Back to Christmas- Starting a list with tradition

I know. I first mentioned it before Halloween and now another review before Thanksgiving.

My IL's are pushing for the official "lists" and I started one the other day, but ended up getting side tracked.

This year I am making a separate list for the IL's rather than sending them a copy of MY list. My FIL is very secretive about his gifts and since we had the same list, it made it difficult to know whether or not we were buying the same item. Luckily he married his polar opposite and I can usually get some clues, but he's onto her now and her chances of knowing anything about any gifts are nil.

My list always starts off with the traditions.
* Pj's that are opened on Christmas Eve. This allows for nice photos on Christmas morning. Well, lets not pretend we are picture perfect that early in the morning, but at least no one is caught in an old "Avoid the Noid" tshirt with little else on. Plus I love the whole routine of them taking their nightly baths, treating them to a warm towel I put in the drier just before they get out (thanks Mom!) and then seeing them all in new pj's by the fire as we read The Night Before Christmas.

*Santa is into personal hygiene when it comes to stockings. That goes back to my childhood. Toothbrushes (in fun characters that mom doesn't usually spring for), band aides, hair brushes/combs, lotions, lip glosses, chap sticks etc.. and a few more items from the dollar store which include the wash-towels that unfold in water. Those all sink to the bottom of the stocking though, so for that classic "over filled" look, they usually get a DVD, and a pack of beef jerky poking out of the top. This family loves beef jerky.
(dvd : Honey wants the New Star Trek, Scientist still doesn't have Toy Story 2, Ms Thang has been looking for The Lion King, Cutecumber will be getting Up, and I want Excess Baggage)


*We all give each other a gift. Siblings buy for siblings. Honey buys one for each kid that are only from him, and I do the same. They all buy for us. We buy for each other. It's probably my favorite shopping trip of the year, watching what they pick and the thought process that goes with it. Last year the Scientist wanted a remote control dog, but Ms. Thang knew it wasn't in the budget. Instead, she got him a baby pull toy (dog) and even though the kid was way over the targeted age requirement, he loves that thing. They still call it a robot dog. lol


*Each kid gets an ornament that is hidden on the tree. I always imagined this to be an exciting event, and envisioned giving each child a box of their very own ornaments as they got their first tree in their first apartments. So far it's mostly a fight, when the ornaments come out each year, with a lot of "Don't hang that one over mine!" or "So and so moved MY ornament". But someday that stops right?

I think that is all as far as tradition gifts go. Next post I'll focus on the classics.