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Some of my favorite Christmas Traditions

Top 4 Christmas Cookies

Happy Wednesday! I’ve got the day off because it’s officially countdown to the wedding. I’ve got a nail appointment this morning, and then I need to pack and get myself to Fredericksburg for the next couple of days of wedding festivities. Aaron will be joining me on Friday in time for the rehearsal dinner! I won’t be blogging on Friday, but I’ll be back on Monday to recap.

I’ve been exhausted this week. I don’t know if the second trimester is finally catching up to me – or if my body is fighting off a cold – but I’ve been flat out tired. I didn’t get my house decorated this weekend because by the time Sunday rolled around, I just needed a good old fashioned day on the couch! Normally, my house looks like this by now:

Christmas house tour

or this:

Christmas

But I did what I could do this year within reason – and without exhausting myself 🙂 Last night, I finally got a few Christmas items up, like my trees (no ornaments yet), my stockings, a few decor items and my Christmas wreaths. Aaron and I talked about putting outside lights up, but other than that…. I might call it a done deal this year. And you know what? I’m oddly okay with that.

Christmas ornament exchange

Baylor ornaments

This got me thinking about some of my favorite Christmas traditions that I look forward to each and every year, so I thought I’d share. One of my most favorite traditions is my Baylor ornament exchange with two of my friends. That photo doesn’t really do my Baylor ornaments justice because I have so many. I’ll take a better photo once I decorate my tree this year.

But, the idea behind the Baylor ornament exchange started years ago. All three of us buy a Baylor-related ornament. It can be a bear, it can be an official Baylor ornament – or it can be something that is Baylor-adjacent. It needs to be the same ornament that you buy for yourself – and the two others. So, each year, each of us walk away with three new Baylor ornaments. I treasure these ornaments, and it’s so much fun revisiting each of these special ornaments year after year. They are some of my most treasured Christmas items – and ones that I’ll hang onto the rest of my life!

Zoo Lights

TXU Houston Zoo Lighta

This is another favorite tradition of mine. When I met with my friend last week to walk the neighborhood and look at lights, we talked about possibly going the week after Christmas this year! Each year, the Houston Zoo puts on a big Christmas light display. We usually try to go during their donor night, but with the wedding and the baby – it just isn’t going to be possible to make it for that night this year.

TXU Houston Zoo Light

We always try to invite a group of girlfriends to go. They have wine available, they have hot chocolate stations and s’mores stations. It’s always a blast, and they change it up a bit each year. Donor night is really the best night to go because it isn’t super crowded, but we might brave the crowds to go after Christmas this year.

TXU Houston Zoo Lights

Ho-Family Christmas

ho family

My group of friends in Houston is called the Ho-Family, and we host an annual Christmas White Elephant exchange. We always do one serious gift and one gag gift. This Christmas party actually morphed from a “Finals Fondue” party that my friend, Andy, and I used to host during finals week in college. When we all ended up in Houston, we decided that we should continue the annual holiday tradition with a few tweaks. That’s how Ho-Family Christmas was born. We’ve been going strong for years, and it’s one of my favorite holiday traditions.

christmas

Sometimes we go tacky – sometimes we do pjs- and sometimes we just come as we are 🙂 The food and beverages are always fantastic, and it’s a fun way to celebrate with friends!

Cookie Baking

Top 4 Christmas Cookies

I grew up baking holiday treats with my mom during my Christmas breaks. We would brainstorm our cookie lineup in the weeks leading up to our baking day(s). My mom would always package some treats up for our neighbors, her work friends and my dad’s work friends. I’d give them as holiday gifts to my teachers, friends and more.

christmas crack

This is a tradition that has stayed with me into adulthood. And while I don’t go all out like my mom and I used to do, it’s my way of staying connected to my family even when I might not necessarily get to see them during the holidays. Aaron and I switch off the major holidays between each of our families, and I would be lying if I said that first Christmas away from my family wasn’t a tad difficult. So that year, I got to baking, and it made me happy to be able to recreate a special memory – that was unique to my family – even if I didn’t get to see them. And, I brought these treats to Aaron’s family, and they loved them.

peanut butter blossoms

You can view some of my favorite recipes here. I have some very favorite recipes that I make every year because friends, family and co-workers request it. But, I always try to add in one or two new ones. This year, I’m for sure making my Christmas Crack. But I might try that peppermint fudge that is making the rounds on social media this year. I’ll keep you posted on what I decide to make, and I’ll share the recipes of course!

Thanks for coming along while I did a roundup featuring my favorite Christmas traditions. What are some of yours?

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