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Christmas Giveaway #1

I thought that a great way to close out the glorious Thanksgiving weekend and usher in the Christmas season officially, is to have a fantastic Christmas Giveaway! :)

Christmas is my favorite season and I get giddy when I see all the Christmas "stuff" all around the shops. It's WONDERFUL! I spotted this gem the other day, and thought of you, my friends and readers immediately! I also thought of myself, because I definitely grabbed one for me as well. Tee Hee Hee!

Husby is not a gingerbread fan, so I will be making gingerbread man shaped brownies, cookies, cakes - you name it!! And SO CAN YOU! :)



I mean....seriously....how FESTIVE is THIS!? Ah, it makes me happy just looking at it.



This pan is a Williams Sonoma exclusive! Don't you just have to have it?

All you have to do is answer this fabulously fun question!

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CHRISTMAS TRADITION? Whether it be hot cocoa on Christmas Eve, movie night extravaganza or baking with your grandma, I want to hear about it!! Let me in on your family fun!

Remember, if you write about my giveaway on your blog, you get to enter a second time to increase your chances to win!! Good luck, lovies!!
I am a modern day homemaker with a passion for family, cooking, celebrating, decorating, travel, and memory making! The Lord has blessed me with the desires of my heart in my husband and our two sons. We recently built our dream home and cultivating a loving and happy haven for my family is where I find so much joy.

Comments

  1. That is absolutely ADORABLE!

    My favorite holiday tradition is between my husband and I. I love to listen to Christmas music, non-stop, from about November to February. I try to stop then. He finds it gets a little old.

    One year he came home from the store with a little gift bag. He handed to me, and said, "I know you love Christmas music, so here is a new Christmas CD for you." And every year, he surprises me with a new Christmas album...Even though I do play it forever.

    Of all of our traditions, that is my favorite, because it is just ours, not picked up from our own childhood families.

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  2. I am finally getting the hang of these fun giveaways!
    I would have to say that my favorite Christmas tradition is eating crab on Christmas eve. I absolutely hate crab by the way, but every year for as long as I can remember, we have gone out to my grandma's house and she makes crab. Actually, the only one out of all of us who likes crab is her. haha. But every year she made it, and every year we all complained and ate it. That honestly has to be my favorite tradition. Crab on Christmas eve. It will definitely be a missed one this year.

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  3. ANNNNDDDD I linked you to my blog, so here's another post:)

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  4. How sweet of you! My favorite Christmas tradtion...gosh there are many. I think I'd have to say that finging/cutting our Christmas tree has become our fave. We go to the mtns near us, usually look and look and look for the tree. The trees we pick are a step up from Charlie Brown trees, but we love each one just the same!

    PS I linked you to my blog!

    Thanks!

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  5. LOVE that PAN!!!

    Our Christmas holiday traditions is opening gifts on Christmas Eve at home, then "finding" our stockings on Christmas morning... full of little stuffers from Santa!

    :) It's something that's been going on since I was little.

    I love it.

    Traditions are so wonderful, and the most beautiful thing about it is that you can start one whenever you want! :)

    Think of all the traditions you will start with your little one! :)

    Happy day sweet pea!

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  6. one of my favorite Christmas traditions is putting up all our Christmas decorations and tree the day after thanksgiving. When i lived at home my dad and i would work together to put the tree up while my mom sat on the couch and told us what to do. we each had our ornaments with out names on them and that would be the only ornament my mom would put on the tree but it was fun just being all together working together to make our home so festive!

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  7. What a great giveaway!! My favorite Christmas tradition is we all go to the family church service at our church on Christmas eve and then we drive around listening to Christmas music and look at all the pretty lights in our town. When we get home the kids can each open one present before they go to bed. Then my hubby and I stay up late to put out all the Santa gifts. It's such a fun night!

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  9. Love it!

    My favorite tradition/memory is getting up Christmas morning and going down stairs to a tree full of presents. My mom, dad, sis and I then sat and opened them and just had so much fun. I not longer live at home but Hubby and I still travel to my parent's house on Christmas morning to do this same thing. And then we head out to my grandma's for more presents and DINNER! We have done this forever! It brings back such great memories thinking about it...

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  10. I'm a relatively new reader to your blog, but I wanted to say that I absolutely love your style. Your blog is just so much fun to visit and you regularly make me LOL :) Thanks for the fun!!

    My favorite Christmas tradition is one that doesn't happen anymore. When I was young, my grandparents would host Christmas eve at their house and EVERYONE would get together...we'd have probably 20 kids in the house and we'd always have so much fun. My grandparents have since retired and moved away, but I'll always remember that tradition fondly.

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  11. P.S. I just linked you on my blog!! Thanks!

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  12. I love SO many things about Christmas, but if I had to pick a favorite tradition for right now, it would be our advent celebrations with our boys. The four Sundays before Christmas we do something special with them, like last night we watched Fred Claus and made pomegranate punch. And afterward we read from the Bible and discussed the birth of Jesus. Next Sunday we are assembling a gingerbread house.

    Wish me luck and thanks for the contest.

    God Bless,
    Amy:)

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  13. I guess my favorite traditions are the new pajamas everyone gets on Christmas Eve and the Christmas Eve chicken and dumplings. I am adding a link to your contest on my blog so count me twice!

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  14. Adorable!

