We make* one every year! (Including last year, even though Small Fry was hospitalized for RSV around Christmastime.)
Shake those sprinkles, Nuggey! (We made our house this afternoon. This year was the first year I had the kids decorate the parts of the house before we assembled it. It worked well that way!!)
*Oh, and by make I mean put together using a pre-made kit, of course. Who did you think I was, Martha Stewart? I don't bake my own gingerbread! But before you go pointing the taking the easy way out finger at me, please consider what using a pre-made kit entails for me: Feed, dress and bundle up four children. Haul, lead, shove and carry four bundled children through the snow out to our unattached garage. Squeeze said children into car. Drive to the shop where they sell pre-made gingerbread house kits. Unload everyone, pass out snacks into mittened hands, shove children into stroller, push stroller through snowy parking lot into store, locate and purchase kit. Take bathroom breaks and do diaper changes. Curse** snowpants and curse** the cold and curse** the fact that I'd let Big Mac put his own snowpants on and he'd put them on backwards and at the time I'd said that was okay, he could leave them like that. Pass out drinks (non-alcoholic) in safe plastic drinkware to the children, nurse MckMuffin, bundle back up and head home, with the many cumbersome steps that that entails. Drag, carry, shove, lead everyone back into the house, unbundle and put away hats, coats, snowpants, boots and mittens. Open up pre-made gingerbread kit, grab camera, and get to work! See, now who's pointing the finger!? Wait a second. Making my own darn gingerbread from scratch would have been a heckofa lot easier than that. Next year, I am totally Martha Stewarting our gingerbread house. Mark my words.
**For pete's sake, no, I don't actually curse! I don't even say crap or poop. Well, except when I have to write them in my blog to explain how I don't actually say them. Oh, nevermind.
Ahem. Enough about us. What is one of your favorite Christmas traditions?
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Gingerbread Houses
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102 comments:
Ha. We made a gingerbread house today too! And God Bless the premade kits. Thank you Walmart. Merry Christmas.
Very cute house!
Well, we haven't done gingerbread houses, but last year I started a tradition with my son (then 2.5) that I plan to continue. I've been telling them it's Jesus' birthday, so we made birthday cupcakes for Jesus together on Christmas Eve. We placed them into the shape of a cross and on Christmas Day, we lit candles for Jesus and sang to him before we ate his cupcakes for him. :) I don't really know how to explain Christmas to them at this young age, so I thought that this was something they could relate to, since they love birthday celebrations.
Making ginger cookies. I love ginger cookies. Actually the whole cookie baking, candy eating month is great until the end of it when my pants are too tight. After you described your trip to the store you said exactly what I was thinking, it would've been easier to bake the gingerbread. One big cookie sheet. i like to drive around at night and see the lights. Going to church on Christmas eve. the Carols by Candlelight program, umm this is turning into a post not a comment. I love Christmas.
WOW - reading all about that and what all is entailed in making your gingerbread houses made me tired (LOL).
We are so starting the gingerbread house tradition next year. As goes for traditions...we make Christmas cookies and travel through our little town looking at Christmas lights.
I love Christmas time!!
VERY PRETTY HOUSES.
We like to set up our Nativity set peeps (which is a combination of the Willow Tree set and other people/animals that my kids find from around the house... Like GI Joe, and the giraffe from Madagascar 2) on one end of the house, opposite the actual manger. Each week, and then each day as we get closer to Christmas, we move the people closer and closer to "Bethlehem" which is in the corner of our house in the living room. Mary, Joseph and their crew travel across the barren lands of our bedrooms, bathroom, hallway and kitchen to make it to the manger to have baby Jesus on Christmas! It's hilarious to see who and what the kids like to have Mary and Joseph bring along with them on their journey.
This year my kids acted out the nativity story. It was quite a sight! Mary rode on a giant stuffed penguin. Baby Jesus was played by my 3-month old twin boys. My 2-year old twin girls couldn't decide who was Mary and who was the angel. I am so glad I videotaped it and I will definitely do it again next year!
We make homemade party mix (cheerios, shreddies, crispix or chex, peanuts, pretzels, and whatever else strikes our mood...), and bake it in the oven. While it bakes, we get the tree up and decorated. The kids look forward to this every year.
We also bake a birthday cake for Jesus, and make a snow village on top of the piano, and take all our Nativity sets out.
We spent the rest of the holidays fishing the cat out of the tree...
Making gingerbread houses has become a favorite tradition of ours too. (Of course we use a kit too - that seems to be challenging enough!)
