Ireland Holiday Traditions

The holiday season is just a happy time of the year. We’re busy baking cookies, attending holiday events, getting together with family and friends… while still trying to make time for our little family and create memories.

Now that our family is complete, I’ve really been into the holiday spirit this year and wanting to implement some new family traditions.

Jeff had knee surgery at the beginning of the month so he’s actually been able to spend more time at home, which has been nice, even if there is the pain factor to deal with. I know it’s not permanent, but having him around has helped us create new traditions that we normally wouldn’t get the chance to enjoy.

Here are few of our family holiday traditions, and some new ones we’ve started this year!

1. Butch Bando Fantasy of Lights. This is a local event that we’ve attended the last two years. The drive through light show is held at a state park and has hundreds of different holiday displays like Santa Olympics and the 12 days of Christmas. It’s a great way to enjoy lights and Christmas music without stepping foot outside of your vehicle.
2. Columbus Zoo Lights. Another local tradition. We love attending zoo lights on a warm winter evening. I know many local zoos host similar shows across the nation!  While we don’t get to see many animals during this time, the lights really are an amazing thing to see.
3. The Nutcracker. I grew up going to The Nutcracker with my mom every year. I remember buying a new dress and having lunch out before the show. We continued this tradition with Eden three years ago because she loves dance. This year was the first time Luke joined us and he loved the show as well!
4. Holiday parties with friends. We went out with some of our friends last weekend sans kids. It’s a great time to get together while not having to listen to the whining of small children.
5. Triple C. This is a new tradition we started this year! Last weekend, we decided to pick a new cookie recipe, new Christmas cocktail, and address our holiday cards. The mocktail was delicious. We called it Christmas punch. The cookies we baked were Grinch cookies, which I promise to share both recipes with you later this week! I didn’t get around to the cards, but it was fun pretending that I would, ha!
6. Christmas Eve. We attend family Christmas Eve parties while the kids track Santa on my phone every year. It’s such a fun way to watch them prepare for the big man in the red suit.
7. Christmas Day. I host Christmas Day at our home with our family every year. I have a set menu that never changes. (Another thing I PROMISE to share this week!). The kids open gifts and play all day while we sip mimosas and eat great food!
8. Road Trip. After Christmas, we load up the car and set out on a LONG road trip to Arkansas. It typically takes us 12 hours one way, so we have to get mighty creative for all of that car time. I will share a holiday travel with kids post later this week too!

Meanwhile, we decided to sit down and talk about our Christmas morning traditions with the kids. They had quite a few opinions on how the day shakes out! Scroll down to  the video below to see what they had to say 🙂

Coming up later this week on the blog:

• Christmas Eve / Day Recipes
• Christmas Travel with little kids

What are some of your favorite family holiday traditions?? Comment below and let me know!