    My favorite Christmas tradition is Birthday Cake for Jesus. OK, it's actually coffee cake that we eat with our big breakfast on Christmas morning, but we do stick a candle in it and sing happy birthday to Jesus! :)

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  15. Every year we eat beans, rice, yucca and plantains on Christmas Eve. When I was younger my parents always made this and had an open house for family, friends and neighbors before the midnight service at church. Yummy!

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  16. We have quite a few traditions in my family, but probably my favorite is the "Family Christmas" we have each year the Saturday after Christmas day. My Mom's side of the family gets together and the cousins exchange secret Santa gifts and the Godparents and Godchildren exchange gifts. We eat an awesome dinner, often go sledding, and when we can we go to a local place that has amazing lights. We also often have a birthday cake for Jesus- something from my Mom's childhood. It's an amazing day!

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  17. P.S. I linked this on my blog. Thanks so much for an awesome giveaway contest!

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  18. I have an older sister and two younger brothers. We started my favorite tradition the Christmas after my littlest brother was born. Every Christmas Eve, we would all pile in my sister's room and the youngest would set the alarm to go off at 6 in the morning to wake us all up. The whole night we would quote Christmas movies to each other in the dark till the last of us was asleep. Then little Jake would be the first up jumping on the rest of us to announce it was Christmas. Even through college, we would come home to visit and we continued this tradition. Sweet times.

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  19. What a great idea!! :) I love Christmas too!

    My favorite tradition growing up was when our parents gave us an ornament on Christmas Eve that represented something big that happened that year in our life. For example, when I was 16 they gave me a hot pink car ornament since I had gotten my license. I'm sure this year I'll be getting something wedding related. I love the tradition and now that I have my own home I get to keep all of my ornaments that my parents gave me each Christmas Eve over the years!

    I'll make sure to post about your giveaway! Thanks again!

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  20. My favorite holiday tradition is wrapping gifts with my mom. Every year we spend several afternoons wrapping gifts and eating holiday goodies. Now that I am married and not living at home we still keep this tradition alive. I love just getting to spend time together.

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  21. My favorite Christmas tradition is Christmas morning with my parents and brother and sister. This year, my husband will be joining us.

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  22. My favorite tradition is only 2 years old, but I love it! For the past 2 Christmases, I've spent the night at Ashley's house and on Christmas morning we have a huge Christmas breakfast that Ashley and I prepare. Both my dad and stepmom and mom and stepdad come. This was the first time that I'd spent Christmas morning with both of my parents since I was 4 years old.

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  23. My favorite is everyone coming over on Christmas Eve; singing carols, having yummy food and drinks and watching the kids open 1 present!!!

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  24. I love watching the Christmas Story with my brother over and over again on Christmas Eve.

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  25. I'd love to enter!

    My favorite Christmas tradition is opening up ONE gift Christmas Eve... and then saving the rest for Christmas morning. It is so fun debating with my sister about which gift we should open Christmas Eve... and usualy we end up choosing eachother's because we gift eachother the best gifts!

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  26. Hi Whitney,
    I've been reading your blog for a while now, but have never left a comment. My son & his wife are expecting our first grandchild in February so it's been fun for me to read about your excitement of having your 1st baby!

    The gingerbread pan is so sweet!

    We started a new Christmas tradition a few years ago for our son & his wife. I have a treasure hunt for them to find their 'together gift' hidden somewhere in the house. The first clue is wrapped in a tiny box or gift bag. In all there are about 6 clues located inside & outside the house until they find the gift. It's a lot of fun to see them running around like little kids on Christmas morning!
    Smiles,
    Carol ~ in Oklahoma

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  27. My favorite tradition is watching Christmas movies. Whether it's old-school like "It's a Wonderful Life" or "A Christmas Story", or something newer like "Elf", these never fail to put me in the Christmas spirit.

    Runner up: Caroling- I love that everyone signs at the top of their lungs no matter how terrible they sound!

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  28. ooooh...I have way too many favorites! This is going to be hard. One of my favorites is going to the beach with my entire extended family (mom's side) the weekend before Christmas. We've been going every year for about 10-11 years and we stay in the same house, eat the same food, watch the same movies, play the same games..and it just gets awesomer. :) About three years ago, we introduced everyone to Mafia, the crime-solving game. It was a hit. And we're loud people anyway, so you can imagine the thunderous sound waves emanating from that house. It's so much fun. We're all hoarse for a week after.

    Another tradition, (I cannot claim this one as mine, but we love hearing about it every year) is when my Uncle Brad and his family all fight over who gets to put up the squirrel tail on the tree. Yes, they have a squirrel tail ornament...a real squirrel tail. It's...um...well, it's gross, but it's quite festive.

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  29. i love how we are all grown and on our own and all us siblings still stay the night at my moms christmas eve and wake up there christmas morning!

    Love the pan...adorable! I'd love to have it!!

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  30. Well... our Christmas tradition was that my brother and I always gave each other a gift on Christmas Eve- I think this was mom's way to keep us busy while we waited for Santa.

    Then Joey (my brother) and I would always sleep in the same room- one year my room, the next his. We did this until about 2 years ago- when Joey finally told me I was too old. Bummer!!

