Christmas time is a wonderful time of year! In our household, it is filled with bright smiling faces, giggles and shear joy. This is also a time filled with tradition, both old and new.
When my husband and I first married, we decided to adopt some of the traditions he had grown up with, namely the food we would be eating (he's Italian and who doesn't love Italian food!)! For breakfast every year, we fry chunks of pepperoni (it's very yummy!) and eat it on bread. We also do a more traditional Italian meal for dinner - lasagna, meatballs, chicken parmigiana, etc.
I wanted to add a new tradition and so we started the tradition of The Christmas Pickle. For those of you who do not know what The Christmas Pickle is, it is a Christmas ornament that looks like a pickle and is hung on the tree Christmas Eve. The first child or person (if there are no children) to find the "hidden" pickle on Christmas morning gets a special gift. Over the past couple of years we have altered this tradition slightly. Instead of hanging the pickle on Christmas Eve, we hang it with the other ornaments once the tree is decorated. Every night we move the ornament to a new location on the tree and our children search for it, racing to be the first to find it.
This year we have added another new tradition that we hope to enjoy for many years to come. The Elf on the Shelf.
This is Harry, our scout elf. He was sent to us last night from the North Pole (aka Target), to watch over the children and report to Santa nightly on whether they have been nice or naughty. These elves are known for a little mischief and fun while they are at your home. Harry's first bit of fun included raiding our cabinets for mini M&Ms and playing Mario Party on the Wii.
Our kids were so excited to find him this morning and have been guessing what he will be up to next. I can't wait to put Harry into different situations and hiding places. This is one tradition I can't wait to continue!
