Although Mike and I were technically married last year, with the planning of the wedding and flying out on our honeymoon on Christmas day, we hadn't even moved into our place yet and didn't have a chance to do any of the traditions we've loved since we were kids. So this is our first Christmas at home-- Mansfield style!
Decorating Our Christmas Tree
It was so exciting this year to have our own tree. Mike's mom gave us the tree she bought for our reception in Vernal and we got to decorate with all the ornaments we had signed by people that came to our reception in Sandy. Nothing like celebrating Christmas with ornaments that say "Get Lucky" on them! =) jk It actually 
really was fun to remember that night by reading all the sweet messages (because yes, most were very sweet and not all written by Mike's friends) people wrote to us. It ended up making for a tree that not only reminded us of the season but of the amazing day that we got married! Here are some before and after shots, one of Mike as we wrapped presents to put under the tree, a mid-decorating shot and one of "Mike getting bored as we looked at 5 different stores for our Christmas star shot". While we did this we watch my favorite Christmas movie... Miracle on 34th Street! Watching this movie is essential for me and I can't let the season go by without watching it at least once... or three, four, five times... well, whatever... =)Sammi Klaus Tag
So this tradition is one that my family has been doing since before I can remember and I couldn't stand the thought of me not doing it with my own family. So even though we don't have kids yet, I don't even care! I love St. Nicholas Day, or as we always called it Sammi Klaus Tag!! This tradition is like mini-Christmas and happens on the night of December 5th. On the night before the 6th we put our shoes out with carrots, celery and treats for Santa's reindeer. If we've been good, we wake up the next morning to find that Santa has fed the treats to his reindeer and filled our shoes with small toys and candy. If you're bad he leaves coal. Thankfully, Santa is a little biased and has always given me the benefit of the doubt. =) This tradition is one of my favorite and I remember years of excitedly waking up and running down to see what Santa had left in my shoe! Quite honestly, this wasn't just a growing up thing. I've done this every year since I was kid, whether at college or at home, with roommates, boyfriends or family...this tradition means a lot to me and doing it with Mike was awesome. We did our secret shopping separate from each other the day before and got to wake up the next morning to see what we'd surprised each other with. Here are our night before and day after shots.
Needless to say, I love our traditions. Even the music playing to this blog, which most of you probably can't stand (don't worry, Mike is nearing that point as well) is a tradition for me. I woke up morning after morning hearing my mom listening to Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton downstairs throughout Christmas time. Having a husband this year to combine traditions and share everything with makes the season just that much sweeter! We still have more on the agenda and can't wait to go home and do more fun things with our family. But here's just the beginning of a great Christmas season at home and together... year #1!