    Another favorite tradition... my step-mom started this and now my husband and I are doing it... Each year my step-mom and dad get each family member an ornament that represents their year, but it's always a surprise. One year in high school, I got a telephone (yes I talked on the phone a lot!). A car for my 16th year, a diploma for graduation, a suitcase when I studied abroad, my brother got a cheeseburger one year... things like that- it's always fun to see what they come up with. And when you get married they give you all of your ornaments to hang on your new family tree.

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  31. i love it! great giveaway!

    my favorite christmas tradition, which we still do to this day, is right before we go to bed, we all sit down and read the santa clause book. it is a childhood tradition, which makes it special!

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  32. I love going to the candle lighting xmas eve service with the kids then coming home to a quiet dinner and letting them open a few presents (one of them being PJ's).

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  33. We go out and get a new ornament for our boys for the tree every year. Fun. I just wanted to mention I linked to your blog from a food blog and now check it all the time. I am having my third boy--but second pregnancy and love your excitement about your baby. I was dissapointed I wasn't having a girl but seeing your excitement for your little lovie has helped me.
    Thanks
    Mandy K.

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  34. What a cute pan

    Growing up the favorite tradition was baking cookies after midnight mass on Christmas Eve. I have 6 younger siblings and we all just either made the cookies or ate them. It was a good time.

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  35. lighting the advent candles each sunday night before christmas and reading and singing with my boys. so good.

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  36. My favorite Christmas tradition is going to Grannys for Christmas dinner. She always makes homemade chiken and dumplings. It's not a tradtion dinner for this time of year but it is a tradition to us!

    I posted about your giveaway as well!

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  37. Sooo precious!

    My favorite Christmas tradition happens on Christmas eve. Everyone on my dad's side of the family crams into Grandma's house (it's so cozy). We eat a giant lunch then after clean up, Aunt Lou Nan leads us in singing Christmas carols (all the time she's wearing antlers...hehehe). Grandma reads Christ's birth story from Luke. Aunt Patsy then passes out presents to all. Only one person opens a present at a time so we can all 'oooh' and 'aaah'. It's wonderful fun family time!

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  38. I LOVE that pan! My fav. Christmas tradition is loading up the whoel fam inthe car and driving around town look at Christmas lights. So fun!

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  39. Driving around looking at Christmas lights with hot chocolate and Christmas music on in the car. Love it!

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  40. Every year on Christmas even my family orders Pizza Hut. Then we head out to drive around and look at Christmas lights while listening to the Santa updates on the local radio station. We finally head back home and play games and drink hot chocolate until late in the evening. My dad then reads us the Night Before Christmas (even though we are all grown). It is great!!! I'll try to post about your giveaway this afternoon :) Thanks for hosting a great giveaway!

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  41. On Christmas morning we make a really yummy french toast breakfast with all the extras! It is so warm and wonderful and a great way to start a day with family! We love it!!!
    jinglesells at gmail dot com

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  42. My favorite is Christmas Eve. My daddy is a pastor, so we'd have to stay up late and wait for him to come back from all the services. Then, we sit around the tree, drink eggnog, read the Christmas story and the Night Before Christmas and open one present (pajamas) before going to bed.

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  43. Oh, the kids I watch after school would love to make brownies in that pan.....

    My favorite tradition is having snacks and appetizers on Christmas Eve. Just us and the kids (well, now it's just one kid!). We play scrabble and UNO and eat, eat, eat....

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  44. In my family, we each get to open ONE present on Christmas Eve, and it is always a new set of pajamas. I look forward to those new pjs every year!

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  45. I haven't seen that pan before! I'm not big on shaped pans, but that one is CUTE. What a good idea to make brownies in it too.

    We don't have a lot of traditions. Pretty much, we only make monkey bread Christmas morning, and that's it. I'm really looking forward to getting to start some when the baby is a few years older.

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  46. Great giveaway!
    My favorite tradition is getting new pj's on christmas eve. Even as an adult I get new ones.... either that my mom picked out or that my hubby bought.... it's the best!

    Angie
    "NAna's Box"

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  47. Definitely making fudge with my mom. We get together every year to make this delicious candy just like she did with her mom. And this year we'll add my niece to the mix, starting a new tradition. I can't wait!

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  48. My favorite holiday tradition is spending the morning with my close family at my mom's house. We open gifts and watch the parades and then we head over to my grandparents house and start all over. It's pretty simple, but it's just what we do.

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  49. My favorite holiday tradition is spending the morning with my close family at my mom's house. We open gifts and watch the parades and then we head over to my grandparents house and start all over. It's pretty simple, but it's just what we do.

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  50. Every year on christmas eve when I lived at home we would go to a candlelight service then come home drink warm cider and watch "little women" then when that was over we could open one present out of our stockings!

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  51. what a wonderful treat! my favorite Christmas tradition (well, there are MANY!) would have to be riding in the car in our PJ's, drinking hot chocolate, and listening to the Polar Express while looking at Christmas lights! We have done this for years, and I can't wait to carry it on to my family!

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  52. My favorite Christmas Tradition comes the evening of Thanksgiving when my parents and the children and their families all get together and decorate my parent's Christmas tree. We decorate it with all of our childhood ornaments and with the ones our parents collect of us year after year.

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  53. Soo Cute!
    My favorite Christmas Tradition started as a child at Grandma's house. She would make hot apple cider on the stove and serve it in the "santa" mugs. It make the house smell so good. Just talking about bring back the memories and the smells ...