My son Henry's favorite tradition is baking Christmas cookies. We make a different cookie each afternoon for a week. That way I'm not overwhelmed with too many recipes at once and by the end of the week we have plenty of cookies to share (and manage to keep a few for ourselves.)
And this year while going through old photos I discovered a "tradition" I didn't even realize until just now - the goofy Christmas sweater. Every year my mom buys Henry a Christmas themed sweater. While they are cute, I know that Henry will give me a hard time for making him wear them. But for now I'll keep buying the cheesy sweaters for Henry and the smaller sizes will be passed down to little brother Charlie. The pictures of the boys in the sweaters are totally worth it!
great tip about decorating the pices before assembling! duh!
fave tradition...if i had to choose one...we pile in our bed at bedtime, all snuggled up in new pj's just opened up, and we read 'twas the night before christmas before tucking the kids into their beds...
(carried over frommy childhood...we did it every year,even when i was in college!)
Well Im impressed you could even put the house together. By the time my kids were done with our gingerbread house. It just looked like a pile of rubble. I still enjoy the time we spend doing it though.
Ahhh, the infamous leg lamp has become the "new" tradition (sounds a bit oxymoronic, or just moronic) now that the kids are gone....come visit and see!
Even though GBHouses drive me nuts, we do one also. I'm going to do it the McFamily way this year - decorate the pieces first - sounds like a plan!
Hugs!
Phyllis
Well, let's see NEXt year I'm going to fid this premade kit thing and try my first ever ginger bread house. But I will go on said search sans any extra people of the short variety. Our traditions most involve going somewhere, like Christmas villages etc. But then there's reading the Christmas story and The Night before Christmas in front of the tree right before leaving Santa some fresh baked cookies (thank you Toll HOuse for Break and bake) and milk.
oh, you wore me out with this post MckMama.
Our tradition was homemade sugar cookies cut out and decorated. I made the cookie dough and the kids and I all cut out the cookies from the rolled out dough and they decorated them after they were cooled. Now that they are all grown up, I miss those days.
Kids are funny. I would have said that my favorite traditions are putting up the tree the day after Thanksgiving, or making a gingerbread house, or looking for our elf every morning. But when my son (who is the REASON for our traditions) had to write about his favorite one, he wrote "snuggling up in my Christmas quilt when my mom puts it on my bed each year." Who knew that he loved that feeling so much? Not me... til now. Thank you, God, for teachers who take the time to ask!
Merry Christmas to ALL of you!
By the time I got through reading what all you have to do to get a pre-made gingerbread house kit, I was thinking I am way too lazy for all that, I would have just stayed home and baked it myself. :~) LOL and then you said it.
We bake cookies and make candy and give away with Christmas cards. We homeschool so a lot of our December "schooling" is baking and cooking and writing in dozens of Christmas cards. We have so much fun!
Merry Christmas!
Holly
Like Beth, we make homemade and decorated sugar cookies. So much work, but more fun each and every year!
Hmm.
Fave traditions:
Reenacting our Christmas engagement story, which involved 24,000 popcorn kernels, sitting through a church service hoping the turkey hadn't caught on fire, and sleeping in an airport.
Wait. Nevermind the airport part. We won't reenact that. And we'll make the turkey after we get home from church.
Decorate the pieces first, love it, we are going to try it.
My favorite tradition, so far, is the special box of ornaments, we have that are saved for last. After everything is on the tree, we pull the box out and talk about each ornament as we hang them. Fun ones, the year we got engaged, our first married year, when we were expecting, our first home, baby's first Christmas etc. I buy each child a new ornament each year to add to the box. Something that reminds me of them for the year. When they are grown and start a tree of their own, I will give them their ornament box to start their tree.
we're making salt ornaments with all the kiddos at my sister-in-laws. This is the first year so we'll see how it goes before we call it a tradition.LOL!
Ha ha..that was good for a chuckle. I was being all jealous of your snowy winterland until I read that. Now I'm thinking the 80 degrees we're expecting on Christmas day sounds just peachy. The house looks lovely!
I'm in Southern California so reading about your outing into the snowy cold sounds like pure torture. I complain when I have to put socks and shoes (as opposed to just sandals). There is no way I could deal with snow clothes.
