Holiday Traditions

I'm big on holiday traditions. I like the family history, the familiarity of events, and I'm certainly not a fan of change. I love getting together with extended family, I love that we'll take a picture of the five grandkids from shortest (me) to the tallest, that we play vicious games of Uno, and that family stories are told again and again (especially ones of young me, the only grandchild at the time, getting SO excited about Christmas I would puke my guts out so no one could even mention Christmas leading up to it). But you grow up and move away and sometimes being a big kid sucks....and sometimes you just don't want to travel on your holiday vacation! Luckily Mr. Lawyer's family has a wonderful Christmas line up of food and family with some new to me traditions that I've been enjoying.

This weekend we met up with some of Mr. Lawyer's family and made some polish cookies that his grandmother use to make. It was a blast....and not conducive to getting in wedding dress shape! 

More ramblings about traditions (with pictures!) after the jump!

Our Christmas count down! This has been part of my life since I can remember. The Mother Unit finally passed it on to me. My brother and I use to fight and I mean fight, over who put up which ornaments. We alternated days but there was bribery, hiding ornaments, switching them, and fighting involved. Mr. Lawyer thinks that this is hilarious and has kindly participated in my demands to pick out ornaments on his days.

We use to do a secret santa stocking stuffer and pass coal around. It was a rite of passage when you were old enough to participate. The last year we did it was 2010 and I'm still upset about this not happening. Grandpa Bruce use to buy the coal off people just so he could give it to me every year. The Mother Unit made special cross-stitched stockings for the Dork and I. Mine is hanging by our tree right now.

Derek and I opening stockings on Christmas Eve. Also note that bowl of nuts in the foreground.

Nuts! My dad always had nuts around the holidays. This is the same bowl and nutcracker from when I was five. No joke.

 Mr. Lawyer getting his nut cracking on. I am in love with this picture.

Thanksgiving involves leftover turkey sandwiches at 10 pm whether or not you are hungry. They will be made and you will just feel drawn to them. It must be the special peasant bread that is always used.

One of my favorite holiday traditions is Grandma Nancy's broccoli salad! No matter the holiday is Grandma will always make me this salad. I love it. Grandpa Norm always makes me chicken and dumplings and zucchini bread. 

Broccoli Salad Thanksgiving 2012.

 Thanksgiving 2011 (with a side of Grandma's homemade applesauce)

 Easter 2011: a master at work