    Thanks for the walk down memory lane.

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  54. This is so cute!!

    My favorite Christmas tradition is baking cookies with my mom. She bakes for three days straight and ends up with hundreds of cookies. There's plates for family members, neighbors, coworkers, and tupperware boxes and boxes of them for us! I love decorating and smelling the house when the cookies are baking!

    Great giveaway!

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  55. My favorite Christmas tradition is actually the day after Christmas. When we were little kids that day was reserved for playing with our new toys with my mom. she would play with us ALL DAY. It was awesome. So now that we are adults, that day is reserved for puzzle making, which we usually start on Christmas night and game playing.

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  56. Hmmmm, my favorite Christmas tradition is probably the treasure hunt that my family does on Christmas Eve.

    When we were younger my mom would make us PJs and night caps. We would go on a treasure hunt Christmas Eve to find them and then would wear them to bed.

    Now that we're older, we usually gets outfits but we STILL go on a treasure hunt! I don't think we'll ever stop doing that!

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  57. I would have to say my favortie tradition is setting up my Nativity. That is closely followed by cookies and cocoa celebration on Christams Eve. I love to make and set out my homemade goodies. :)

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  58. Those brownies look delish and almost too cute to eat! Love your blog, was directed here from Mrs. Stilletos.

    My fav christmas memory-
    When I was ten my father and I finished decorating the christmas tree and he showed me his own favorite thing to do. He laid down under the tree and stared up through the branches to the ceiling. The image the lights make on the ceiling going through the tree branches is just magical. Every year after the tree is decorated, I still do this.

    Merry Xmas!

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  59. It isn't truly Christmas to me until I have sung Silent Night at the Candlelight service on Christmas Eve. Our church ends the service by singing and then all the kids ring the church bells. I really worried that once I got married we'd have to compromise and I'd end up missing this service - but I don't! My husbands family celebrates on Christmas Eve Day and both of his brothers need to leave early to get kids to bed - so we leave in plenty of time to make it to church! After the service my mom lets everyone open one gift. Every year its always the same - everyone gets a pair of Christmas pajamas.

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  60. My favorite tradition is driving around after church on Christmas Eve looking at Christmas lights and listening to Christmas music.

    I love the pan!

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  61. My current favorite tradition is calling everyone in my family first thing in the morning. They all live in timezones ahead of me, so they've already been up. While I'm on the phone, everyone opens their presents, so I can hear them ooh and ahh. Then, I go skiing. I only ski about a half day, so I can come home and work on dinner (a honey-baked ham saves lots of time!)

    My favorite tradition from when I was younger was that we all had to have had showers and eaten breakfast before opening presents... it built up the excitement that much more!

    Love the giveaway!

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  62. I have two, and absolutely could not decide between the two as a "top" fave, so lucky you! You get to read both!

    1. Stockings are the main event. They are filled to the brim with silly things, toys, candy, and even stuff like shaving cream and shampoo. The BEST part, however, is the fact that NO ONE, not a sole, touches them until we are all done opening presents. They are the icing on our cakes, and waiting to the end to "open" them is the best!

    2. Christmas PJ's on Christmas Eve. Grandma buys us all PJ's for Christmas, and we all get to open them on Christmas Eve. (If you aren't there, it's okay, the PJ's are shipped Santa Express). This isn't the only thing - the PJ's are then worn that night and until after breakfast and gift opening the next morning, where we have an UGLY CHRISTMAS PJ CONTEST. Hilarious, and very competitive. I am a 2x champ!

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  63. I love those! And I need them :) ha!
    My favorite Christmas tradition is being at my parents house on Christmas Eve and opening presents and just having fun! We open presents one at a time so everyone can see what everyone gets!
    And I also looooove Apple Cider that my mom makes ;)

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  64. My family always goes to the movies on Christmas. It's a fun tradition.

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  65. My favorite christmas tradition is the "stockings" my family does. We choose names from a hat then make up a "stocking" for that person. I say "stocking" because they have grown into christmas themed pillow cases because we get a bit crazy. It is fileld with fun stuff like candy to practical stuff like a new toothbrush and each person unloads their stocking one at a time with the rest of us looking on. I love it!!!

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  66. Whitney! That pan is adorable. And no worries on the delayed shipment! I haven't been around to use them anyway ;)

    My Favorite Tradition would have to be waiting for my family from California to arrive home (Oklahoma) for Christmas. My nana makes sure to have plenty of fudge prepared for my uncle and we sit around the kitchen table visiting, eating and laughing about old times--no matter how late they arrive!

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  67. AND I'm going to link you on my blog so here's favorite tradition two:

    Every Christmas morning, since I can remember, my papa will call and pretend he's Santa. No matter how old I get! I love it ;)

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  68. That pan is super cute.

    My favorite tradition for Christmas is getting the tree and decorations set up in the house.

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  69. adorable:)
    My favorite christmas tradition is Christmas eve.
    We always go to church as a family and the church is decorated soo beautifully! We when go to a close family friend and have dinner. At dinner we always do those holiday poppers... where you get a crown and a prize. We have pictures from ten years back of us at the dinner table all with our crowns on.. My aunts and uncles and grandparents always wear the crowns too!! Then we go back to my parents house and open one gift... the gift is always christmas pjs!!! Then we take pics in them and go to bed.. but we all sleep in my sisters room! @ girls in the bed and 2 boys on the floor!! I love Christmas traditions and cant wait to start one with my family some day!!

