As one of the most loved seasons, it is so exciting to create your first married Holiday card, isn’t it? Aside from thank you notes, that is the first milestone celebration for which you start traditions as a couple. I don’t know about you, but we came into our marriage with a lot of traditions from our families. While that is a wonderful thing, we simply were not able to do all of the activities. Instead of trying to balance what we wanted to include and potentially leave something of meaning out, we chose to create our own traditions  for our family.

When we have spent our whole lives participating in these nostalgic traditions, they become part of us. We grow attached and to an extent, they become part of our joy in the season. As such, navigating the conversation for which things we would do as a new family was emotionally charged at times.

We ultimately decided that we would choose one or two things that were really important to us from our families and create as many of our own traditions as we could. Any that are not on our tradition list, we partake in when we spend the holiday with that side of the family. For us, it was very important that we create our own. Legacy and family are very dear to us, but having something that is ours is that much more special. It brought us closer and every year, feels kind of like being in a club.

So, what types of things do we do every year, you ask? Oh, I’m so glad you did! Our Christmas traditions begin Thanksgiving night. We watch Home Alone (Adam’s favorite), curled up on the couch and getting in the Christmas spirit. Then, Friday morning, while others are out shopping, we deck the halls! By lunch time on Black Friday, the Pocho house is a Christmas zone. The tree is up, stockings hung, music playing and candles burning. This was a tradition in my family’s home and such a fun one. To add our special twist to it, we always have cookies and cocoa in our Christmas mugs while decorating. Once that’s done, we settle in for a movie and enjoy the atmosphere in the house.

That just covers the first few days of the season. There are so many more things we include in our festivities, like “cookie-fest”, watching certain movies every year, buying an ornament and so much more. One of my favorite things, that we try to do every year is our cocoa and carols drive to look at lights. I know this is not unique to us, but I sure do love it. It’s something we both did as kids and is still so magical.

When we were deciding what traditions to have, the key factors were how it makes us feel and that it brings us joy. I could go on forever about our Christmas season; we pack it full of so many wonderful activities, people and gatherings. However, it all boils down to experiencing the joy, love and grace of the Father and Jesus’s birth, of course. The things that make us feel close to Him and sharing that love with others are the traditions we deemed musts.

What are some of your holiday traditions? Did you find the need to compromise on them when you got married? What are some of the special new traditions that you have for your family?

xoxo, Jenn