What is one of your best memories from your childhood/teenage years?
For me, one of my best memories from growing up was our family's tradition to get dressed up and go out to a fancy dinner every year for Christmas Eve. The best years have included everyone--my two siblings, my parents, grandma, and all my aunts and uncles from my dad's side of the family--no matter what's going on, everyone is nice and gets along for that 4 hour time period. There's just this gleeful anticipation in the air that I completely love. Plus, now it's literally the only time during the course of the year that I see my husband this dressed up! After dinner, we head back to my parent's house to spend the night, and all the kids pose in our nice clothes in front of the Christmas tree. I think we've been going to the same place for the past 10 or 12 years, and I will be so sad if we ever stop!
2007:
2008:
2009:
2010:
Being with family. =) I love my family and friends, and just being with them during holidays and slow summer days...that was the best.
ReplyDeletehmmmm, I am lucky to have so many. But it makes it hard to choose.
ReplyDeleteProbably all of our summer road trips with my family in the white station wagon.
So fun!
Love those family pictures!! Especially the one with you pregnant, then with Lizzy in the next one! :)
ReplyDeleteMy favorite childhood memory? Probably just summers spent outside with all the neighborhood kids. We had tooooons of kids in our neighborhood growing up, all around the same age, so we'd spend all day, every day outside during the summer. :)
That's so sweet! Plus I love the Old Spice"tee-shirt as "dress-up" :)
ReplyDeleteFor me, I will always remember walking to church with my dad on Sunday evenings (and sometimes mornings too). Our church was about 4-5km from our house and Dad would set out with us after our weekly ice cream sundae dinner for evening church.
I've got to say, I don't particularly miss going to church twice in one day, but I do miss that time hanging out with just my dad...
I'll always remember every December my dad and I would go Christmas shopping for my mom and spend the day at the mall and go to lunch or dinner. It was so special to me and I'll cherish those moments I had with him.
ReplyDeleteI have a very specific favorite childhood memory: when I was about 4, my mom woke me up one morning and asked me what I wanted to do. I said I wanted to go to grandma's (3 hours away). She said ok, for how long? I said 3 days. She said let's go! And off we went. I could not have been happier - in my mind, I planned the whole thing. :)
ReplyDeleteWhat I didn't know at the time: my mom already had the trip planned and had us all packed. She knew if she asked, I'd say I wanted to go to grandma's and because I loved the number 3, she was pretty sure I'd say that as well. So I was set up, haha. My mom was so great about stuff like that!
I do remember leaving my grandma's 3 days later thinking, "darn, I should have said 4 days!" haha.
So sweet!
ReplyDeleteI think my favorite that we did as a child, and still do every year at Christmas, is recite the Christmas story from the Bible from memory. Each of us has about 10-15 verses that are memorized and we recite the entire story before opening any gifts.
BTW, the progression of your pics is so fun! Love the pregnant belly :)
I love your tradition of getting dressed fancy every Christmas Eve!!!
ReplyDeleteMy family has always gotten together on Christmas eve and had a homemade spaghetti and meatball dinner. Years ago, my grandmother started inviting neighbors and fiends who didn't have anyone to celebrate with. Over the years, a lot of those people have come and gone, but the core group still get together every year. When I got married, I started hosting it at my house and I'm excited about carrying on the tradition.
Mine were also with family, but especially birthdays.
ReplyDeleteI love your tradition, because it challenges me to see the appeal. If I just heard about a friend going out to eat on Christmas Eve with their family, it would make me sad because it's SO different from our traditional Christmas Eve. But I LOVE how important it is to you and the "gleeful anticipation."
One of my favorite traditions is Christmas candy making day! We all get together at my moms and make a TON of candy, package it all up, and of course, sample everything!
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