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  70. We always go to my mom's for Christmas Eve, and cap off the evening with a candlelight service at the church of my youth. My kids come (and sleep through most of it), and we take communion together. It's not the most spirit-filled church, but that night, the Holy Spirit is there with us. It's a wonderful way to usher in the celebration of the birth of our Lord and Savior.

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  71. I wake up way to early on Christmas morning, before the rest of the family even considers moving. I plug in the tree letting that be the only light in the house. By Christmas tree light I make homemade biscuits. While they are baking I fry sausage. As soon as I pop the biscuits from the oven I split them open and put a piece of sausage on them and wrap them tightly in aluminum foil then cover them with a towel to stay warm. I make sure there is hot chocolate, orange juice, and milk ready and then I wake up the family. The biscuits have had time to 'nest' with the sausage and soak up the flavor. We have warm sausage biscuits before opening gifts. The day always starts better with breakfast ... right?

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  72. My favorite Holiday Tradition is midnight mass with my family. No matter how tired we are on Christmas Eve we always stay up to attend midnight mass. It's beautiful. We get all dressed up in our new Christmas outfits and spend the next 1.5 hours in a candlelit ceremony with a symphony and incense. I'm getting excited just thinking about it right now..I can't wait!

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  73. This is so cute! My favorite Christmas tradition would have to be...well, its not one that we do anymore but when I was smaller we used to always make Jesus a birthday cake at my g-ma's house.

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  74. My favorite Christmas tradition is my mom has giant( i mean big) xmas stockings and that is what is filled for our xmas. So Christams morning we go through the stockings instead of presents

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  75. My favorite Christmas tradition is watching It's a Wonderful Life with my mom. We watch it every year and quote our favorite lines. My sisters pop in the room every now and then and say something like. "You're watching this movie again! It's so boring!" My sisters comments are also part of this fun tradition.

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  76. my fav christmas tradition is opening stockings on christmas morning. i always get the best stuff!!!!!
    lauren kucharski stewart

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  77. My favorite holiday tradition is Christmas Eve when my family goes to see a matinee movie. After that we eat Chinese food then go look at lights. I also love Christmas morning when my family does little breakfast appetizers while we open our stockings and have the Christmas music channel on TV. I'm always sad to see the holidays end.

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  78. My kids always get a new pair of jammies Christmas eve night. It's their one gift they get to open. They know what it is but still love it no matter what. It makes for good Christmas morning pics too! We always go to Christmas Eve service as well and just spend time in our little family before we get into the hustle and bustle of Christmas Day.

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  79. Such a cute giveaway! So festive.

    My favorite Christmas tradition is cut-out cookie decorating with my dad — which has now grown to include my husband.

    The tradition began with my mom making the dough and the colorful frosting, my dad then cutting out the shapes (there are about 12 different patterns, from trees and angels to reindeer and wreaths to bells and holly)and my younger brother and I waiting for them to come out of the oven to cover them in frosting and sprinkles. You'd have to have quite the sweet tooth to eat the finished products!

    My dad and I had to keep the tradition going ourselves when I was in high school because my mom always had a thousand other things to do and my brother wanted to hang out with friends. Needless to say, my work became much more edible :)

    I still make the trek, my husband in tow, to sit and decorate with my dad ... with Christmas classics blaring in the background and cups of hot cocoa all around. I can't wait to start the same tradition with our little ones ... whenever we decide to become parents.

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  80. Every year my family piles into one car and drives around looking at Christmas lights. We have some favorite spots we visit each year, and we also try to expand and find new places annually! We turn up the Christmas music and bring hot cocoa to complete the night. This year my boyfriend and I are starting a new tradition of taking a horse drawn carriage ride to see lights, and I am so excited!

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  81. Well, that's easy. Growing up, my mom would always buy new pajamas and slippers for all of the kids (there were seven of us) on Christmas Eve. We would come home from Christmas Eve service, and find them conveniently placed on the fireplace. You always knew which pjs belonged to which person, because they fit out personality to a "t." My brothers would have big crazy football slippers, and my sister would have hello kitty pajamas - whatever we were into that year, that is what she gave us. Now that I have my own two precious girlies, I continue this tradition with them. Ellie Kate, my two year old is getting monkey slippers and matching pajamas because she loves to put her hands under her arms and make noises like a monkey. And my 5 month old, Peyton, is getting pajamas that I thought were too adorable to pass up - just because I can. But shhh, don't tell anyone, its a surprise :-).

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  82. We watch "A Christmas Story" every year at my Dad's house. We can all quote it now, but we still do it. I love sitting by my Dad for 2 hours and being a little girl again.

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  83. Decorating the tree, for sure! Great giveaway.

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  84. My fav Christmas tradition is baking cookies! Getting out the aprons, cookie cutters, making the frosting, getting the cookies all gussied up... it's all fun!! We've done it with my mother since we can remember and this year (my girls are 18 months) everyone can get in on the fun!! I love traditions and am hoping to add more as the girls grow!

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  85. It is really cute to bad I do not bake. You have been given an award stop on by to pick it up.

