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As I mentioned on Tuesday, there are a lot of things I want to do to help Hudson celebrate his very first Christmas. I’ve already mentioned that we’ll spend Christmas in the mountains in Tennessee and that we decided as a family to go easy on the presents. We agreed to stocking stuffers only and Todd and I will exchange a few gifts. We’re all very excited about spending such a long amount of time together– without being in someone’s home and invading their space for a week.
Just because we’ve chosen not to get gifts for everyone in the whole family doesn’t mean we’ve chosen to leave gifts out of Hudson’s first Christmas celebration. I went back and forth on this and wasn’t sure what we should do. I know he won’t remember a lot of what we do, but we will. (My friend, Whitney from Glamorous Life of a Housewife, wrote a great post about why she’s giving her baby boy gifts for his first Christmas.)
We’ll remember the look on his face when he opened that special thing that we’ll always remember that we gave to him. Someday we’ll show him the pictures from the sweet event. Giving him a gift on Christmas Day doesn’t prove our love for him, but it does show my appreciation for some of the Christmas traditions and wanting to experience that with the newest, most precious, member of our family.
My parents are planning on starting a collection for him (that I’ll share with you later) and I hardly see this gift as silly to give a baby. It’s thoughtful and special and he’ll get one every year from them.
We got him a couple of fun gifts that I’ll share with you all later (but really I want to tell you NOW!), but I’ll go ahead and tell you one of them. On Christmas Eve I plan to give Hudson a pair of Night Before Christmas pajamas and a copy of The Night Before Christmas book. My dad read it to me nearly every night because I loved it so much and I knew the entire poem by heart. I want to read this story to Hudson on Christmas Eve.
I also want to read the Christmas story to him. I could also recite all of Luke Chapter 2 when I was in the 2nd grade and I want that tradition to be with our baby boy, too. (Yes, I was a memorizing machine when I was little.)
As far as his future Christmases go, I want to continue to do these things every year. I don’t know where we’ll celebrate Christmas every year. We could be in Dallas. We could be here. We could be in a wonderful vacation spot. I would love for our boy to wake up at his own house every Christmas morning, but I also know that Santa Claus visits you where ever you are. We spent every Christmas Eve at my grandparents’ house until I was in high school and being with so much family and having so many cousins around to see what Santa brought us was always the highlight of my day. I also know how much fun it is to be in your own house and be able to play with all of your toys and all of your friends on Christmas day. But I don’t have a crystal ball and I only know what our plans are for this year.
I’m just excited to share all of these amazing things with Hudson and give him something to look forward to every year. I can’t remember a time when I was more excited for Christmas to come!
{ 17 comments… read them below or add one }
Family Christmas traditions are half the fun in looking forward to Christmas! Cheers to starting them ASAP!
Hudson is going to have a wonderful Christmas this year…and every year
I just have a feeling!
I love all the traditions you want to start and carry through year to year. I plan to do the same. I love traditions.
I don’t think its silly to give a baby gifts on their first Christmas at all! In my father’s favorite baby photo of me, framed on his dresser, I’m 2 and holding an orange from my stocking with this look on my face like it was the most special thing ever… I don’t remember it but you don’t want to miss those moments as a parent!
We always read The Night Before Christmas too! And when I was older, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever!
We are getting our baby boy gifts too! I’m so excited!! Nothing extravagant, but I still cannot wait for him to get them!
The First Christmas is so precious and amazing. I will never forget each one that we had with each of our babies. Every year I get my kids Christmas pajamas to wear on Christmas Eve and we buy each of them a special ornament for that year. There is nothing like sharing the magic of the season with a child!
What a wonderful first Christmas Hudson’s going to have! My family also read the Christmas story from Luke every Christmas Eve and it was a wonderful memory. After we read it, we put baby Jesus in the Nativity scene – as children my brother and I were very confused as to why Jesus was there before he was actually “born” on Christmas. So I guess that’s how it started? Regardless, I treasure all of our Christmas traditions and love having so many meaningful ones surrounding the Biblical basis of Christmas. I can’t wait to hear Hudson’s annual gift! (Mine was a piece of silver from my silver pattern…something I appreciate more now than I did then!)
Can’t wait to hear about his first Christmas as it gets closer to the big day, and I’m looking forward to seeing photos and seeing what types of traditions you guys begin to share with your little one!
I have a 2.5 year old, and yes, it is so special to start traditions and buy gifts, even when they are young. It’s just as much about the parents as the child, as you’ll be the one re-capping these memories with him when he gets older. I love hearing stories about when I was a baby from my parents. And about the special sets. Lallie’s Godmother started a collection of classic books with special inscriptions each year at Christmas. They have a very close relationship and this to me is special, even though Lallie can’t yet read them. I know Hudson will have a very special Chrstimas each year, especially considering you’re keeping Christ in it. xoxo
We are starting some traditions this year with Cameron also. I briefly thought of not buying presents also, but I don’t know what I was thinking – it’s CHRISTMAS!
I loved Whitney’s post too. 
I just know that you are going to make Hudson’s 1st Christmas a VERY special one!!!!!!!
My husband’s dad read ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas to him every Christmas Eve and it’s one of his most (if not the most) cherished childhood memories.
Sweet! Hudson’s first Christmas sounds like it will be pretty darn perfect
aw i love this, sounds like youll have an amazing christmas.
When I was young, I also could recite all of Luke Ch. 2. It was part of our memory work. Even though Hudson won’t remember the first Christmas, he’ll have wonderful pictures to look back on!! Cherish all the first year christmas memories!!
For as long as I can remember my brother, sister and I have always opened one gift on Christmas eve and it was always a new pair of pj’s. It took a while for us to clue in that it was ALWAYS going to be new pj’s, but to this day (I’m nearing the dreaded 25) we all still open that one gift on Christmas eve! It’s a great tradition!
i cant wait to see what Hudson gets this Christmas
what wonderful traditions you are starting. isn’t it so excited to start your own Christmas traditions with your baby! i am so excited to do the same:)