Jockey & Holiday Traditions
Even though the Busbee family Christmas’ have varied quite a bit (Last year we rented out our house and went to the Galapagos and Machu Picchu)… there are some things that have carried on through the years. I thought it would be fun to share some of our favorite family traditions.
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Jockey Pajamas
Before I talk more about our holiday traditions, I first wanted to mention these snuggly and soft pajamas. This pullover is something I’d wear with leggings even after the holidays! It’s a super soft, warm and lightweight fleece, with a cable knit texture. It comes in two colors. It also has a longer back for added coverage.
The pajama pants I’m wearing are SO cute! They’re a velour fabric so you’ll stay super warm. I love the cute polka dot print. They have a drawstring waist so you can adjust them how you’d like. And the pockets have cute sherpa trim! Find more of my favorite pajamas from Jockey below.
Shop more Jockey sleepwear here.
Shop more from Jockey here.
Holiday Music
Leading up to Christmas and on Christmas day, one of my favorite holiday traditions is listening to the Frank Sinatra holiday station on Pandora. Chris thinks he sounds better than Frank Sinatra…and will often regale us with his singing. He also loves to play the Oak Ridge Boy’s version of, “Santa Claus Is Coming To Town” Ask Alexa to play it and you will laugh and laugh. It’s SO bad, it’s hilarious!
Decorating & Holiday Sweets
Another favorite tradition is getting EVERYONE involved with the decorating. The kids decorate the pre-lit tree, Chris assembled the tree, the train around the tree, and zip tied the garland to the railing. I hang the stockings and add a bunch of other holiday decorations. The kids love this and it saves me a lot of time! I shared more tips for making holiday decorating easier in this post. One of our favorite decorations is the Durango/Silverton train model that runs around the Christmas tree. It looks just like the real deal. Two years ago we rode on the train when it transformed into the Polar Express. I think this was one of my all-time favorite holiday moments with the kids. We love that train so much!
I also try to make at least one batch of sugar cookies to decorate with the kids. I am the biggest sugar cookie fan and I absolutely love to load on the icing and the extras! But, my favorite sweet treat is the peppermint bark from Costco! Anyone with me??
Giving Back
On Christmas Eve, we let the kids open one gift and we always give our dog Traveler a Christmas present too! Since the holidays should be less about getting gifts and more about giving…we’re starting a new tradition this year of giving back. We want to make sure the kids understand the true meaning of the season. I asked Gage to do some research, which he has already started, so he is invested in our family project. I’ll keep you posted.
What are your favorite holiday traditions? I would love to hear them!! Please share them in the comments below.
Huge thank you to Jockey for sponsoring this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Be sure to subscribe to my exclusive weekly newsletter to get some freebies!
Photos by: Aurelie Slegers
When we were kids we were not allowed to go downstairs or wake up our parents until the sun rose so we’d all gather in the oldest’s room – all 6 of us – and watch the sky and hoping the moon would be the sun! I was always scared that there would be no presents for me because I knew i hadn’t been “that good”! My favorite tradition nowadays is to sing “happy birthday” to jesus. After all, he’s the reason for the season! “For God so loved the world that he gave his one & only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” Merry Christmas!
Erin,
I just got Peppermint bark from costco yesterday! My teens love it. My mother (72) is all about gifts. It’s her love language. Growing up we had a lot of gifts and had to unwrap them one at a time. Now a bunch of gifts doesn’t equal quality or anything you might want. She’s one of those clearance through the year shoppers. If she sees some sort of theme she can put together she does regardless of what you like. One year I got a huge box of ice cream dishes, sprinkles, cake cones and all kinds of textiles with ice cream. I would never use that.
So we have been breaking her over the past few years. My husband and I have moved to a few gifts and stockings for the kiddos. They are teens so they want expensive things anyway. We spend Christmas Eve together playing games and watching Love Actually. Our neighbors usually call about then and we go wine walking to their place. We quit inviting the whole extended family over to our house for an event. We never see them through the year so we just stopped one year and now really enjoy the quiet day before the hectic day.
Thanks for sharing! Love the house. Lara
I loved hearing more about your traditions, Lara! SO with you on Love Actually. I sob every time… I also agree that in many cases, less is more. I have 8 presents for each child this year and that is PLENTY.