Christmas Traditions: Making It Our Own

Before I get started on today’s post, I would like to thank everyone who came out to the Children’s Hospital of Michigan Foundation Toy Drive sponsored by Detroit Mom Bloggers. It was great to see some familiar faces (Mom, Dad, Uncle Gary), and it was also fantastic to meet some new people (Scott and Lauren from MOBIBO).



Speaking of MOBIBO, be sure to click on the MOBIBO banner because for every downloaded app because they will donate .25 cents to the Children’s Hospital of Michigan Foundation. This app is so great because not only does it tell you of the great deals going on around you, it *pays* you when you click on the adds. (Think along the lines of a mobile billboard). Check it out! Thursday is the last day!



And now on with the show . . .



I love Christmas. I love all the traditions as a kid and now passing them on to The Babes. They like a lot of the traditions that I introduced to them: Christmas cookies, decorating the tree, singing Christmas songs, watching Christmas movies.



Some are fiercely rejected. And by some, I guess I mean just one: Santa. Thomas and Marie are totally and completely scared of Santa. A lot of parents use visiting Santa as leverage for good behavior. Not me. Why just the other day, I told Thomas that if he didn’t stop crying for candy (after the cookies I just gave him), maybe we should go visit Santa and talk about healthy choices. He eventually stopped because meeting Santa face to face was not worth the fight for candy.



And Thomas loves candy more than anything else in the whole entire world.



So instead of sitting on some strange and scary man’s lap, we write letters to Santa and put them in the big, red mailbox at Macy’s. Then we look at Santa and his display on the first floor safely from the second floor of the mall and *maybe* wave to him. If they are feeling especially brave, that is. We did this last year, and it worked out really well this year, too.



I am all for traditions, but I think it’s important to be flexible and respect Thomas’s and Marie’s fears. If forcing them to sit on Santa’s lap is going to be traumatizing, I rather skip it. There’s enough drama with the holidays without creating it, no?



What traditions do you modify in your holiday celebrations?