Tuesday Talk: Holidays

Hello and happy Tuesday!

A few week ago, WordPress had a writing prompt: How do you celebrate holidays? I thought it was a good one to write about.

Today, I’m taking a look at how my family celebrates most of the holidays…in calendar order…

Valentine’s Day:

Travis and I have never been big gift givers on Valentine’s Day. He knows I love a card, so I typically get one from him (with his signature bubble letters for my name). We’ve always tried to go out to dinner at some point around that time of the year as our gift to each other.

Once we had the kids, I started celebrating it a bit more because of them. I probably make too big of a deal about it, but I usually give them chocolates and a few small gifts.

I miss the dress up days:

Last year, the kids had a school dance around that time. Hayden was thrilled.

I always enjoy decorating a bit for V-Day too…

One of my favorite traditions is that we always send family a Valentine’s Day card.

St. Patrick’s Day:

Growing up, we’d always have corned beef and cabbage, and that’s a tradition I started carrying on quite a few years ago. My brother and his family come over for dinner, and my dad typically visits us around this time of the year. I don’t do much else for St. Pat’s Day. I can’t remember the last time I’ve been to a parade or anything like that.

I usually make “lucky” pancakes if I remember!

Easter:

I enjoy putting out a few Easter decorations after St. Patrick’s Day.

We always dye Easter eggs a few days before Easter.

We do Easter baskets and find the hidden eggs in the morning…

…before heading to church.

Then, we typically drive to E-town to see Trav’s family.

Mother’s Day:

For Mother’s Day every year, I ask for a card, hanging ferns for the front porch, and for my children to behave. We go to church, and then typically go out to brunch or an early dinner.

Last year, Hadley had a dance competition, but it was still a lovely day.

Don’t blink!

Of course, I call my mom and we always send a gift. Sometimes her birthday even falls on Mother’s Day.

Memorial Day:

Growing up, my dad’s side of the family often got together for Memorial Day, 4th of July, and sometimes Labor Day too. For us, Memorial Day weekend is obviously when the pool opens, so lots of time is typically spent there.

Through the years, we’ve also had ball games, track meets, and other commitments. The past few years, we’ve gotten together with neighbors which is nice.

Father’s Day:

There have been quite a few Father’s Days spent at the ball field, and sometimes we are on vacation. No matter where we are, we celebrate T-rav.

Last year, we went canoeing and had ice cream cake.

I call my dad and usually send him some kind of gift and card. If he’s visiting sometime around his May birthday and Father’s Day, we’ll make a point to grill out steaks and have a nice dinner.

4th of July:

Ah! I love the 4th of July. Again, as a kid, I remember getting together with family, grilling out and watching fireworks.

Of course, when the kids were little, I loved dressing them in red, white, and blue.

Some years we are on vacation, and other years we are at home.

There have been a couple of years Hadley has been at camp, and I’ve missed having her home for one of my favorite holidays.

I typically make red, white, and blue waffles.

If we are home, we typically grill out, light a few low-key fireworks, and then go watch fireworks from our favorite place.

Labor Day:

Labor Day weekend is usually pretty relaxed. With school starting a few weeks before, we typically like having down time at home.

That being said, the pool is still open, so we usually end up there at some point.

The past few years, Hayden has had a cross country meet that weekend, and often times there’s the first Kentucky home football game.

Sometimes, we get together with our neighbors too.

Halloween:

Oh I’ve loved Halloween through the years. Since the kids’ first Halloween, we have had some pretty great traditions. For years and years, we got together with the same crew of friends.

My brother and his family would come over too. They’d come to our house, and we’d have soup or chili before trick-or-treating.

Once the kids hit middle school, they wanted to run around the neighborhood a bit more with school friends, and they started doing that.

I’ve loved their Halloween costumes through the years.

Now, we’re a week out from Halloween, and there hasn’t been any costume talk. I won’t be surprised if Hadley and friends throw something together, but I don’t think it’s on Hayden’s radar. Maybe he’ll help me pass out candy?

Last year was the first year that Travis and I were back sitting on the front porch passing out candy. It was bittersweet, but I guess that’s where we are now.

Thankfully, our pumpkin carving and “spooky” dinner traditions live on!

Thanksgiving:

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. Time with family, great food, and no gifts!! When I first moved to Kentucky, I declared that we’d go to KC for Thanksgiving and Christmas as often as possible. From 2004-2008, we didn’t miss a KC Thanksgiving or Christmas. In 2009, we stayed home because the kids were just born. After that, we drove to KC for most Thanksgivings and Christmases. Around 2019, we started alternating between Thanksgiving and Christmas each year.

Anyway, no matter where we are, I love starting my Thanksgiving morning with coffee and the parade.

We either have Thanksgiving at my cousin’s house in Kc…

… or Trav’s aunt’s house in E-town if we stay home.

My sister-in-law hosted us in 2020.

I love a pumpkin pie for dessert on Thanksgiving.

There are no better leftovers than Thanksgiving leftovers. Our tradition is to make turkey rice soup on the Friday after Thanksgiving.

Christmas:

Christmas is a busy time of the year for most!

I always enjoy decorating the house, and usually put out decorations mid-November.

We make the most of December with a few holiday parties, seeing the Christmas lights at the horse park, and baking cookies.

For years, our elf would visit.

Since the kids were little, most Christmases we celebrated early at home because we’d go to KC for Christmas. Trav’s mom has always hosted his family’s Christmas on the 23rd, so when the kids were little, we’d leave a note for our elf to take to Santa asking him to come on the 22nd. Thankfully, this always worked, and we didn’t have any questions from the kids.

I love sending out Christmas cards every year. I love it so much (and have a tough time deciding) that I typically choose a couple of cards to send.

One tradition I love is that the kids still pick out something to give each other on Christmas morning.

Whether it’s a year we stay home or go to Kc, we always go to Louisville on the 23rd and celebrate with Trav’s family. Then, we head to KC on the 24th.

In KC, we spend Christmas Eve at my dad’s cousin’s house and then spend Christmas Day at my dad’s, mom’s and Gma’s houses.

While in KC, we usually make our traditional Christmas cookies, and go see the “magic tree.”

In Lex, we go to church on Christmas Eve and then let the kids open one gift before leaving milk and cookies out for Santa when the kids were little.

Then, we open gifts in the morning, have breakfast and relax most of the day. No matter where we are, we watch A Christmas Story on Christmas day.

New Year’s Eve and Day:

This will probably not come as a shock to anyone, but I’ve never been a big fan of NYE. I miss the days of tricking the kids with a countdown at 9:00!

For many years, we didn’t have tons of plans and the kids would be in bed early with us following not too far after.

Some years, we’ve hung out with neighbors and the past couple of years we’ve had a progressive dinner with friends. It’s nice that the kids can kind of do their own thing while the adults hang out.

Most of New Year’s Day is spent hanging out, watching football, and clinging to the final days of winter break!

Shew! What a fun way to look at an entire year of festivities. At times, life can feel so hectic, but we sure have a lot of fun!

What’s your favorite holiday?