We do the gingerbread house thing also, we have a blast! I envision us having our own 'gingerbread village' when my own MSC get bigger. Instead of decorating our separate walls, we'll all have our own houses... anyways, a new tradition my family is starting this year is to have a Christmas stocking or Christmas present for Jesus. A place where everyone in the family can leave a present for Jesus' birthday. My husband and I write 'love letters' to God and notes of confession. I am letting my little ones color pictures for Jesus, because that is what they do for our family and friends birthdays. I suppose commitments to work on becoming more like Jesus would also be a good present for Him.... basically anything that God lies on your heart would be appropriate. Even toys to be given to other girls and boys could work... the possibilities truly are limitless. Just an idea that anyone can take and tweak to fit their own family.
I collect Nativity scenes, one for each year we've been married :) They are tiny so I can accomodate them all under my tree in the future ;)
I have a few favorite Christmas traditions. One is every year my family adopts a family and we give them Christmas. I have been doing this since we got married 7 years ago, and now that my kids are getting a little older it is fun for them to be involved. My other favorite one is going to look at Christmas lights around the neighborhoods. It is so much fun to see what other people do to there house.
Your gingerbread houses looked like fun and very yummy.
Since I don't have children of my own, I borrow other people's children every day - Monday through Friday, from 8-3. :)
Every year my fourth graders (with help from their amazing & beautiful teacher) make gingerbread dough from SCRATCH, roll it out, cut the pieces, make homemade icing, construct and decorate their houses. They absolutely love it! Their amazing & beautiful teacher is absolutely worn out after the four-day process but proud as well!
Looks like a great house and it would make MS very jealous ;) As for the Christmas tradition...Christmas light looking. Bundle up...take a drive...and look at other peoples' decorations.
~Elyse~
I guess a tradition we've started is Operation Christmas Child/shoeboxes. I remembered to shop when school started, so I got great deals on school supplies for the boxes. I've then prayed with my kids for the children receiving the shoeboxes.
I'm not brave enough to try a gingerbread house yet; my kids are 3 and 5. I did just buy a cookie cutter in the shape of a gingerbread house with a peaked roof. I made sugar cookies in that shape and took them to my son's preschool this week, where they decorated them. I plan to make more for my own kids to decorate a couple of days before Christmas. I'm taking baby steps!!!
My kids will probably "curse" me for it one day but I kind of shy away from the gingerbread house tradition because everyone does it. Plus the 5 year old can't give things up or throw away and we would have to leave it sitting in my house for months I tell you. So we make ice cream for Santa instead of cookies because my husband(and now my girls) are big ice cream eaters, year round so we decided that would be our family's special thing. We also read the Christmas story and of course watch for Santa. Oh and drive everyone crazy taking pictures of all the events above and try to get in bed at a reasonable hour!
We did a GB house this year that was precious...especially when my 3 yo insisted we put a Hot Wheels on it. Or when he left the front door open yesterday and a stray cat spent the entire day in our house, apparently eating gumballs and gumdrops off the GB house...probably not going to make that a tradition!
But, we pile up into the car on CHristmas Eve, stop at a store and get some snacks (AKA junk food!), and drive all over looking at lights! This is a tradition carried over from my childhood! We also have some Christmas mugs (the same ones I used as a kid) that only get used during the Christmas season!
well, 1st off- I'm NO Martha Stewart, but if you ever want to make gingerbread cookies, I've got a yummy & easy (I do mean easy) recipe for you that I love a lot better than traditional gingerbread. I use it each year to bake gingerbread cookies at school with my Kindergarten students. Of course, a cookie or two or more always disappear, and we have to go looking everywhere around school for them. It's HYSTERICALLY funny to watch the kids!!!!
As for Christmas traditions- this year we haven't been able to keep many of our family traditions, but my favorite- we always decorate the tree on/around my birthday, our sons help me string the lights, the kids & hubby help me with ornaments, and Rob always places our 1st ornament as a married couple on the tree and gives me a kiss. My daughter always helps place the manger scene and creche under the tree in its place. We always keep it there to help us remember that Christmas isn't about the presents that will be under the tree, but about something way more important. Then we always all have a slumber party with Christmas movies in the living room with the tree lights on all night, just the five of us, the tree, and whatever pets we have- one happy family.
ahh my comment did not post... ok so Small Fry and Eli have even more in common... we were in the hospital with RSV for 5 days and got out just a few days before Christmas.
Truth be told, Small Fry, is the cutest Cindy Lou Who I have ever seen!
Favorite Christmas Tradition:
Making Christmas cookies and icing them together. I also love that we always get new pj's on Christmas Eve so that our Christmas morning pictures are sharp and unfaded, without holes, and Christmasy (hey its my post, I can make up words, right?)
Speaking of Christmasy, it sure does not feel like Christmas is in a couple days, as we have had a week of mid to late 70's. So as you bundle, tote, shovel, freeze... know that your friends in SC are a bit jealous of your snowy cold days!