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  86. I love everything Christmas!!! But My all time favorite is getting to spend two days with all of my beloved family.
    Christmas Eve we spend with the Vandervort family and then Christmas morning we always drive to my Grannys house and spend the rest of the day with her.

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  87. I love your blog! Seriously, how cute are you!! Congrats on your pregnancy...being a mom is the most amazing thing you will ever experience! I will be checking in regularly. Have a great week (:

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  88. What a good question!

    My family and I always watch White Christmas on Christmas Eve. We might be completely worn out and ready to sleep, but we'll all stay up no matter what! I mean, it's tradition :)

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  89. My favorite Christmas tradition is giving gifts to my dad. He is one of those that never asks for anything and ever since I could I've always made it a point to be extra special generous with him. He deserves so much more than I could ever give - and I like for him to feel special. He gets sooo excited about the ribbon candy and other neat gadgets I find him - and now that he has "the best son in law in the world" who helps me out, it is even sweeter!

    I would also have to say that I just love walking around in Old Town Fredericksburg stopping for coffee at Hyperion and enjoying all the lights hung on the trees.

    I just love basically everything about Christmas!

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  90. Cute pan.

    There are many but the newest one I started last year with my daughter. We got out, just the 2 of us, to eat dinner and then we go look at the Christmas light displays in the neighboring town. She has already started asking when we are going this year! I see us doing this for a very long time. :)

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  91. Oh that is so cute! I would love to have it to make my daughter's birthday's "cupcakes" in!

    Ok, my absolute favorite Christmas tradition is decorating the outside of the house the day after Thanksgiving. I CAN NOT wait a day longer. It drives my hubby nuts - of course b/c he's the one hanging from the second story ofhte house - but I just love it soooo much!! And it looks so pretty - he does a fabulous job!

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  92. My fav is laying under ther Christmas tree at night and looking up into the lights w/ Hubby !

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  93. Just linked to you here: http://www.thegorenablog.com/2008/12/check-outthis-cute-giveaway.html

    for my second entry... now I'm crossing my fingers :)

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  94. great giveaway girl! take me outta the running - but just wanna say that I love reading all the traditions and memories! How special!

    My favorite Christmas tradition is making chili and sacks of fruit, socks and sandwiches to give to the homeless. Every year it makes me appreciate my gifts and my family so much more.

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  95. Can I name a few favorites? First of all, I love decorating the tree - we crank up the christmas tunes and all dance and decorate! Second, we hide a pickle ornament on the tree and the one who finds it Christmas morning gets to open the first gift. And third, we read a new Christmas book each year while drinking hot chocolate around the tree, and by a cozy fire. Ahhh...I love it all!

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  96. My favorite tradition would be decorating christmas cookies........started out with my mom, and then with my children, and now with my grandchildren.

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  97. This is such a cute pan! Thanks for the giveaway.:)I have two favorite traditions:
    My first favorite Christmas tradition is to drive around the neighborhoods and look at Christmas lights with my husband. We do it every year a few days before Christmas.

    My second favorite tradition (and this one is fairly new) is my Christmas Baking Party that I host at my house every year. My friends each bring their favorite goody recipe and the ingredients/supplies to make it. We order pizza, spend a few hours in the kitchen baking up our goodies, then each person takes home a "grab bag" of goodies to share! It is so much fun and you get to try new recipes and learn new fun ideas! I want to keep this tradition going as long as I can.

    May you and your family (and Baby Lovie!) have a Blessed Christmas season!!

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  98. My favorite tradition is with my DH - we bought an ornament on our honeymoon and it's always the 1st one on the tree and we always put it on together.

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  99. How cute are those?!

    My favorite Christmas tradition happens with my whole family on Christmas Eve. We eat snack food and watch Christmas Vacation. It's the best night!

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  100. My favorite Christmas traditions began last year when my husband and I did not go home for the holidays. We went to midnight mass on Christmas eve and walked through the empty city streets afterwards, Christmas day I made homemade cinnamon rolls that we ate in peace and quiet while opening gifts and watching "It's a Wonderful Life." The best!

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  101. I love that pan :)

    My favorite tradition--taking our Christmas pic (entire family) in matching PJs!

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  102. My Favorite Christmas Tradition besides watching the great traditional Christmas movies is getting to open 1 present every year on Christmas Eve. I can't wait to let my future children do this! It was so exciting running under the tree to grab a present we've been dying to open and get to open it before Christmas morning! :)

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  104. Oh my...Christmas and Family Traditions, 2 of my most favorite things--I can't list just one, sorry...

    1. picking out and cutting down our Christmas tree and then listening to Christmas music while decorating the tree, and later tucking the kids in so hubby & I can watch "It's a Wonderful Life" by the light of the tree (yes, it's a busy, but wonderful, day.)

    2. Baking with my 3 kiddos all December long!(LOVE having 3 daughters--they all love to be in the kitchen--they would SO love the gingerbread pan)

    3. Putting the kids in jammies, putting hot cocoa in thermos' and cookies in baggies and hitting the town for a tour of the Christmas lights.

    4. Christmas Eve--making an extra special buffet and inviting over friends or neighbors, opening 1 gift each and giving their girls their matching Christmas pj's.

    5. Christmas Day--popping the pre-made blueberry country casserole into the oven, reading aloud from Luke Chapters 1&2, placing baby Jesus in the Nativity Scene (We don't put Him in until Christmas Day), and then opening presents together.

