Establishing Our Family Traditions

At our home, there is nothing traditional about the holidays. We change our plans 2-3 times before each holiday to accommodate all our family's schedule. But this year, plans are changing. And this time, it's more permanent.

See, Scotty grew up in the same county his parents grew up , and his grandparents too. It's safe to say the Stafford family tree is deeply rooted in this county. 

We've been married now a little over 4 years and we've been together for nearly 10 years. As far as I can remember, Scotty's family has always upheld their solid, Stafford family traditions. For Thanksgiving, both his grandmothers will host dinner. One grandmother will serve her meal at 12:00 pm sharp and the other grandmother will serve her meal between 2:00 pm and 3:00 pm.  Luckily, there is only a short 10 minute drive between them so we never have to quickly eat and then run to the next house. Dress is super casual. Blue jeans and boots mostly (right up my alley), with a comfortable top. 

However, my family is the complete opposite. My father is from Michigan and my mother's family is from Massachusetts. My mother was born and raised in South Florida by her father's parents. When my mom was in her early 20s, she met my father in Ft. Lauderdale. Soon they were married and decided to set roots there. I was born in South Florida and spent a small portion of my childhood near the Atlantic Ocean, smelling the salty air. 

We followed my Aunt Sandi to Tennessee when I was 8. We didn't know anyone or anything about the area but loved the mountains and Southern hospitality. There was just something comforting about East Tennessee. 

Anywho... back on topic... shortly after we settled in the hills of East Tennessee, my cousin's family also moved on up to Tennessee and we quickly established new family traditions. Each year, we would alternate who hosted what holiday. If we did Thanksgiving, my aunt would do Christmas. The next year, the roles were swapped. 

Traditional? Sort of, in the sense that we all knew where we would dine.

In 2006, my husband (then boyfriend) invited me to his family's Thanksgiving. Right away, I became the next member of the Stafford family. I always felt thankful to join their family dinners and anticipated the invites each year until we became hitched back in 2011. 

My parents are divorced, so it has always made sense for us to host the holidays, and our house is somewhat of the mutual meeting ground. However, having the entire Stafford family and my family agree and meet on the same day and time... mission impossible! I've been hosting my family's Thanksgiving and Christmas for 3 years now and every year we have a change of plans, change of time, and change of menu. We all agree on one thing--my Cherry Coke Baked Ham!

Needless to say, each year we have to juggle our family's time so we can all enjoy each other and spend the holidays together.

This year one of Scotty's grandmothers has handed over the reigns. She said she is just "too old to keep up" with the whole family's needs and asked if we (Scotty's cousin's wife and I) could host from now on. We gladly accepted and began to prepare for the occasions. 

Once again, we're changing the tradition!

Christin is going to host Thanksgiving at her house, while I host Christmas at my house. Next year we will switch. Just like when I was growing up! We have collaborated and agreed on a fantastic holiday menu and assigned who is preparing what so we're not overwhelmed (we're expecting nearly 20 people). We are looking forward to working together in the kitchen. She is a fantastic baker!

This year will be my daughter's 3rd Thanksgiving and Christmas. I really want to introduce her to family traditions and begin making memorable moments so each year to come, she will be excited for the holidays. I enjoy doing an elaborate mantlescape (is that even a word?) over the fireplace. Or displaying new linens in the bathrooms and kitchen. Especially decorating the exterior of our home to show our cheerful spirits to all passing neighbors. These were all memories I shared with my siblings and my parents growing up, and I am thrilled to introduce these lasting moments with my daughter.

What family traditions/non-traditions do you partake? Do you host all meals at your house? How about the new craze, Elf on a Shelf? Do you have any special moments, crafts, or festivities, or recipes that your family looks forward to each year? I'm interested in adding some activities to our new tradition. Help a sista out and comment below!

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