Blessings today!
My mom and I used to make fudge and sugar cookies to decorate. I would get to stay up late when my little brother had to go to bed and I got to have special time with my mom. When my brother was old enough he got to help. Oh, I miss my mom so much. I hope she and Jesus are baking fudge right now! ;o)
Very smart to decorate the pieces first, and then assemble... that would make it so much easier! Next year... Julie D. (FL)
So a few years ago my mom asks me what I want for Christmas. I told her a nice little nativity set... thinking... that would be easy. I didn't have one.
Same year, I remember strolling through Sams club and gawking at the gawdy looking ginormous nativity set they sell that.
Yup... you betchya... that's what I got for Christmas from my mamma.
It actually gets pretty every year that we set it out, and the kids are in charge of putting everything where it should be. It goes under/next to the Christmas tree cuz there is no curio, table or mantle that this bad boy will fit on.
We quite love it very much now, especially when we read the scriptures of the advent... and Mary's song.
So, anyway... that's my tradition... I figured to tell about the elf that we hide every year (the bare butt mooning elf) might not be the more sentimental story... so there ya go.
Wishing you peace this Christmas!
For easy homemade gingerbread houses, tape two small milk cartons together and stick graham crackers on them with frosting. . .you have to cut the side pieces into triangular tops. Then, all it takes is lots of frosting and candy! I love Christmas traditions!
Good idea! Never thought of decorating it before you put it together.
I usually buy a kit on sale after Christmas so it has a chance to dry out, otherwise it's sometimes not easy to get the pieces to stay together, even with a glue gun. My daughter glue gunned it together a week ago and we're decorating today with the grandkids.
so here's a tip for next year's gingerbread house...
arrowhead mills sells an organic gingerbread mix. that's how we made our gingerbread men this year. delicious and quite easy!
p.s. the gingerbread house looks great! good for you for not letting your kids miss out on that kind of fun even though i'm sure it is not easy.
merry christmas!
We made one this week, too! Bought a Wilton kit @ Wal-mart for only $10. I have an easier way to obtain said kit: When husband gets home, and kids are safe in beds (don't have to actually be asleep, just in bed) LEAVE to grocery store for a night "out"!
I love the "pass out drinks (non-alcoholic)" part! I just wrote "poop" on my blog also, isn't funny what blogs bring out of you?!
I swear I love you! You never fail to get your readers totally enthralled in your posts! It's totally great.
My absolute favorite Christmas tradition started when I was born. I am the first grandkid on both sides, so my mom and paternal grandparents decided that they were going to each buy me a new ornament every year for Christmas. I am now almost 29, and have enough ornaments to decorate my own tree. I absolutely love pulling out all of the ornaments, and having the memories rush in; especially since my grandfather passed away when I was 18.
Now I have my own munchkin, and she's not even 2 yet, but has a start on her own ornament collection. Even with me being as *old* as I am, I still get excited about finding out what my new ornament(s) are for that Christmas!
Thanks for asking... I love telling about my ornament obsession. I hope that you have a very Merry CHRISTmas... and enjoy that little miracle! I wish I could give him a Christmas hug! Oh heck, I wish I could give all of your stinkin adorable kids a Christmas hug!
Much Love,
Brianne
One of our traditions is to got to this Chinese restaurant that is the ONLY thing open on Christmas Eve…we stumbled upon it one year on our way home from our Christmas Eve service. It was about 10:30 p.m. and we were all starving. Then, through big, wet snowflakes, we saw the sign…OPEN! We all started yelling (my mom was still alive and with us at the time) and we pulled in. We felt like the family from The Christmas Story and chowed down. We had so much fun that we’ve continued the tradition every Christmas Eve and take a picture of ourselves in front of “China Taste.” Then we sing to ourselves, “Fa Ra Ra Ra Ra, Ra Ra Ra Ra!!!”
I know...that doesn't in any way, shape, or form celebrate Jesus' birthday, but it's just so fun. Trust me, though, we have plenty of other traditions in place that revolve around Jesus. :) I'm a good mom, I promise. :)
Courtney in Indiana
My sister has one of those ceramic molds that you press the homemade gingerbread into, and then after it is baked, you have all the cookie shapes you need for the house! It is pretty cool.
I guess our tradition is sitting in our pajamas, opening gifts-
ALWAYS stockings first!
We made gingerbread houses on Friday. We use the milk cartons from school, gram crackers and the best part, I save our Halloween candy for decorations!!