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  105. Baking dozens of dozens of Christmas cookies!

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  106. I'm so sorry I missed your give away on my post but I just did another one and you are there!!! Pleas enter me!!! I would love these little guys. :)

    My favorite holiday tradition would be watching the fireworks the night before Thanksgiving and then driving through this huge Christmas light display every year. We take a truck and freeze in the back with hot cocoa. It's totally worth it every year even though it enver changes. :)

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  107. Wow, I don't know if this is my favorite, but it's one of them.
    Putting up the tree. Am I crazy? It's messy & frustrating (I get a real tree, and the tree-stand never seems to fit), but I love it. I play Christmas music and have hot chocolate steaming in the background. The tree floods my apartment with that wonderful sprucey smell...the season has officially begun!

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  108. Love the pan!

    Two Christmas traditions that we love are pajamas on Christmas Eve, and and ornament for each child on Christmas Eve which is something special about them that year. Like, a "ballet" ornament for our daughter that just started taking ballet classes, or an "indiana Jones" ornament for our son who is obsessed with IJ.

    One thing we always do also, is that I read "The Three Trees" to the kids every Christmas Eve before they go ot bed. They laugh at me every time because I simply can't get through the book without sobbing...but I guess that's part of the tradition too. If you haven't heard of this book...you HAVE to check it out. It's beautiful and focosus on the real meaning of Christmas.

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  109. I enjoy our tradition of Christmas Eve at my Granny's house. The whole family gathers there. We eat and then when it is dark we exchange gifts. That is such a wonderful time to me. I remember soing this since I was born.

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  110. How cute! (I love your blog btw)

    My fav tradition is first: unwrapping PJ's Christmas eve. second: waking up and baking Cinnamon rolls with the family. It smells so nice while unwrapping presents.

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  111. I mentioned your giveaway on my blog, so enter me again, already!

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  112. I love going to my grandma's house Christmas eve morning for a HUGE breakfast (country ham, eggs, biscuits and gravy, bacon, etc....) and then we move on to exchanging gifts!

    It is a wonderful tradition that I am sure was started way before I was around!

    Jessica

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  113. My favorite tradition is getting the christmas tree and decorating it! It is the start of the season, and totally puts me in the christmas spirit! =)
    This is such a cute pan! I would love to win!

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  114. HI! Yes, we went to college together, I think we even had a class with each other but I can't remember for the life of me what it was! haha. Something psychology-related, I think. I graduated in 2004, so we probably ran in different groups! I love reading your blog, and I have to say, I can't wait for you to post pics of your Christmas decorations! I've been praying for you and little baby Lovie. So sweet, such a blessing! Thanks for leaving me a comment, you're my first commenter on my new blog! Yay!

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  115. I love this pan! So fun! My favorite Christmas tradition was when were kids. We always had a big Christmas party on Christmas eve and right after dinner we would go for a ride to look at Christmas lights. We'd see red radio lights in the sky and claim it was Rudolph! SO much fun. When we got back to the party Santa had always happened to arrive with all the gifts! Have a Merry Christmas!

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  116. I posted a link on my blog...so here is my second comment! :)

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  117. My favorite Christmas tradition when my mom was alive was so sentimentally sweet! She and I, along with her sisters (one in Hawaii and one in Michigan) all had matching Christmas tea cups. On Christmas Eve, at a specified time, we would all have a cup of Christmas tea "together". Although we were miles apart, we were always close in heart. :)

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  118. My favorite Christmas tradition is DECORATING! I love decorating for the holidays, it's something I have enjoyed doing with my family since I was little.

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  119. Oh how fun...put me in, please! I love that pan! My favorite tradition is looking at lights in our van with our kids..eating popcorn and in pj's!
    -sandy toes

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  120. That's the cutest pan ever and William Sonoma is great quality!!

    My favorite Christmas tradition is opening new pajamas on Christmas Eve. It was the only present we could open Christmas Eve and it was always exciting to see what fun thing we got to sleep in. AND the next morning we'd go to Grandma's for hot fresh scones and ebelskivers!! Yum! I'll be making the ebelskivers this year though since Grandma is 2 states away!

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  121. And I linked to you. Happy Holidays!!

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  122. My favorite Christmas tradition is baking rum cakes for friends and making the family fudge recipe.

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  123. That pan is adorable!
    My favorite tradition is the whole family getting together and watching Christmas movies such as: White Christmas, It's a Wonderful Life, A Christmas Story, etc.

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  124. My favorite Christmas Tradition is putting out presents on Christmas eve {just like Santa} even though my kids are old enough to know better {middle school and high school}....they love to get up in the morning and see lots and lots of presents under the tree. I have tried for about 3 years to put them out as I wrap them and they aren't havin' it! So, the tradition continues and that makes me happy.

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  125. I linked you! Yay for entering twice!

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  126. what a cute pan!!

    i love everything that surrounds Christmas but I especially love going to the midnight candlelight service at my church. it is beautiful!

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  127. Every Christmas eve our family eats tamales and chili and guacamole with a sangria chaser. I can't wait until we're all together enjoying this meal. It's warm and festive and we love it.

