Holiday traditions

The "Holiday" season is here, and we're all in the middle of all of the planning and execution of our family activities and traditions.   A couple of weekends ago, my wife took our kids shopping while I worked at the gym.  It must be the holiday season because she really doesn't like going to the malls -- especially this time of year.  Unfortunately, we got a flat tire on the car and it took 3 hours for the repair.  So she and the kids got a *lot* of their shopping done that afternoon.

One *fun* tradition we started 2 years ago is based on a process we learned from the Advent Bag & Box website.  Every night from Dec 1 - 25, the whole family gets together.  Someone is the "lighter" who lights one of 5 candles - Joy, Hope, Love, Peace, and Light.  Someone is the "reader," who reads an inspirational quote and then we all talk about what it means to us.  The 3rd person is the "opener" who opens a holiday-themed bag (or box) and pulls out an activity card.   The Advent Bag & Box folks sell a bunch of pre-written or decorated (but blank) cards.  We then do the activity either that night or the next day.  Some of the activities we've done so far are to bake holiday cookies, deliver the cookies, donate to a food bank, have a movie night, and yesterday was my son's "Special Day."

The kids love finding out what activity we're going to do, and Mom and I arrange the activities based on which ones work with our schedule (e.g. weekend or weekday activities).  I love Video Veg Day, when we hang out and watch movies all day.  :-)   Another favorite is "Drop a Dollar" Day, when we go to a store and drop a dollar on the floor with a note saying something like, "This dollar is for you! Happy Holidays!"  We hide nearby to see what the finder does.  Last year, they saw us and tried to track us down.  We ran away.  :-)

This is the tradition that the kids love the most -- besides receiving presents. 

What holiday traditions do you cherish?