We also read "The Night Before Christmas" on Christmas Eve every year. Grandma has read it a couple of the years and I always take pictures. I know the children will cherish the pictures forever.
My friend Renee and I let our few small children make and decorate sugar cookies last night. It was oh so fun for the kiddos, but a huge mess for us. Worth it, though.
Love,
Holly in OKC
so so cute!! The things mom's do (with out curse words) we can think them though!!
That is a GREAT idea to have them decorate before you assembled the house.
We use to make a gingerbread house every year with our oldest daughter at her grandma's house but just stopped doing it as she got older. She's almost 16.
I hope to make handmade ornaments and gingerbread houses every year with our youngest daughter. :-)
We always find time to make Christmas cookie! YUMMY!
Oh yes, me and my baby boy make gingerbread houses, made one just the other night, and it is so cute. Oh and did I mention my baby boy is 16 ~~ yeah I know, where does the time go? Anyway, it is a GREAT tradition. We also have a movie day or night whichever works out, where we pull out the CHRISTmas movies and hot chocolate and junk food and curl up and hang it ~~ it is THE BEST!!!!
Have a Blessed Sunday,
Dawn
Haha, we're assembling our pre-fabricated gingerbread house this afternoon. And I laughed hysterically at the fact you said "Martha Stewarting".
It was obviously worth all the trouble!!!
Since I am a 2nd generation American, (my parents are from Mexico) we make tamales with the kids on Christmas Eve. I am married to a 'white boy', but he is actually the one that does about 99% of the preperation...I do 100% of the eating!!!
xoxo, Veronica in CA
That is the best gingerbread house made by toddlers, & 1 pre-schooler, can't forget about Big Mac, I've seen. And they were all pre-made so you're in good company.
I can't really put my finger on a tradition right now. My family has been in this growth/transition thing for the last few years so things have been fading in the tradition department.
looks super yummy...and a house any self respecting ginger bread man would love to live in...
You crack me up! Sounds like fun!
Our family tradition is to go into downtown Seattle and ride the carousel, monorail, see the big train at the Center house, go to Barnes and Noble to pick out a new Christmas book and eat at the Cheescake Factory. We have done this since my daughter was 1...she is now 4 and this year she asked if we were going "downtown"! We had a wonderful time and it is something we look forward to every year.
Thank you for your blog! You are hilarious, real and encouraging! I pray for you...4 under 4 YIKES! Your kiddos are GORGEOUS! and they haven't taken over your house, so you must be doing something right. :-)
Erika in Seattle, WA
My favorite Christmas traition is saying the words crap & poop. LOLOL Love the house. We haven't attempted that yet! :)
I think anyone who attempts any type of gingerbread house with their little ones is more amazing than Martha Stewart!!
I can take you one easier than the pre made kit! I did gingerbread houses with my kindergarteners this year and we just take empty individual size milk cartons, hot glue them side by side and then hot glue graham crackers on as the walls and the roof. Then they each have their own and they can decorate to their hearts desire. Plus they are darn cute!
Hi! I just found your blog today and so enjoyed browsing it! You take such awesome pictures and I was wondering if you wouldn't mind sharing what kind of camera/lens you use. Maybe you said along the way, but I must have missed it! I am so in need of a new camera and would love some input from you! I hope to stop by again soon! Merry Christmas!
Kara
guidingers@hotmail.com
I think you're right about it being easier to make it yourself. LOL
I found a recipe for gingerbread that was really easy and the dough smelled soooo good.
I took it to Mike's school for them to cut out, then cook and donate to the local soup kitchen. They loved it, the dough was very soft and pliable.
I'll have to look it up for ya.
My mother in law is great about indulging our kids ginger bread making desires. I'm too chicken too undertake that deal!! This year she is going to duplicate another gingerbread kit made up of various size star cookies stacked/ staggered to build a tree, then decorate that with frosting and candy.
Maybe you could try that next year. Gingerbread, sugar cookies, take your pick!
You are such a brave mother!
how far away is that store?? snacks, bathroom breaks, nursing... seriously???
We make Christmas cookies. I make all different colors of icing give the kids plastic knives and sprinkles and they go to town! My favorite thing to do with them for Christmas. Also I have the kids make an ornament ever year for family...take a look at this years project!
http://sparkette-kids.blogspot.com/2008/11/crafting-christmas-ornaments.html
Oooh, great idea with decorating the walls before assembly! We actually did cookies this year instead of a house, my kids honestly don't care what they decorate as long as they get to make a gigantic mess with icing and sprinkles. :)
Merry Christmas to your beautiful family!
