My Favorite Christmas Traditions

As we get closer and closer to Christmas, I wanted to take the time to share some of my favorite Christmas traditions with you from when I was little until now! Things have shifted a little bit, since Mitch and I are only up in Chicago a couple days before Christmas, but we still will make it work!

I am excited for when Mitch and I have a family (many many years from now) so we can incorporate some of these traditions in our life!

Cookie Baking

Every year, my family gets together to bake loads of cookies. Mostly my mom and I do, and Blake just sits there and hangs out (or sifts the flour – his favorite job). We usually make 4 different kinds of cookies each year. Peanut butter blossoms, Italian crescent cookies, chocolate chip, and my personal favorite Spritz cookies! Want any of the recipes let me know and I would be happy to share with you! Warning: they are not low calorie or low fat – lots of sugar is involved!

The kitchen always ends up a mess, I always end up sick from eating too much cookie dough, but this was one of my favorite days during the holiday season. We always had to make extra crescent cookies because Grandma would eat them all!

Christmas Tree Hunt

This was also one of the best days of the Christmas season because I love having a real Christmas tree. My whole entire life I have had a real Christmas tree. We would bundle up and head to the same Boy Scout stand in our hometown to pick out the perfect tree. Every year we looked for the best one that was the right height, and fat enough. More years than not my mom and I would pick one that was way too tall or way too fat, but they always ended up working somehow!

Decorating the Trees

Yes, if you read that right, it was trees plural. Growing up we had 7 Christmas trees in the house. Each tree had a theme. The family room was the real tree with our family and travel ornaments. I had my own pink tree in my room, and Blake had a tree in his room too. The kitchen was dedicated to snowmen, the dining room angels, the bathroom was the teacher tree, and the living room was the “fancy” tree as Blake and I called it. There was one last tree in the basement which was the “reject” tree or the tree with all of our craft ornaments growing up or the other ornaments that didn’t make the other trees. Each tree meant something special to me growing up. Still to this day, I remember the ornaments and how excited it made me feel when decorating the house.

It was a great surprise when mom gifted me a few of my absolute favorite ornaments from each tree to decorate on the trees in my new home.

Pizza Under the Christmas Tree

This was a childhood tradition that seems silly, but was always so fun. After we decorated our real tree we would have a picnic under the Christmas tree and watch a Christmas movie. We would put down a blanket, and order pizza and enjoy under the Christmas lights.

Christmas Light Night

This was always my brother’s least favorite holiday tradition. One night we would loaded up into the car with hot chocolates and Christmas cookies and we would drive around looking at the lights. We would go to different drive thru displays, and different houses that we knew had some amazing lights. There was always one neighborhood who would put on the Nativity scene and the story of Christmas. While you drove by, each house has a part of the story to read. It was always my job to read each house’s section on their front yard.

25 Christmas book unwrapping

Another childhood tradition that I will 100% bring back with my own family. Looking back on my childhood Christmas memories, opening up a Christmas book every night in December is the first to come to my head. Blake and I each had our own baskets, and we would get to pick a book to unwrap every night. From Christmas classics, to anything Christmas related the Bakkum household probably had every Christmas book that was printed. We would then read the books before bed. As the years went on I would look forward to the night I unwrapped my favorite Christmas books or unwrap a new book to read. This was so special, and I can’t wait to do this with my family one day.

Chicago Christmas Day

Since growing up in the Chicago suburbs, my family would do a whole day in Chicago to fit in all of the city’s Christmas activities. We start with a stroll through the German Christmas market, Christkindlmarkt. There is a new souvenir mug every year which we happily collect. It’s picturesque, especially with snow. However, it is so crowded ALL THE TIME. Next we walk past the Marshall Fields (RIP) windows, which are now the Macy’s windows. We read the story and look at the beautiful window designs. We then make our way up all the escalators to the top of the Macy’s building to view the tree. It is always so pretty and perfectly decorated. We also are sure to stop by the big tree that is on Randolph drive by Millennium park. It is usually so cold we only stay by it a couple of minutes before grabbing some hot chocolate. We always end the night with a yummy dinner and a Broadway show. We have seen so many great productions over the years.

This day is always one of my favorites next to Christmas Day and Christmas Eve. Mitchell has been lucky enough to join in on this day of events! My poor southern boy has enjoyed his taste of a real northern (errr* cold) Christmas!

What are your favorite Christmas traditions??

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