My sister Kristin is the Official Tradition Enforcer in our family.  She likes us to do the exact same things from year to year, and when we change things up, she freaks out.  It’s kind of adorable.

Right before Christmas, our family bundles up and goes out “light looking”– looking for the best Christmas lights displays in the area.  We also stop at a couple houses and sing carols, which is a bit hilarious because no one would call our family a musical one.  From there, we would usually end up getting chicken McNuggets and eating them with our own bread from home.  This last carried over from the days when we were young and Dad and Mom were too cheap to buy anything more.  Now it’s kind of a joke, but one that we love.  Our friends get a kick out of it too.  (“You bring your own bread??!”)

We eat pizza for Christmas Eve.  We usually try to watch both the main injury sequences from Home Alone and Home Alone 2.  We go to a service at the church where I grew up.  We take pictures with the Magnuson family, and we are the last family to leave (every. single. year.).

We read from the book of Luke and pray together before we open presents.

Oh, and Santa still comes to the Sommers house.  I said to my Mom last month, “Santa’s been very good to me.”  She wryly replied, “Yes, she really has.”

Haha!