Such a beautifully created gingerbread house, love it! We have two traditions. We allow our girls ages 2 & 4, to open one gift on Christmas Eve. The gift is always nice warm pj's to wear that night. Then we try to go on vacation once a year and we purchase a Christmas ornament from each destination to remember our trip.
Just a little note... it's rather hilarious how last year's post had 1 measley comment, and this year's post already has 66. Which, I'm sure, will be more than 150 in the next few days! My, my did somebody become popular with the blogging crowd... and it's all Stellan's fault! :o)
no gingerbread houses for us - and no snow either. I can't imagine trying to nurse in a snowsuit.
traditions - we always have or attend a Jesus Birthday Party! We do an advent chain, and write family member's names on the back so we have a different person to pray for each night. And we always go christmas light hunting in the car - and have categories (best, brightest, tackiest, etc.)
4 more days - Merry Christmas!
Totally laughing out loud right now!! So funny!
And I loved how you just had to add non-alcoholic before drinks. I'm telling you, I am so tickled right now!!
And I hear you on how hard it is hauling around MSC. I have three boys, 6,4, and almost 2 and I have a rough time even though I always have my mom or hubby helping me. So, I am amazed you leave the house! ;)
Have a blessed Christmas!!!
We have had the kids take their picture with Santa Claus every year since our oldest was born.
And no we don't really do Santa Claus but we DO do the picture...and no, I don't say "do do" either...except for explaining here, like you did, lol!
My favorite tradition is making the birthday cake for Jesus with my children. We make it on Christmas Eve, and it is a true handmade (or I should say childmade) cake complete with sprinkles, etc. We serve up the first piece to Santa along with his cup of milk on our Santa dishes that say the following..."Dear Santa Claus, Here are some cookies so you can join us and say Happy Birthday to Jesus on Christmas Day, for that is the day we celebrate His birth-God's Christmas gift of Love from Heaven to Earth." We have actually never made cookies though...it's always a cake. After Santa has enjoyed the first piece....we serve up the rest of the cake on Christmas Day (after singing Happy Birthday of course) to our family as our after dinner dessert. I'll be posting a picture of the Santa dishes on my blog....I love these dishes! Thanks for sharing your traditions!
We made our gingerbread houses out of graham crackers. In the past I have seen "gingerbread" graham crackers at the grocery store. But we just went with the regular kind this year. Get some candy for decoration and make some icing and you are all set!
Plus, you can make them small, so each child can make their own if you want to go that far!
Merry Christmas!
Molly
always put up the tree on thanksgiving day and start reading christmas books the 1st of december at night. also only watch christmas movies on the dvd player in the car... when i allow that... cause most of the time its only highly educational movies... just like you, right..
Haha - I am exhausted just thinking about your trip to the gingerbread kit shop! Phew, you are wonderwoman.
Traditions - when I was little my favorite thing about Christmas was waiting at the top of the steps until my dad had the fire made and the tree turned on. Then he would call up to us and my sisters and I would run down the steps to see all the presents under the tree. That is one of my favorite memories from growing up!
Oh, MckMama!! Don't Martha Stewart it!! Next year:
Step one: Google product search "gingerbread house kits"
Step two: Select and order from your favorite online retailer.
Step three: Answer the door when the mailman brings it to you in 4-7 business days!!!
That, my friend, is God's gift to 21st-century mothers of four.**
**Disclaimer: I am not a mother of four, or a mother at all, for that matter, but that story about trecking out with your MSC just provided me with about another year's worth of birth control. ;-)
I'm thinking you should have gone out to pick up the gingerbread kit when PC was home. Or better yet, had HIM pick it up for you!;)
My favorite Christmas tradition is one we don't do now...it's from my childhood. We adopted an old choir teacher as part of our family. She would come to the extended family parties every year and lead us in carols like we were her class. She'd even yell at us for cutting up which just made us cut up more! It probably doesn't sound like fun, but it was...SO fun, I'll never forget it.
Love the houses.....love the pics of Stellan in the last post...he is his daddy made over!...still hating you for your mad photography skills!
Our traditions? Just to name a few:
We do not put baby Jesus out in our Nativity set until Christmas morning to signify His birth....of course this leads to things such as Aidan discovering baby Jesus in the sofa table drawer and being disturbed.
We make "haystacks" and Peanut Butter Fudge...my kids favorites
And we make sugar cookies with frosting in Christmas shapes for the kids to decorate...mom's favorite!
And we always go to the Opryland Hotel to see the lights display in Nashville...gorgeous!
