Closed Cookie's Celebratory Compositions

[.: Meri :.]

​

Ever since I was very little, one of my favorite holiday traditions has been decorating our Christmas tree—and oftentimes, inspiration strikes and I decide to add some ornaments of my own making. Very rarely will these ornaments actually have any sort of holiday theme to them, so on most years, the tree is rather... eclectic. At the very least, these handmade ornaments are much sturdier than the infamously-breakable standard Christmas ornaments, which is quite important when you have cats.
I made my first ornament as a toddler, and the proud Christmas Cyclops Worm has survived throughout the years and lives in the tree to this very day. He's just a series of little craft puffballs in (more-or-less) festive colors strung together, with a single googly eye for a face. According to my parents, he originally had two eyes, but the other one fell off fairly early on in his lifetime. My memories of creating him are admittedly on the fuzzier side at this point.
Over the past several years, a huge variety of slimes have found their way to the tree, hailing from both Dragon Quest and Slime Rancher. These range as far back as my early teenage years, when I was just discovering my love for the DQ series, whereas others have been added as recently as just last year. The oldest ones were done on paper glued to cardboard backing for support, but I later switched to securing them in the cases of my old Webkinz tags. Each year, I've added a few more types of slime to the tree, and they're... kind of taking over at this point, really. Thankfully, my family doesn't mind—my dad is even a Dragon Quest fan himself!

 

[ellienoise]

So I'm going to talk about a tradition from my country: Posadas. I'm from a very catholic country, so even if you're atheist or your family isn't really that much into religion, you will go to several posadas in in your life. Posada season starts on december 12 all the way to the 23rd. Posada means lodging in spanish, and this tradition comes from when Joseph and Mary were looking for a place to stay the night prior to her delivery. The main event of the posada is when the party divides into two: the hosts and the guests. The guests walk up and down the street holding candles and chanting songs (we even have little booklets with all the songs in them) and they eventually arrive at the home, where they knock on the door and through a song, they request lodging for Joseph and Mary, and the hosts try to send them away (all in singing) three times. The hosts eventually give in and invite everyone in, warning them they only have a barn available. And then the party begins!
You know piñatas? they were originally used for posadas, and the traditional star piñatas have 7 spikes, one for each capital sin, so when you hit them, you are actually getting rid of the sins! They are usually made of clay and instead of having candy inside, there's seasonal fruit like clementines, guayabas, tejocotes, and peanuts. There's also punch and a lot of singing and dancing.

For teenagers and young adults posadas are really an excuse to throw a party and get wasted, but family events tend to be more traditional. I haven't been to one for several years, even before covid started, and confinement has really made me value traditions like this. I feel like crying as I write this. Situations like this really puts things in perspective, I definitely won't miss the next posada I'm invited to!

Pic related: I tried to illustrate the moment when hosts and guests have the singing session so that they can be allowed inside

and lastly, to illustrate here's the songs we sing with an english translation on the description (I do not wish for this to be taken into account for my submission but it's in case anyone is curious)

 

[Mairmalade]

During the holiday season my partner and I usually travel, mostly to eat foods we don't come across commonly. We're not really Christmas celebrators so flight tickets on Dec 25th is like... cheap and un-crowded - a pro tip for ya.
Last, last year (pre-covid) we went to Vancouver ($5 fresh sea urchin? yes please!) but most memorable (pic below) meal was at Butchart Garden in Victoria, BC where we enjoyed some high tea surrounded by botanical artistry and viewed their specular and amusing Christmas lights display.
View attachment 418991
the pinky is for dramatic effect

Hi there! Wow, this is presented beautifully - looks delicious. Sounds like you've sampled a lot of yummy eats over the years.

As a reminder, entries must be within the word count of 200-500 words and the picture you share should have your TBT username on it (on a physical name card for photographs or directly on the picture if you digitally or hand-draw something). You may also snap a picture in Animal Crossing: New Horizons to illustrate your text entry if you'd rather. You're welcome to edit your current entry post to make these adjustments so I'm able to accept your entry.

---

Reading time is tea time. I've seen a few shared traditions and have learned about a few new ways to celebrate the holidays. It's interesting to see them represented differently - each with a special meaning or twist. I'm all for handmade ornaments, family recipes, annual games, music, some peace and quiet, and those celebrations with neighbors and loved ones you hold dear.

All entries up to this point have been reviewed and accepted unless you have a ping or message from me!

 

[Valzed]

Spoiler: Story and In Game Recreation

This time of year our family gets to do an extra bit of celebrating. My hubby is a Christmas baby. Yep, he was born right on December 25th. As cool as it might sound to be born on Christmas Day, my hubby didn’t get to really enjoy his birthday. He was never really able to have birthday parties as a kid as everyone was busy hosting and going to holiday parties. You’d think he’d get twice as many gifts but for most of his life he’d get a single gift that was meant to cover both his birthday and Christmas. There’s also the problem that not only did he have to wait a whole year for Christmas to roll around again but he’d be waiting for his birthday as well.

When Hubs & I first started dating I was able to see just how his family worked his birthday and Christmas. To be honest, it made me sad for him. The two events were basically lumped together. I started making sure I bought him separate gifts for each day. To try to make his birthday more special for him I’d give him his birthday gifts on Christmas Eve. I know it made him happy to have his special day acknowledged.

