Every family has certain traditions that they do every year. Some are special, stupid and funny and I wanted to share with you some of mine.
- When we were kids living at home with our parents it was understandable that my parents would hide all of the presents they bought so we wouldn’t find them. Well, my mother never stopped that tradition after we grew up and moved out. To this day, she will hide every single gift in her house even though nobody is looking for them. Ok, that’s fine mom but it only works if you can remember where you stashed them. Every.Single.Year on Christmas morning my mother remembers a gift she bought someone that is missing and she hunts all over the house until she finds it. One year, my sister literally had NO gifts. They were still all hidden and nowhere in sight. BAHAHAHA
- One of the funniest traditions we have are the name tags on each present. Yes, it’s fine to put To: Megan, From: Jess…but isn’t it more fun to put the name of an ex-boyrfriend instead of your own?! Annoying bosses, bad roommates, disgruntled employees, ex-boyfriends, etc, etc, are just some ideas you can have some fun with. It’s especially fun the first year you start it because seeing their face look so confused is THE best part. After that, it’s fun to think of the most random people you can think of!
- Receiving a nice coat or pair of pants is a nice gift. BUT, isn’t it more fun if you try it on, put your hands in the pocket and pull out a piece of lingerie?!?! When I was in elementary school I remember one Christmas my dad got my mom a nice coat. She tried it on and she was doing a couple twirls with her hands in the pockets. She stopped mid twirl and pulled out something and then quickly stashed it back in her pocket and blushed. OMG! Yes mom, we saw that and it was burned into my memory. Now I get to share it with thousands of people!!
- I feel like every year my mom says ok, this is going to be our new tradition. We’ve been through a few “new traditions” including holding hands while we all say grace. I don’t think that quite fit our family dynamic so it obviously didn’t last. Oh mom, I love your tradition of making “new traditions”…it’s a tradition. Another year we tried opening a gift up on Christmas Eve, but my dad decided it was a Christmas sin. So, that new tradition died too. I can’t wait to see what our new tradition is this year!
- We always go over to my parents house on Christmas morning and eat a big breakfast before we open presents. My mom has a sausage and egg casserole recipe that we all love, but for some reason my dad hates it. So, every year my mom makes the casserole my dad hates and we all love that he hates it. It wouldn’t be tradition without that casserole and my dad whispering borderline profanities under his breath. HA! My husband and I happen to LOVE it so I wanted to share it with you. You make it the night before and then bake the next morning.
Breakfast Casserole Recipe:
1 pound Sausage (mild or hot), cooked, crumbled and drained
6-8 slices of bread, crusts removed
6 eggs beaten
1 cup milk
Salt and black pepper, to taste
1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
* combine the milk, eggs, salt and pepper
*lay all of the bread on the bottom of the pan, sprinkle the sausage on the bread, dump the egg mixture on top of the sausage and then sprinkle the top with cheese. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 45 (ish minutes) Just watch it to make sure you don’t overbake it. It’s delicious!
What are some of your holiday traditions? Maybe we will try them! -Jess