddoes/grandkids LOVE the idea that Dad/G-Pa has prepared the meal. There's hardly any clean-up so we have more time to sit and enjoy visiting with each other. We can "overlap" the coming and going -- something that can't be done with a complex dinner/meal. We just let the chili simmer in the crockpot all afternoon.