Yesterday was a first in my life. We stayed home and made our own Christmas. We thought ahead of time about how to incorporate the things that we most enjoyed from our childhoods and then just focused on having a good time together. Some things that will be becoming tradition:

~ finding unique, fun ways to replicate a Christmas tree without scaring the kitties or killing an actual tree
this year we used a 12" tree that was made by a student of mine last year

~ watching holiday themed movies, preferably of the comedic genre
our current favorites: Elf and The Hebrew Hammer, we also watched Bad Santa, and although I thought it interesting, I don't know if I will watch it again. Next year, we add The Nightmare Before Christmas and any others we can think of.

~ making Monkey Bread for breakfast
must remember to make the dough the night before next year, also pour extra butter over dough before baking, and be sure to check doneness physically instead of visually

~ forgoing Christmas gifts and exchanging stocking stuffers with hubby instead
somehow, this was more enjoyable. Perhaps because I was able to get lots of little things I knew he would like rather than spending HUGE amounts of money on a game, not knowing if it was the one he wanted most

~ finding gifts for the kids that are somehow environmental or educational rather than just noisy and plastic-y
we adopted animals (donated money for the care and protection of different species) for each of the nieces and nephews this year

An event that I would like to avoid making into a tradition:

~ crippling injuries
Mikey managed to throw out his back putting on a shirt first thing in the morning and spent the rest of the day unable to turn his head or sit up unassisted. Fortunately, I am better enough that I was able to do all the moving for both of us. It was nice to be able to repay him (a fraction of what is owed) for all the help he has given me. He is feeling much better now.