Traditions and Granddad

I am so thankful for holiday traditions! It is so much fun to show our kids all of the things that we do around the holidays. This year, we started a new tradition with our new friend, Bernard, the elf. Austin is LOVING Bernard. You can learn more about Bernard from yesterday's post.

We also set up the Christmas tree the day after Thanksgiving (or as close to that day as possible for those years we are traveling). It is so much fun to get all the ornaments out that we have accumulated over the years (and even childhood ones that our parents have saved). Austin looks at each and every one of them as he puts them on the branches. This year, he showed a real talent for picking the perfect spot for each and every ornament. This is the first year that I didn't have to move ornaments around after he went to bed because he bunched them all up in the one spot! He's growing up so much! Colten got to get in on the tradition this year by putting an ornament on the tree as well. He only got to do one because he was up past his bedtime, was really cranky and really didn't know what to think of those pokey branches and needles.

A tradition that Brian's parents have is to give us all ornaments on Thanksgiving night. It usually has some significance from over the last year for each person. It's always fun to see hwat ornament was picked out for you! This year, we didn't get to do this because Granddad fell right before everyone was leaving from their house after dinner. After making sure he was bandaged and pretty much ok. Brian, Bill and the kids and I went ahead and left so the kids could get back and get ready for bed. Mary stayed with the others to see how he was doing and ended up taking him to the ER that night to make sure he didn't have an fractures or anything wrong with his head (he hit his head pretty hard on the pavement). Thankfully, everything checked out ok and he got to come home that night.

However, Mary ended up staying the night and didn't get to give out the ornaments. No one remembered and we ended up going home before she got back to her home. While we didn't get to do this tradition, I am SO THANKFUL Granddad is ok! He's definitely sore, but shouldn't have any lasting effects from this fall. It was funny though, as he was being helped into the house and onto the couch to sit down, he was still cracking jokes and making light of it all!

We have many more traditions that we do throughout the holidays, but I'm sure I'll blog about them as they happen.