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5th Day of Christmas Giveaways with Mandy Young

  12 Days of Christmas at KarenEhman.com

Welcome to the 5th Day of Christmas Giveaways!!!

Today my friend Mandy Young is joining us to talk about her family traditions. She will be giving away the scarf in the image below (she’s also wearing it in her bio picture!)

12 Days of Christmas at karenehman.com

To join in on the fun and be entered to win the various prizes, simply leave a comment on the post answering the question of the day. ALSO—one grand prize will be given to one person who comments on all 12 days.

The Grand Prize is a $50 gift certificate to Proverbs 31 Ministries store and a $50 gift certificate to Amazon.com!!!

Now, here is Mandy to offer you today’s post…

Young Christmas Traditions

Mandy young ScarfHi, I’m Mandy. “What happened to your leg?” is a question I get asked almost every day. But it’s such a loaded question.  I was only 8 years old when I lost my leg, but my story doesn’t begin or end there. I was only 9 months old the first time I developed Spinal Meningitis.  I have been a research patient at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland for 23 years.  Scientists there have decided that I’m the only person in the world to have my exact Genetic Mutation. You can connect with me on Twitter here.  I am a good friend of Karen’s and am privileged to share some of my family’s traditions here today.

Merry Christmas everybody!  Christmas is by far my favorite holiday!  The first reason of course is the true reason for the season; Christ’s birth.  But I also love Christmas music, the pretty lights everywhere, the movies, finding the perfect gift for those I love, watching everyone come up with creative adventures for their little elf friends, the parties, the ugly sweaters, holiday food….oh my word the list goes on and on!  But really I think why I love it so much is the traditions.  I’m a traditional kind of girl and this Holiday has tradition all over it.

I’m sure you’re wondering, “What traditions do the Young’s have?”.  Great question!  I’m here to answer that question you’ve been wondering about for the last 5 seconds – haha!

Young Family Traditions at KarenEhman.com

My first tradition starts the day after Thanksgiving…that’s right Black Friday shopping!  Now I’m not much of a shopper normally but there is just something fun about shopping in the middle of the night and standing in line to get a good deal!  My sister (Alex) and I venture out around midnight Thanksgiving night.  We make our lists beforehand of who we are buying for and then read through the sale papers and head out!  Honestly this year I don’t think we got any wonderful deals but it was tradition and it’s one we love!  We especially enjoy the sister time!

Another tradition I love is putting up my pink tree!  Yes, you read that right!  I have a pink Christmas tree and I love her!  She makes me so happy!  As soon as it’s appropriate to put her up I do!  She has white lights and silver, glitter ornaments!  Her pinkness usually goes up the week after Thanksgiving and then I take her down right after New Years.  If it wasn’t frowned upon I would keep her up year round!

My dad started a tradition when we were little (I’m pretty sure it was all mom’s idea) where he goes out shopping by himself to buy my sister and I each a gift that is just from him.  With no help from mom or mom buying it and putting both of their names on it; nope, this one is just from him.  And now that my sister has children he buys each one of them a gift too!  Being a daddy’s girl it’s always one of my favorite gifts to open!

About 5 years ago my parents and I started a new tradition for our family.  Christmas Eve we head out to a favorite restaurant for dinner. We feel bad for those who have to work on Christmas Eve, so to thank at least one person, we leave a very large tip for our server.  We want him or her to know that we appreciate them being there and we thank them with a gift.  It’s all about getting to bless someone!  And it’s extra special if we are able to peek around the corner and watch them find their blessing inside the receipt book!  It feels good to give!

After dinner, I head over to my sister Alex and her family’s house to spend the night.  We read the girls the Twas the Night before Christmas and then we watch A Muppets Christmas Carol (my sister and I have watched it on Christmas Eve since we were little ourselves; which is a tradition we are now sharing with Alex’s little girls, my nieces).  Once the girls are fast asleep we turn on the movie Elf and finish wrapping last minute gifts.  Christmas morning my parents, grandparents and aunt come to my sister’s to join us to have breakfast and to open presents.  Instead of the traditional Christmas dinner we serve a big breakfast!

