Christmas Traditions

One of the things that I love the most about the holiday season is all of the traditions there are. I love doing the same things I did now, even though I am 18, that I did when I was a little kid.

I think a lot of the magic of Christmas for me was sticking to the same routine every year. It just doesn't feel quite like Christmas when certain things are skipped.

One of my favorite things that my family does is really decorate our house. We aren't those obnoxious people putting up all sorts of giant blow up characters. But we do go all out inside. We put up three Christmas trees, as well as garland on the staircase. We also put stockings on the fireplace and have elaborate Santas put throughout the house. The best part about it all is that it doesn't look tacky. It looks like a Christmas wonderland without going overboard.

Another thing I love is watching my favorite holiday classics, including Elf, The Santa Clause, Home Alone, and The Grinch. It never truly feels like Christmas until I have curled up on the couch with a mug of peppermint hot chocolate to watch some of my favorite movies.

Every year my mom and I go see the Nutcracker. We have been going since I was three years old and have yet to miss a year. It is so nice to spend time just the two of us seeing something so beautiful. This year we went to see the Moscow Ballet in Baltimore and it was outstanding. I am not normally a fan of going to the theater but seeing the Nutcracker is absolutely amazing every single year.

And after seeing the Nutcracker we used to go to Hershey Park to walk around their Christmas Candy Lane. I love the way they have it so decorated for Christmas with kettle corn, hot chocolate, Christmas shops, and even reindeer. Seeing the reindeer is my favorite part. Unfortunately we were unable to go to Hershey the past two years because we didn't see the Nutcracker in Hershey. 

I really am not sure if any one thing really makes it feel like the Christmas season but all of these things combined make this the most magical time of year.