Let the traditions unfold

There are countless reasons why this is my favorite time of year - I won't bore you with a long list. One of those reasons though, is that now, more than any other time throughout the year, is when family traditions really come alive.

As a kid, I loved crawling around in our basement crawlspace (cause I was the only one who fit), dragging bags and boxes full of ornaments, garland and other Christmas decorations to the opening, where the assembly line to the living room began. After all the pieces were out and up, the decoration dance would begin. Items would float to their prospective places and we'd slowly piece together our artificial tree, string the lights and add the ornaments. All the while, classic Christmas music would be playing in the background. Shortly after our house was taken over with red, green and glitter, the cookie baking would commence. Of course, baking is a loose term when it comes to the holly leaf cookies (a tradition all their own). My job: head red-candy-putter-on-er (it's a highly coveted position). These were our traditions. And I loved them.

So, now I'm the mom. And, quite frankly, I'm feeling the pressure. I want the holidays to be as special and magical for my kids as it was for me. The past two years, with just Ryan, have been somewhat muted. He didn't really "get" what Christmas was all about and with our families up in PA, we spent most of the holidays up there, living out of our suitcases and darting from relative to relative trying to squeeze it all in.

Now that Rye's older and LP has joined the party, it seems fitting that we starting busting out some Bachman family traditions. First up - we get a real tree. This is a Nate tradition that I wasn't so keen on at first. But now, I love going to see the real reindeer, ride the wagon, drink the hot warm chocolate and pick out our own unique tree each year.

Second - instead of classic Christmas music while we decorate, we have Elf playing in the background. We've done this every year, but this is the first year we actually let Ryan help with the decorations, so it was the first time he saw the movie. He was mesmorized by Buddy. He actually sat still for more than 10 minutes.

Third - we have Finnegan. We got him as a gift last Christmas and were excited to have him join our family this year! He's an Elf - direct from the North Pole - and he has one job: keep an eye on Ryan and Lindsey every day and see if they're being naughty or nice. Then, every night he flies up to the North Pole to deliver his daily report to Santa. He flies back before we wake up and finds a new place to perch and keep tabs on the littlest Bachman's. Ryan has a love/hate relationship with Fin. When he's good - he loves telling Fin all about his day and bidding him a good night when he goes to bed. When he's bad - he hates Finnegan and doesn't want to even look at him. If he could pick him up and throw him at those times, I'm sure he would. Luckily, Finnegan is a smart elf and stays just out of reach no matter where he sits.

These are our traditions. I think we're off to a good start. More to come as the holiday season rolls on.