What better feeling of excitement then leaving work on Friday before Christmas break, right?! Eeep!
As we gear up to head to Maine, I thought it’d be fun to share our Christmas traditions that have formed between our two families and our own relationship over the past eleven years of being together!
Tell me your family holiday traditions in the comment below!
CHRISTMAS EVE MASS: Ever since S and I started dating, I started joining his family in on Christmas Eve mass. Now that my in laws live in Florida, S and I have kept this little tradition ourselves.
I chat here that I wasn’t raised with structured religion, but have learned a lot through our engagement PRECANNA class and all our Sunday’s at church together through our engagement and marriage.
Church always bring in a sense of community, but it’s on another level during the Holidays!
CHRISTMAS EVE SEVEN FISHES FEAST: When we spend Christmas Eve with my in laws, Mass is followed by the Italian tradition Feast of the Seven Fishes. The Italian-American Christmas Eve dinner is a feast-style meal featuring seven seafood preparations served up as courses that come in the form of soups, pasta dishes, appetizers and entrées. My FIL is an amazing cook and is sweet enough to set aside some dishes without seafood for me haha, but S loves this tradition!
When we have our own children, I know we will bring this into our own home to keep this Servello family tradition running!
CHRISTMAS EVE GIFT: This one is a little silly, but S and I get so excited for it!
Every Christmas Eve growing up, my sister and I begged our parents to open ONE gift on Christmas Eve. They were dead set against it, but for some reason we tried the desperate begging every year, over and over 😆
So when S and I started dating eleven years ago, we made this little tradition of having one dedicated gift for one another that we unwrap on Christmas Eve. That’s stuck with us until this day hehe!
CHRISTMAS MORNING: On Christmas morning we’re at my dad’s house and he wakes up early to cook up some breakfast sandwiches! We have had a family tradition ever since I was a baby where we wait for my Grampy Thompson to arrive before opening presents. Once he arrives – it’s time to unwrap!
S and I always have Muenster unwrap his stocking first which is adorable. Typically to not lug presents from Boston to Maine, S and I will have a mini Christmas for ourselves the morning of heading up to my Dad’s. This year, we gifted one another stockings and experiences to so we’re bringing them up to my dad’s with us since it’s not too crazy to lug.
I made up Cloe and Muenster their own little stockings! It’s so funny to watch. Even his first Christmas, he dug into that stocking like he’s been doing this every day of his life. He smushes his little face straight into the stocking and picks things out one by one. He’s such a ham. I expect this year that him and Cloe are going to go nuts together! There is cat nip involved 😆
CHRISTMAS LUNCH + FOOTBALL: After we all exchange gifts, my dad will cook up a feast of food for lunch which usually includes a ham and all the fixings. We all hang around watching football and loungin’!
This year my little sister will be at her boyfriend’s for Christmas so it surely won’t be as lout 😉 around the house, but it’ll be so much fun to hang with S, my dad, grampy and furballs! Then later in the week my dad is coming down to hang at our house in Massachusetts! I can’t wait.
What are your family holiday traditions?! Xo Mindy
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