Do you see why I love Christmas so much?!?!? We really don’t have enough time between Thanksgiving and New Years to enjoy all the wonderfulness that is the Christmas season.  We have become so rushed that without traditions in place we can become a Grinch very easily.   But don’t get so wrapped up in the traditions that you forget the true meaning of Christmas or don’t enjoy your time with family!  Sometimes you change traditions and there is nothing wrong with that!  Some will stay the same and some will change, just remember to enjoy them either way!  If you don’t have traditions already in place feel free to borrow one of mine or get creative and come up with some on your own!

Answer one of these questions below to be entered to win the scarf and grand prize.

What are your family traditions?  Do you have movie night while making popcorn garland to put on the tree?  Going to see Santa and giving him your wish list?  Maybe going around your neighborhood singing Christmas carols?  What are the traditions that keep you in the Christmas spirit?   We can’t wait to hear them!

All winners will be announced Tuesday December 22nd.

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195 Comments

  1. One of my traditions is, like many others’, shopping on Black Friday. For over twenty years it was with my BFF, but since she moved to Hawaii I go alone if I can’t find a friend willing to join me.?

    A newer one is having our daughter decorate the tree. Daddy gets it out, sets it up and separates the branches, and makes sure the lights work. Then she goes at it. This year it will be adorned with the ornaments given to the three kids over the past 27 (oldest’s age) years. If it needs more I’ll have her hang things from the box of regular ornaments.

  2. We always watch the Charlie Brown Christmas Special and the cartoon version of How the Grinch Stole Christmas

  3. I love to drive around and look at Christmas lights. We did this as a kid. My family now is not as much into it, but go more willingly each year. And make cut out sugar cookies……it may be the only treat some years that I get around to make…..but even though it’s a lot of work, I love doing it.

  4. We have a ton! With my kids the motto seems to be that if you have done it once before it is now tradition!

    One of my favorites is going to Christmas Ever Church Service and then coming home to light the Christ candle on our advent wreath and eat dessert – buche de noel…in both chocolate and vanilla.

  5. We listen to Christmas music nonstop from September or October until Christmas. It definitely puts us in the Christmas spirit We also always watch Home Alone, Elf, Christmas Vacation, White Christmas, It’s a Wonderful Life, and Holiday Inn together.

  6. Every year since our kids were little, after the last school before break, we would have a movie watching slumber party in the living room. Sleeping under the tree is so much fun!

  7. My kiddos and I have been getting together with a dear friend and her kiddos for the past 7 years to make and decorate sugar cookies each Christmas. Such a special time!!!

  8. My family traditions include watching Christmas movies, listening to Christmas music, look at Christmas lights, ring bell for the Salvation Army, buy gifts for needy families, attend Christmas Eve service at my church, mail Christmas cards to friends and family, and watch the Macy’s Christmas parade on Christmas morning. Merry Christmas everyone! God Bless You!

  9. Our Christmas Eve tradition is: we attend Christmas Eve service, then we look at Christmas lights and go home. We usually drink sparkling grape juice, eat summer sausage, cheese and crackers and then open the SME type of gift every year, pajamas. This has been our tradition no matter where my husband was stationed. Since he retired and has a mission church, he began his own Christmas Eve candlelight service because the main church doesn’t have one.

  10. we decorate the tree as a family, the weekend of thanksgiving, Then we open one present on xmas eve, usually something to wear, and thats about it.

  11. Mine have changed at the various stages of my life. I really like the lights, decorations, and movies. One tradition I do most years is making ornaments for my nieces, nephews, and cousins children. While all the above is fun, the most important part (except for why we celebrate Christmas) is time with family.

