I love reviving old family traditions, and making new ones. I love remembering fondly the things that I did as a child at Christmas time and the things I couldn’t wait to do again.
As an adult, I get to make sure our family participates in our traditions and make new ones.
One tradition that has expanded over the years is our Gingerbread House Day.
all the little houses
Some of my cousins have started competing with each other for the highly coveted status of ‘Top Shelf’. It is given out by their mom, she puts her favorite house on the top of bookshelf in her living room.
There is some sabotage, and a lot of trash talking, but fun is had by all.
This year we put together 18 houses for decorating. This causes my mom’s house to get really full.
Ian was so excited and had a great time decorating.
mama, yook at my house. it’s a bad guy house, it has blasters and laser guns
Sid had a great time eating candy off the floor.
In case you were wondering who won….
My Aunt sent a message to all her kids telling them theirs was her favorite.
I love reviving old family traditions, and making new ones. I love remembering fondly the things that I did as a child at Christmas time and the things I couldn’t wait to do again.
As an adult, I get to make sure our family participates in our traditions and make new ones.
My mom started this tradition with my nieces. She was somewhere, I think Vermont or something, when she found this large wooden Advent Calendar. You fill it with new items each year. It is a pretty good size and each compartment can hold more than just a piece of candy.
She found another one after Ian was born. Luckily for me it is not as big as my nieces so id doesn’t take up as much room. My mom fills it with little gifts and a piece of candy.
Ian loves little toys so this is perfect for him. This year she put in little gift for Sid, but he doesn’t know what is going on.
Last year I just let Ian pick a door to open because he didn’t know what the numbers were. Now that he knows his numbers I am making him find the correct day to open.
He also gets a Lego Advent Calendar, and the past two years have been Star Wars. Each door has either a Mini-Fig or a little space ship to build.
We call it a count down calendar instead of an advent calendar and everyday he asks again and again if he can open another door. Each day I have to tell we only open just one door. I don’t know if he is excited for more gifts or because I tell him when all the doors are open it will be Christmas….
I love reviving old family traditions, and making new ones. I love remembering fondly the things that I did as a child at Christmas time and the things I couldn’t wait to do again.
As an adult, I get to make sure our family participates in our traditions and make new ones.
One tradition from my childhood that I loved was the story of the Cinnamon Bear. A local radio station would broadcast the story in fifteen minute increments starting around Thanksgiving and running through Christmas Eve. The story debut in 1937 and is still broadcasted here in Portland, with the expectation of a few years.
I don’t remember listing to it in the evening (of course that doesn’t mean we didn’t), which is when it usually aired. But I do remember my grade school teacher had the recording and each day we would sit as a group and listen to the story. The story is about a pair of twins who wonder up to the attic to look for Christmas decorations and find themselves transported to a magical land.
In Portland Lipman Wolfe sponsored the radio broadcast and the Cinnamon Bear would visit the Lipman’s department store every year at Christmas. When we went to see Santa at Meier & Frank‘s Department Store we would also head over to Lipman’s for a visit with the Cinnamon bear. Over the years the store was bought out and eventually closed for good in 1990.
The Cinnamon Bear Cruise is a two-hour cruise that includes pictures with the Cinnamon Bear, story time and a magic show. Kids also get to meet other characters of the story and become Honorary Candy Buccaneers in the wheel house.
When Ian’s first Christmas was approaching I was delighted to find that he gets to enjoy this Christmas memory I had growing up. Even if his memory will be a little more elaborate than mine was.
Even though we know what to expect each year when we go on the cruise, I still enjoy going and I hope my kids will for a number of years to come.
If you want to listen to the story you can do so here.
I love reviving old family traditions, and making new ones. I love remembering fondly the things that I did as a child at Christmas time and the things I couldn’t wait to do again.
As an adult, I get to make sure our family participates in our traditions and make new ones.
A new tradition, well hopefully it will be one, is to ride The Holiday Express.
The steam engine that pushed/pulled our train is the SP&S 700. Now I don’t really know anything about trains, but the 700 belonged to the Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway and is the only surviving example of a E-1 class 4-8-4 Northern type steam locomotive. Yeah, I don’t know what the means, but it is a beautiful train. There is something mystical and enchanting about steam locomotives.
The SP&S 700 was built in 1938 and was used to pull the Empire Builder until 1947. The 700 continued as a passenger train engine traveling up the Columbia River Gorge from Portland to Spokane until 1956. After being on display for over 30 years it was restored to operation in 1990. The operation and maintenance is provide entirely by volunteers.
Santa comes through the train handing out candy canes, and parents can take some pictures. My two-year old nephew loves trains, and thought this trip was absolutely wonderful. Ian and Sid both had a great time too, although Sid wasn’t impressed with Santa.
The cars are all decorated for Christmas and heated.
Unfortunately the weather had warmed up and there was no snow, but it was still overcast and a little foggy, adding a little something to the scenery.
I Tri and Craft 