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  128. Hmm I think my favorite holiday tradition is having pajamas as the sole present you open on Christmas eve. Then you have a cute new pair of jammies on the next morning when you open presents :)

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  129. My favorite Christmas tradition is my girls sleeping together on Christmas eve. They are not allowed to wake us up until it is light outside. Then they wake us up by ringing bells and shouting "Merry Christmas". My sister and I did this for 15 years and my girls are on their 3rd year.

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  130. i added you to my blog roll :)
    i just started a blog, and i love to read yours, so on the off chance that someone ever sees mine, i would like for them to enjoy yours too! ;)

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  131. OH how cute. I'm in. My favorite tradition was when we were kids. On Christmas morning when we got up we were not allowed to just run and tear into our presents. Instead, my mom made all of us kids wait anxiously on the stairs until everyone was up and ready to go. then when mom was ready, she'd open the stair door and we'd get to go running into the family room to see what Santa brought. As a kid I hated having to wait on my siblings, especially my older brother who took his own sweet time getting out of bed. But now that I'm older I look back on those days and I see why my mom made us wait and I'm glad she did.

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  132. my favorite Christmas tradition is making gingerbread christmas tree and for everyone that doesn't like gingerbread we also make sugar cookie christmas trees.

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  133. My favorite tradition is relatively new. All the females in the immediate family exchange a special gift, it is meant to be given to one female that has done something special in the year. The person that does the giving each year is the person that received the previous year. They select the person and write a note as to why this particular female was selected. We have added a new female this year, she will be 3 months old on Christmas; my first grandchild. This started with my girls and daughter-in-law and it has been such a lovely moment on Christmas Day. The females sit down together and a note is read that describes the situation why they selected their person. The box the gift is given in is also special as it is the same box each year and an additional decoration is added by the giver. Usually painted! I so look forward to adding females in the future. I think the males look forward to this as much as the females.

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  134. I will immediately post this to my blog, but first to the question at hand... tradition.

    We read the "SANTA MOUSE" story to our children and neices and arranage to have a small package tucked in the branches of the tree especially from him on Christmas morning.

    The kids love it and it's always something small and lessens the commercialism that surrounds Christmas by providing a tradition the children look forward to year after year.

    You can read the story here:
    http://noreasonneeded.blogspot.com/2007/11/as-promised.html

    Thanx for great giveaway!!!

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  135. My favorite Christmas tradition is one we just started last year. At a church in our city, they have something called Walk to Bethlehem. They have people acting as characters from Bible times and the guests are supposed to be going to Bethlehem to be counted for the census. It is so much fun! Last year the Roman soldiers were pretending to be really mean and my 4 year old still talks about those awful Roman soldiers!

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  136. Our Christmas Tradition is opening all of our gifts on Christmas Eve. But the most important part is just being together as a family.

    If I posted twice it was in error! Sorry!

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  137. Our Christmas Tradition is opening all of our gifts on Christmas Eve. But the most important part is just being together as a family.

    If I posted twice it was in error! Sorry!

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  138. That is seriously the cutest pan EVER.

    My favorite Christmas tradition is probably that on Christmas Eve my family and I go to church and the come home and eat finger foods and watch Christmas movies and play games. It's so much fun!

    I'm going to post about this giveaway!

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  139. What a great giveaway!!

    My favorite tradition..going to the tree farm with the family and picking out a tree. I love it.

    Also, candlelit service on Christmas Eve. Then we come home and exchange gifts. :)

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  140. My favorite Christmas tradition is my husband pretending that he doesn't like Christmas, but he will turn on the Christmas music ("Because I know how much you love it honey"), and he will bring in the Christmas tree and decorations (Because you won't be happy until you get the house all decorated") even though I never say a word about the music or the decorations. I also love how he will be out somewhere for work and will call me and say "I bought a Christmas gift for the son, so don't get this for him" (or he'll do it for our daughter, or one of the kids' significant other. It is really quite sweet!

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  141. Love the pan!
    Last night we started our newest tradition - the Jesse tree. Last year was the first year we did this nightly devotional and I can not tell you how excited the girls were last night to be doing it again! I highly recommend it!

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  142. adorable! my favorite holiday tradition is riding around to look at Christmas lights with my daughter. We listen to Christmas music, drink hot chocolate from Starbucks, and oh and ah over all the lights.

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  143. My favorite tradition is my parents' Christmas tree. They use real live candles to light it (German tradition) and it looks so much nicer than fake lights.

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  144. Love Williams-Sonoma. Somehow I missed this. One of my traditions is that I find a quiet place in the noisy house and unwind by watching It's A Wonderful Life and Miracle on 34th ST.

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  145. My favorite holiday tradition is decorating my "memory: Christmas Tree. I put on Christmas music and decorate my tree all alone and as I place each memory on my tree the tears flow down my cheeks for all the precious and priceless friendships I have had over the years. I have ornaments and gadgets from so many places and so many friends that all the sweet memories return as I place the very special item on my tree. I've lost a sister to brain cancer and her home made felt items are on my tree and I've lost a brother and the silver buckle he made my husband is placed on my tree each year in their memory along with the little leather purse that my daddy gave to his mother many years ago. I even have one of the small wedding dresses from your wedding shower on my tree to help me remember your family and also the little ornament from Luke's wedding that was on their trinket cans....I could go on and on but you would have to see my tree and listen to all my memories... It's packed full and looks so beautiful....and each year the Lord continues to bring back all the precious memories of so many that I have served with...

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