  12. I tend to get all the Christmas stuff out and up after Thanksgiving. I let my daughter help decorate the tree this year! I am the one that loves Christmas and all that goes with it. I have to watch certain shows every year like “It’s a Wonderful Life”, “Miracle on 34th Street” (both), “The Santa Clause” movies, “A Christmas Carol”, and so many more. I started branching out on the decorations to include outside last year. I got some candy canes to put in the yard. I really want to have an outside ornament of Santa kneeling at the manger. The one thing that is mandatory is to attend church and be involved in the Christmas musical and share the reason of the season. We also share cookies with out neighbors.

  13. I don’t have any Christmas traditions. I’m sure my sister who has two kids does but as for me I just go where ever we are having Christmas that year. Sometimes it’s at my sister Michelle’s house and sometimes it’s mom’s. I will say that for a few years when I was at Michelle’s for Christmas our other sister and I would spend the night. We’d watch movies and keep eating. I was hoping that would have turned into more of a tradition.

  14. Decorating cookies and a gingerbread house. Inviting some single people from our church who have no family over for Christmas Eve dinner. Then we all go to the Christmas eve service together.

  15. I always put up our tree day after Thanksgiving. With Christmas music going of course. We always do Christmas Eve at my mom’s house. For the last 18 years. ? My husband and I always watch Christmas Vacation on Christmas Eve while doing “Santa” duties. Lol ?

  16. Oyster Stew on Christmas Eve! And in more recent years, we’ve also added a pot of chili for those family members that have not yet ‘acquired’ the taste for it. :)

  17. My siblings all live far away so when they are home for Christmas we try to spend as much time together as possible and it is always fun no matter what we do. As a kid we always went to had always had a meal of Swedish sausage, Swedish meatballs and rice pudding on Christmas Eve with my grandparents. Also, love going to church on Christmas Eve.

  18. A couple of our family traditions are going to Christmas Eve service with my mom. We love getting a small cake for Christmas day to sing Happy Birthday to Jesus. I love watching Christmas Hallmark movies and my kids and I love to watch Polar Express.

  19. When the kids were little we ate Birthday cake and sang Happy Birthday to Jesus. Now that the kids are adults , our tradition includes the Christmas program, a lovely special dinner and “It’s a Wonderful Life”.

  20. We don’t have a lot of traditions. Christmas has never been a very good holiday around our home and I regret that traditions were not done. The only one we really have is getting our tree the first Saturday of December and then decorating it and listening to Christmas music. Now that the kids are grown it has been hard to all get together at the same time but still try to manage getting our tree at least the first weekend of December if not the first Saturday. I love the Christmas music, the lights, the movies (I think I have watched several about 50 times or more). This year Christmas has come up very fast. Need to get busy and get ready.

  21. I, too, LOVE the traditions of Christmas! We begin our decorating the day after Christmas (I am not a Black Friday shopper). Our girls participate in church Christmas programs, we listen to only Christmas music for the month leading up to Christmas. We take a night when we wear our pj’s and drive through the most decorated neighborhoods to look at lights. On our daughters’ first day out of school for Christmas, my mom bakes and decorates Christmas cookies with them and my hubby & I finish up our Christmas chores. We host Christmas Eve dinner at our house after our church service. Our family comes over and we have dinner – something easy. Homemade chicken potpie, nacho bar, loaded baked potato soup with cheese and crackers ~ these are just some of the things we’ve had, and definitely a selection of yummy sweets for dessert. We have family game night – board games and Wii tournaments. Christmas morning, I put a breakfast casserole in the oven before my hubby and daughters & I open our gifts. We head over to my parents’ house for more Christmas festivities – including a late lunch and presents and a late dinner of Christmas leftovers. I seriously love the Christmas season so much and would love to have an extra month between Thanksgiving and Christmas just so we could enjoy it even more! MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

  22. We have a lot of traditions , one of them is that we play bingo for small gifts and handmade potholders on Christmas Eve, and about a week before Christmas we go and look at the lights in the local neighborhoods. We heat with wood so we can’t take the ashes out of the stove between Christmas Eve and New Years Day.

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