You should see them...NO, REALLY...YOU SHOULD BRING YOUR SWEET SELF DOWN HERE AND SEE THEM!!!....hey, there's an idea! ;-)
Did you happen to get a visit from an angel recently? :-)
Hi McKMama - I've been reading your blog since Stellan was born. You are one of my favorite. Thanks for always making me laugh. I have three under age 5, so I 'get it.' I actually was thinking as I read your post that to make the gingerbread would have been easier, LOL.
I was hoping to make one with my kids on Wednesday actually. We're making cookies for a neighbor tomorrow (their dog passed away last week) and for a local firehouse. We do this every year. We also like to make pine cone bird feeders with peanut butter and birdseed - nice to think of the birds this time of year (we're in WI where it's COLD). I haven't yet attacked the gingerbread house; tell me: how much of it was consumed WHILE assembling? Other traditions? The Elf on the Shelf and Christmas music on 24/7. Anyway - happy Sunday -
I think WalMart will ship that stuff right to your front door...as an FYI.
The only Christmas tradition I am looking forward to is the one where it ends.
Having lost one child, and economic tragedies as well, Christmas this year is canceled at our home.
Please say an extra prayer that my son understands or at least can make peace with it.
Fun times!!! Hmmmm.....I don't think I would have been as brave. It takes a great deal of energy to take all 3 or my kiddos to the store even in decent Alabama weather. If I lived in your neck of the woods, I doubt my kids would even know what a store WAS!!!
We made quite a few gingerbread houses this year, and my little Lucy has sampled them all!!! Actually, they look pretty pathetic, but they were gooood!
Cuties!
RSV...booo! so glad ur don't have that this year...
fav christmas tradition...hot choc by the tree with a fire!
Going downtown to see Santa for pictures. Our girls are young enough to not understand Santa. We don't push the santa thing but I like the pictures.
Then we shop and walk around drinking our coffee/hot cocoa. It's a lot of fun.
**except this year we waited 2.5hrs to see Mr. Claus**
Hello MckMama! I found your blog recently, have left a few comments previously, and have continued to check in with your adorable family. I am home sick today and I have spent a while (I don't know, hours, maybe?) looking through your previous posts. I just wanted to let you know this, so that when you check you stat counters you aren't alarmed by my time spent here. No worries... just a fellow mommy to MSC (5 kids in 6 years for me, but our first 4 came in about the same time span as yours have) who needed a distraction on a sick day! I have truly enjoyed looking over your previous posts and getting to know your family better.
Melissa :)
www.withasmile.wordpress.com
We have loads of Christmas traditions! On Christmas morning we make eggnog (non alcoholic) french toast and sausage... I think that is my favorite. We also have Mexican food for Christmas dinner... yummy ground beef, green chili, and all the yummy fixings!!! :) That is a great tradition.
And we of course we make gingerbread houses too but we always use graham cracker... I put the house together and let them dry up good and hard and then the kiddos decorate them to their hearts content! Its was fun! :)
uau! that is impressive MckMama.
Could you please tell me which US State you live in?
Don't get me wrong, I don't plan to stalk you or anything, its just from your pictures it looks like such a beautiful place. The woods and lake are just heaven.
Pity about the cold though. We've had 4ºC this winter so far and it felt so cold... But it is probably balmy weather compared to the cold you and your mackfamily endure.
MckMamma - do you have an secret remedies for EXTREME, TERRIBLE, ALL DAY AND NIGHT morning sickness?
kdrieman@yahoo.com
Our favorite traditions?
decorating cookies with grandma and grandpa, going out to look at lights, wrapping up Christmas books and letting them take turns opening them the whole month of december, and a new for next year...bake the MckFamily a set of gingerbread pieces that go together to make a house.
Did you see what Merranda's family does? They collects candy throughout the year to add to their GB house.
IF your readers want to see the great mold I use to make ours click on the link:
http://thisfamilyof4.blogspot.com/2008/12/if-you-bake-it.html
My favorite traditions? Opening presents, of course. Just kidding!
1. Someone in the family reads the Christmas story out loud. The real one, found in the Bible.
2. On Christmas Eve, we drive around looking at the pretty lights, then go for ice cream at Braum's and go home to open stocking stuffers. Or, we go to a movie and have dinner at a restaurant.
This is my first year spending Christmas without family, so I'm a little sad.
Your GB house, made with love...lots of love. It was well worth the effort and your kids will never forget. Thanks for your reply to my pic.
