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The holidays are my favorite time of the year! I love the winter air, holiday party hair, and the festive clothes I get to wear. I also love to reminisce about all of my wonderful family holiday memories and traditions that I had growing up. From being a little girl who sat by the window waiting for Santa Claus on Christmas Eve, to anxiously racing down the steps with my four siblings on Christmas Day, it is all about those fun unforgettable times with your family that you will remember forever. Now as a mother and wife, I am excited to continue these traditions as well as create new ones with my husband and two children.

1. To kick off the holiday season, my husband, kids and I go get a Christmas tree. Some years we are daring and cut it down ourselves and others, we pick the perfect one out at a farm. Growing up, my husband worked as a Christmas tree salesman so he is very specific about what type we get and where exactly the tree comes from.

2. When I was younger after we brought our tree home we would pop popcorn, string it with needles & thread and hang the popcorn alongside our ornaments.

3. As kids in the Potempa home, we used to put our shoes outside our bedroom doors on December 5th (the eve of Saint Nick Day) before we went to bed and when we woke up in the morning we were always shocked and equally excited that they were filled with candy from Saint Nick.

4. My dad has four siblings so every Christmas Eve we would rotate between our cousins houses. We loved playing a grab bag game where each person brings one present (there was a girls grab bag and a boys grab bag). Everyone would pick a number out of a bowl. The person with #1 picks a gift and then the person with # 2  has the option to steal from #1 or pick a new gift and so on....it was always so much fun to go 1st as they have the option to steal any gift of their choice at the end of the game (if they prefer).

5. On Christmas Eve at our cousins, all of the kids would gather around and look out the window for Santa Claus and miraculously after dinner he would always arrive and pass out gifts to everyone (mysteriously one of our Uncles was always missing, but none of the kids ever noticed)!!

6. On Christmas Eve after the grab bag party, our family dinner and the visit from Santa Claus we would all pile in the car and go to midnight mass at our Church.

7. I also have four siblings and when we were younger one of our favorite traditions was to wake up as early as possible on Christmas morning, all sit on the stairs and wait until my parents were awake (and after they had had their coffee)  to let us know that Santa Claus had arrived and our presents were waiting for us under the tree. Then it was an immediate mad dash!!

8. Once we opened all of our presents on Christmas morning our parents would give us our stockings that were hanging on the mantle and were always filled with fun little gifts. Our dogs would also get a stocking full of treats and costumes and we would dress them up for the day. After all of that excitement, my dad would make Hot Dogs and Eggs...and we loved every bite!

9. Later in the day on Christmas, after a morning of playing with our toys in our pajamas, we would all get dressed up in one of our new outfits and our Grandma would come over for a formal family dinner. She would always bring her gravy recipe that was so delicious and has since been past on to us.

10. Between Christmas and New Years, we would always have a themed party with all of our family and friends that were in town for the holidays. Some of my favorite themes were the 80's, the ugly sweater and prom. My birthday is December 29th so sometimes it would double as a birthday party for me too!!

11. Now that I am grown and have a family of my own, every year we create new traditions. One of my favorites is Pat, Grayson and now Lauder (this will be her 1st Christmas) and I get dressed up for a family photo so that we can send out holiday cards to our nearest and dearest.

12. With my job, I am lucky enough to travel all over the world and every place I have ever gone to, I have bought a Christmas ornament. To make it that much more fun, every year my husband and I buy each other an ornament from a place that we have traveled in that year...so to keep the tradition going, the tree filled with memories and our holidays shining bright!!

It means the world to me to be able to share my twelve most memorable past and present traditions with you. The holidays would not be the same without them or the amazing people that share them with me. I would love to hear about some of your favorite holiday traditions!

Happy Holidays to you and yours! Xo,

Sarah