7 Family Traditions

I shared this tradition on 12 Crafts till Christmas during Elizabeth's 12+ Days of Traditions event and decided I should share it here in case anyone missed it! I come from a large family - my mom has 8 siblings, all married with at least 2 kids, several with 5-6 kids.  All but one family lives in state and most live within a 1/2 hour of each other.  Of course now the grandkids are having kids {there are now 8 great-grandkids with 2 on the way}.  See, big family {and that's just my mom's side... my dad has 7 siblings all with at least 2 kids and all but one in state}! As you can imagine, it makes for a BIG family gathering. And WAY too many presents to buy!   Needless to say, we have stopped drawing names for each individual person and moved on to a different system. Now each family draws another family and creates a basket for them.  And the basket making has taken on a life of its own!  Many, but not all, include handmade items, but all have themes.   Some past themes have been: Things that always disappear around the house, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, The Redneck Basket, Yankees Rule, Things to Keep You Warm, Game Night, Things to Treasure, just to name a few.

So what am I planning for this year? The As Seen on TV Gift Basket, of course!  I drew my Uncle's family.  It is my Uncle Terry, Aunt Jackie, Shane, 20, TJ, 17 and Erica, 16.  They all have a great sense of humour so I decided this basket would be perfect for them!  So what goes into it? I included the following: 2 Snuggies - Gotta stay warm, you know!Nathan's GriddleTurbie Twist TowelPampered Toes Spa Gels2 Ped EggsGreenBagsOne-Touch Can OpenerTurbo SnakeMighty Mend-ItAqua-Globe

Originally I was going to do a camping theme, which is why these two items (MP3 Pocket Pillowcase and personalized camping themed mug) have tags I created... I'm faking the theme here, but I already created the two items, so used them.  I especially had no choice with the personalized coffee mug.

I also found this great poem - The Infomercial Christmas - a parody of 'Twas the Night before Christmas, that I am added to the box.  Look it up, it's a good laugh!

The best thing about this basket.  You can find As seen on tv items EVERYWHERE.  All the major retailers have endcaps filled with these items.  Even my grocery store had a full section.  Of course this basket wouldn't be for everyone, but I know my Uncle's family will love it.  That is the best part of this whole tradition - putting a lot of thought into a really fun gift for the family. The last part of our family tradition is an ornament exchange.  Each individual brings an ornament to the celebration.  We hang them on the tree and then going by age each person picks an ornament to bring home.  Last year we decided to turn it into a Yankee Swap and it was a blast. Anyone 10 and older had the chance of having their ornament swapped! I remember so much from that night and I know my kids do too.  They have already started to ask when we are going to Aunt Reney's for the fun party! We have other traditions as well, just among my immediate family.  Every Christmas Eve we go to the in-laws and eat a nice Turkey Dinner, and open gifts.  Christmas morning is reserved for just my hubby and kids and we stay home all morning until noon, when we head to my parents house (6 houses down!) to eat brunch and open gifts with my family.  After a few hours we head back home so that the kids have the rest of the day to play.  My MIL and FIL come over and we make homemade pizzas and visit.   I love Christmas time.  Getting together with family and friends, good food and drinks.  The spirit of the Holiday and teaching my children about giving.  I wish you all a happy and safe Holiday Season!