Our lives are full of traditions and rituals.  The way we put on our socks and shoes can become a ritual.  Do you put on two socks and then then two shoes or do you alternate?  The holidays, no matter which ones you celebrate can be bogged down with traditions.  I have so many from growing up that I want to share with my kids and so many more that I think about starting.

 

It all starts with the week before Christmas.  I mess up every inch of my kitchen making huge batches of pumpkin bread loaves and muffins to give away to the kids' teachers and special people in their lives.  My mom made the same recipe for all of my teachers as far back as memory serves.  As I got older, I started making some of the batches myself.  This is the kind of recipe that needs the largest mixing bowl possible, another mixing bowl and strong arms and patience for mixing the dry into the wet.  Now the kids help me gather ingredients and measure and mix.

 

Then on Christmas Eve we all get to open ONE present.  From the time I was 5 until I left for college, my maternal grandma and my paternal grandparents lived with in an hour from our house.  On Christmas Eve went to my maternal grandmother's house and opened presents.  When we got home we still got to open our one gift.  This was a new one for my husband, but he really likes it now.  The boys LOVE opening one present.  The present is chosen at random and is not pajamas like some families do. 

 

Santa comes to our house but he does not wrap his gift to each child.  So the first thing each boy sees is his "big" gift.  After they get a few minutes of play time, its time for breakfast.  Now that we live close to my parents again that means cocoa donuts.  My dad has a recipe from his grandma and he now lets his own grand kids assist with the mixing and taste testing.  Every year they can't wait for donut making.  This is Little J's first year to get to help instead of watch.  The donuts come out of the oil hot and soft and are perfect for dunking in milk.  The recipe is tripled, quadrupled and more so that each family can have some to freeze and eat over the next few months.  The rest are placed in a cookie jar and the magically disappear over a couple of days.

 

Our newest tradition came as a surprise.  I made a wonderful batch of salt dough ornaments for the kids to paint with their friends.  They became addicted.  Little J painted about a dozen ornaments on his own in varying shades of blue and brown.  J painted half a dozen.  After that I put the rest away to save for bringing to Grandma's house to paint with their cousins.  Not a day has passed in the past week that they haven't woken up and asked if today was the day they got to paint more ornaments, because surely we need to fill in ALL the empty branches of the tree.  I have promised them that we will paint every year until all the branches are filled.

 

For gingerbread men:

 

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cinnamon

2T nutmeg

1 cup salt

3/4 cup hot water

1T oil (optional)

 

Dissolve the salt in the water as much as possible.  Mix the other dry ingredients.  Add the oil to the water.  Mix the wet into the dry.  Knead into a ball.  Roll out on a smooth surface and use cookie cutters.  Do not make them too thick or too large or they will be too heavy.  Use a straw to poke a hole in the shape (to use for ribbon later.)  Bake on cookie sheets at 250 for about 4 hours.  Let them dry for another 24 hours or more before painting.  After painting, use modge podge or similar sealant to make them shiny, stronger, and keep from molding.

 

To make sugar cookie looking dough, omit the cinnamon and nutmeg and add an extra 1/2 cup of flour.