Well , in the McCaghren / Miller House Holds we always for the past 10 years or so would gather at my Grandparents House .... ( My Mother 's Parents House ) But, 4 years ago that was changed in Oct. ' 04 when my Grandfather , Owen Miller lost his 1 year or 2 year long battle with Bladdar Cancer .... What a wonderful and funny man he was . But, This year will be Special as My Me Me , and Uncles are coming to my Farm Mobile Home for the Holidays In fact they are coming Friday Night and spending the night here with us and going home sometime Saturday. Love , Randee
So, Where ever Papa Owen Is right now , I sure hope that he has a good Christmas . R . I . P Owen Eugene ( Sp ? ) Miller
09 / 05 / 1930 - 10 / 29 / 2004
I am laughing and crying for you right now!!! I remember those times thinking 'what am I doing' and 'I must be crazy'. Now that the kids are older it is amazing how easy it is to run to the store. And do gingerbread houses!!!
Lisa Q
For the first time this year we did gingerbread houses and had a blast doing them! Our move to TX from MN this summer made the trip to the store much easier since we don't have any snow! Plus I only have half the kids on earth as you. :)
Here's pics from our fun.
http://dsruch.blogspot.com/2008/12/new-tradition.html
I love making gingerbread houses too! Allie and I also make cookies together, which is lots of fun. And of course decorating our tree! Check out our gingerbread house, Allie and her friend Lily had so much fun!
http://tellmeastory-higgins.blogspot.com/2008/12/lil-gingerbread-house-builders.html
Awwww, love the craftsmanship in your houses! We had a 'competition' here in our house when we made our Gingerbread houses last week. GIRLS vs BOYS! Girls Rule, boys drool!!!
We make chex mix, put it in little decorative christmas tins and deliver it to friends (mostly, elderly ones near where we live). We try to do a dozen each year. It takes several days to get them all out-some visits last longer than others.
My little guy is only two so we don't do this yet, but next year we're going to try to do the elf on the shelf thing except instead of using the elf, we're going to hide a Bible around the house for him to find each a.m., then we'll read chapter two of Luke together. I'm sure he'll know it pretty well by Christmas morning.
Haha, you totally crack me up!
Yeah, we use the pre-made ginger house too! And I don't even have to go through all that you do to get it! lol.
This yr we are making Christmas Cookies only (from those dry packaged thingys where you just add milk or water-heck I dunno yet) Last yr we rolled out the refridge sugar cookie and lemme tell ya, that was a bloomin sticky mess!
They neighborhood kids had fun last yr helping us decorate cookies, and making our pre-fab ginger house.
Hope you and your sweet fam have a beautiful Christmas.
By the way..how in the world do you keep up with the hundreds of comments to your blog!!! ;)
I may need you to send me a kit ready for next year...that sounds brilliant....I have the same issues with the shopping except that our weather is utterly the reverse and all of mine are almost dead from heat exhaustion by the time we are done...and then we must have a swim and ice bocks immediately upon return to our house.
In the state I'm in I've completely given away shopping!!
and as for traditions, this year the tradition is...my mother makes an amazing fruit cake and my husband eats it!! so far she has baked him three seperate cakes and he has eaten them ALL on his own!!
Once I can muster up walking again, which may be next year...and you send me tha ginger bread house kit...THAT may become my new tradition!!! who knows....
We are not sure we have a Christmas tradition. This is kinda scary. We do stockings like we both did at our houses as kids...but no specific traditions. We better remedy that! Any ideas?
Even those pre-made kits aren't easy! Always falling down!
We started a new tradition this year and I know it will continue because our 4 boys love it!!
To spread out the "chaos" of Christmas, we all sat down at the end of November and wrote down all the things we like to do at Christmas time. It ranged from reading the Christmas story to going sledding to making a gingerbread house. Then we put all of the things in a basket and draw one every day. (in the morning, so mom has time to prepare, to do whatever it is by the time the boys are off the bus).
24 things to do...spread out over the 24 days before Christmas! The kids have really loved it, and so have we! Less stressful and they look forward to pulling something out every morning!
Merry Christmas :)
Anne, MN
I know this will sound strange, but my favorite Christmas tradition is...playing BINGO! Yep, that's what we do on Christmas Eve. Every year. Seriously. It started back when my brother and I were little and always wanted to open a present on Christmas Eve. We weren't allowed to, so instead my parents bought several small gifts (Matchbox cars, candy, etc) and hid them on the Christmas tree. When you win a round of Bingo you get to run to the tree and find a present hidden on it! Tons of fun!
Hey! We make it easy on ourselves. Use graham crackers instead of gingerbread!
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