Last week I wrote about a number of ways in which newly engaged couples can celebrate their holiday traditions, here. This week I thought I’d get a little more personal and share with you five of my favorite ways in which Richie and I have chosen to celebrate our holiday traditions to celebrate season.

Our Family’s Holiday Traditions

Bogath Family Traditions |Chanukah and Candles

Richie was raised Jewish. I was raised Catholic. But these days, you will find neither of us subscribing to major religious elements. In fact, we celebrate and honor a sort of hodge-podge of different holiday traditions. But it’s really important to us both that we celebrate Chanukah by lighting candles and praying with the menorah as a family.

Baking Cookies (Grandma Coon’s Anise Cookies)

My grandmother taught me how to make traditional German Springle cookies. We just simply called them anise cookies. She always stored them in a small metal tin with a slice of apple. They were not even close to being my favorite cookie. But each year I get out my grandmother’s rolling pin. It has special carvings in it that leave an impression on the cookies as you roll them out. And I make them with my daughter. They do not come out looking great. I still have not perfected my grandmother’s technique. But, maybe this year will be the year. Maybe my daughter will be the one to figure it out and show me how to do it right someday down the road. All I know is it’s not the holidays unless I am making a batch and giving them to my dad. Seriously, one of these years they will look right. They always taste right. But it would be nice to be able to eat them and look at them.

The Imax Theatre

Some people like to celebrate the holidays with a trip to NYC and the Christmas Spectacular. And while there’s nothing wrong with that, I prefer to stay a little closer to home and avoid huge crowds. It’s also no secret that Richie and I are nerds. And our nerd family has started its own holiday traditions that honor our geek/nerd roots. Many of them revolve around movies. It seems like there has been a big geek movie releasing every year for the past four, so we’ve started going every year, down to Atlantic City’s Imax theater to see the premiere. For the first few years Richie and I were dating we went to see the Lord of the Rings movies and the Hobbit in the Imax theater. I’m not a fan, but Richie and our daughters are obsessed. These days, I am much happier that there seems to be a new Star Wars movie every year.

Each year, more family and friends have joined us. We go see the movie, we come home, and we have everyone over for dinner. This year, we are ordering pizza and hoagies. Nothing fancy, just a really fun way to enjoy the holidays and our holiday traditions.

Christmas Eve

My family celebrates together on Christmas Eve and we celebrate individually on Christmas morning. This is one of my favorite holiday traditions, because it allows for a nice relaxing Christmas morning. We go to my parent’s house. Richie’s parents and sister will join us. We eat tons of appetizers (no dinner) and drink a little wine. Then we open and exchange gifts. Finally we gorge ourselves on the cookies my mom and I have been making all month. The next morning, we sleep in. When C was younger, we were up a the crack of dawn. But now that she’s thirteen, and sleeps until noon-ish (!!!), we get up, sit on the couch. Watch a little bit of Elf, and drink our coffee.

No matter what holiday traditions you and your follow, I hope this holiday season finds you surrounded by loved ones. From all of us at Bogath Weddings and Events, and from my family to your, have a wonderful holiday season and a happy healthy New Year!