Traditions! Traditions!

(yes, you should read that title in the style of Tevye from Fiddler)

holiday traditions are my favorite.
We missed 2 Christmases while we were living in Ohio and I absolutely missed participating in all of my family’s traditions.

First up: Santa claus
The last few years, my sisters and I have been taking our kids to see santa claus at Bass pro shop.
I know, it sounds kind of odd, but they really do it right!

Not only do you get a FREE 4x6 photo of your kids (unheard of with all the santas at the mall!), they also have a carousel and several “carnival style” games to play for FREE.

Temple lights:
I adore going to see the lights at the mesa temple! we’ve already gone twice this year!

We went once with my whole family when my sister Jessica was performing with the combined Gilbert Stake/St. Anne’s Catholic Church choir. perfect way to remember the reason for the season!

Sausage gravy & biscuits:
This is one tradition that has changed over the years but will hopefully never be lost!
Growing up, we met at my Grandma and grandpa knight’s house every Christmas morning for sausage gravy and biscuits.
I loved getting to see all of my cousins, show off our new presents from santa, and spend the day with family.

As our family has grown, we can’t all make it on Christmas morning so we instead gather for a sausage gravy and biscuit dinner the week before Christmas.
This picture shows just the GREAT-grandkids, to give you an idea of just how big our family has gotten!

upcoming traditions I’m still looking forward to:
*Christmas Eve Fiesta
*pajamas from Mrs. Claus
*the Christmas pickle

TJ and I are also trying to come up with some simple traditions to do with just our little family of 4.

What are some favorite holiday traditions that you do with your family?