FAMILY TRADITIONS ~ CHALLENGE YOURSELF

Happy Sunday everyone , still think weekends go way to fast ! 
It has been a little while since I have posted, just the silly season and like everyone else , busy !
I managed to do a layout for the Current Challenge at Challenge Yourself
and the challenge is.....

Challenge YOUrself #13: Traditions

What are some of your traditions for the upcoming holiday season?  Do you have an old tradition that you continued from childhood or did you start your own?  Tell us about it.

{PS:  Challenge does not have to be "holiday themed".  It can be any tradition through the year.}

Remember to include YOU in the layout.

Family Traditions   

We have always put the Christmas Tree up as a family and we continue to do so.

 
We have a family dinner on the 6th Dec ( our daughters birthday ) and then drag the decorations out , erect the tree , and decorate together. There is always lots of silliness and laughing. I have carols playing in the background, we wear Santa hats and in the last couple of years the boys have taken to see who can find the highest spot to hang their bauble, so we have baubles hanging from light fittings and the like.

I have also kept every Christmas decoration, drawing that my children made since playgroup, so we have one legged Santa drawings , faded chain strings and the like. Our tree ends up so full , it is a wonder it doesn't topple over . Not what you would call a very co ordinating tree, but one with lots of love attached. We also each have a bauble with our names on it and we have to put them on the tree , even Scruffy has his own bauble.

I have used one of StudioFourteen40 new Christmas flairs ( they are beautiful ) The Chippy and PP I have had for ages, so always nice to use things up.

This is my Grandson and my Eldest son in the photo.

This year we are running late putting the tree up, as we were in Sydney celebrating my daughters birthday ( a big one ) and now trying to coordinate a night when we can all be together is proving to be difficult. I refuse to put the tree up without the family though, so hopefully next week , fingers crossed. Another Tradition is that a angel I made when I was just a girl gets put on the top of the tree by one of the Grandchildren. Jedd has taken over from Meli, but last year it was a struggle to lift him as Jedd is now a teenager, so I am thinking we need some new troops coming through ;)

I also would like to share from my art book journal. I love this form of creating. I think I find it very freeing, just playing around with colours , mists and papers. I have been busting to play and got a chance last night.

And I love how flowers brighten and make a space look so much better

thanks for calling by and don't forget to pop over and leave some love on the lovely creations from the lovely DT at Challenge Yourself

Love, Peace and Happiness

Mary x