Christmas is over and with the end of the festive holiday comes the abrupt finish to the local radio stations playing non-stop holiday music and then eventually, the Christmas lights come down and everything seems to go back to normal. I typically get a case of the “blah’s” after Christmas, but it was such a good experience this year that I’m left with happy memories, lots of pictures, and my tummy is still full from overeating. I’ve decided that I’m going to salvage the Christmas spirit that I have left inside and do a blog dedicated to a special Christmas Tradition that takes place in my family with the hope that maybe you will share some of your favorite holiday traditions with me in return! Our tradition began about three or four years ago and began after my cousin was assigned a school paper that talks about the different traditions his family does during Christmas. The sad realization is that he had to lie about traditions because our family really didn’t have anything special that we did other than open presents and eat lots of food. Though he did fine on the project, our family decided that it may be time for us to come up with a special tradition.

The credit must be given to my sister who came up with a very interesting idea that attracted our interests as soon as she began to give us the details. The premise was simple: everyone in the family draws names on Thanksgiving and receives the name and pants size of another member in the family. You then are in charge of crafting some very special, quirky pajama pants that your recipient will wear all throughout Christmas day. The first year was a little shakey as a lot of us weren’t sure what we should do and what we were capable of doing with our very limited abilities in sewing. The second year got much better as we began to craft our vision into a piece of art and utilize many different craft objects including trims, fabrics, ribbons, buttons, iron-on appliques, embellishments, and even balloons (as my sister used this year!). After the second year, the tradition took off and it’s been a favorite event in my family ever since.

This year was very special because while Brett got to participate in the family last year, this year marked my sister’s boyfriend’s first year in the tradition (and he did a very good job). I think my favorite part about our tradition is not only being able to have yet another creative outlet (beyond wrapping presents/trimming the tree/decorating Christmas cookies) but it also allows all of us to show a little bit of our own personality based on the theme we have chosen. On top of this, it gives us an opportunity to relax and relieve the holiday stress by laughing our asses off once we get the opportunity to present our recipient’s with their special pants and then take tons of pictures, both candid and posed, of everyone laughing and having a great time in their holiday pants.

Though it tends to be a bit daunting when you are trying to create a bell-bottom on normal cotton pants by hand using a sewing-by-hand method with simple needle and thread, but it’s all worth it in the end. It’s actually surprising to see how creative some members of my family can be and how they’re able to think outside the box and indulge in their creativity to  produce some really innovative ideas. In the end, when everyone is sitting around the dinner table wearing everything from disco to punk rocker pants, we all get the opportunity to laugh and have a very pleasant– relaxed– evening.

I hope that all of you had a very special holiday filled with many memories, lots of laughs, great times spent with family, and a lot– I mean a lot– of really delicious food. Next up, New Years Eve!

Here’s to a great upcoming year and hopefully you can live out the spirit of Christmas just a little while longer…and if you’re from an area where it snows, get ready to embrace the wintery months ahead!

-M.