Once we were married and starting our own traditions I politely informed both sets of parents that we were going to start celebrating Hubby’s birthday on Christmas Eve and that he was going to be supplying us with two separate gift lists. I made sure they all realized that we weren’t going to be letting his birthday get lumped into Christmas any longer. I told them all in the Summer that we were going to be doing things differently and told them that should give them some time to prepare. There was some grumbling at first but I reminded both sets of parents that we ourselves were just starting out and that money was tight but that I had been saving up little bit by little bit all year to give Hubby his own day.

I made sure to set the tradition properly by getting Hubby a birthday cake that had nothing to do with Christmas. I made sure to wrap his presents in birthday bags and birthday paper. Our son (my son who Hubs became a father to when we married) loved helping me get things ready for his Dad’s birthday. He’d make sure to hand draw him a birthday card to make his day more special.

The parents were able to really see just how happy Hubby was that we celebrated his special day. While Hubs did enjoy getting more presents, he enjoyed just having his own day even more. As time has gone on we’ve added some more traditions to celebrate his birthday.

No matter how our family has changed over the years – losing some loved ones and gaining some – we’ve always made sure to keep the tradition of giving Hubby his birthday.

My Hubby & Son both live on Amity with me (Brody is me) so here we are celebrating my Hubby's birthday on Christmas Eve. Hubby's in the center clapping while our son & I sing "Happy Birthday".
(I wasn't sure if I was supposed to include my screen name so I added it using the "Add Text" feature in the Album on the Switch.)

 

[daringred_]

when i was a kid, i used to love christmas. now that i've gotten older, and my mental health has deteriorated, i don't really care for holidays anymore. my family does celebrate, but we don't have any traditions, and i don't really join in. i guess you could say i'm more of a grinch these days. the decorations don't do anything for me, the music is annoying after a week, christmas shopping is a challenge i don't have the energy for, and the movies... well, let's just say they're not diverse enough for me to sit through. that being said, there is one good thing that comes out of the holiday: my cats. earlier this year, we got two new kittens (one for my sister, one for myself), and this will be their first ever christmas. fortunately, they haven't tried to climb the tree, but they do keep messing around with some of the presents under it and occasionally attacking the garland hanging on the staircase. mochi even got inside one of the gift bags the other day! every year, closer to christmas day, we usually wrap up cat treats and put them under the tree even though the cats don't have the thumbs necessary to open their presents, but they can smell what's under the paper and get excited enough, and for christmas dinner they get super fancy cat pate instead of their regular wet food. my favorite thing though is seeing them sleep under the tree. for several years, it was my cat tigger who would do it. he would always sniff the lights and baubles and sleep in the fake snow set under the tree. sadly, he went missing (and presumably passed away) this june, and i still miss him dearly, so i felt a little sad seeing the empty space under the tree where he'd usually sleep. the other day, however, i spotted a little black ball of fur sleeping under the branches. it was my kitten, lisa! for the last few days, she's been sleeping on the spot of fake snow between some of the presents, and i was almost touched to see her taking on tigger's tradition. (she's also taken on his tradition of biting to show affection, although while he targeted ears, she keeps chomping on my nose. :/) here she is this evening getting ready to take a nap in her spot!

and, just for fun, here's tigger under the tree a few years ago <3

​

 

[Plume]

Every Christmas Eve, we would bake cookies for Santa. Sometimes they were Chocolate Chip, with festive M&M's arranged here and there. Other times, they were tree-shaped Sugar Cookies with red and green sprinkles symbolizing gleaming ornaments. No matter the shape or flavor, Santa seemed to enjoy the cookies all the same.

Before heading to bed, with confection filled stomachs, we would set the table for Santa Claus. At the table, Santa would find a plate adorning upwards of three cookies. Beside it sat a warm mug containing Swiss Miss hot cocoa, a brand that we were told Santa preferred for it's airy marshmallows. The marshmallows would float to the top, creating a delicate layer of sugary chiffon that I hoped would remain pristine until Santa's arrival. The most extraordinary treat of all, though, was a carrot. As an animal lover, the most exciting part of Christmas, to me, was the reindeer. The carrot was a gift for Rudolph.

On Christmas morning, we would rush downstairs to find cookie crumbs, an empty mug, and a nibbled-up carrot. My mother and I would gush over how cute the reindeer must have looked, as we imagined it chewing the vegetable like a rabbit. I felt satisfied and delighted that my gift had been enjoyed by Santa and the reindeer.

Today, I repeat the tradition with my partner, although more modestly. Now, we just bake cookies, which are left out for each other. If we ever have children, though, I'll be the one awake in the night, nibbling on a carrot.​

 

[kayleee]

One of my favorite holiday traditions is baking cookies and other treats with my mom to give out to our friends and family. My mom has been doing this every year around Christmas for as long as I can remember, and every year I've looked forward to helping her with the task (as well as eating the treats, of course). Typically we make peanut butter balls dipped in chocolate and shortbread cookies dipped in chocolate or vanilla, but this year we added snickerdoodle cookies into the mix. The cookies are about the size of a quarter, so obviously baking that many cookies out of a single batch of dough takes quite a while, but everything always turns out delicious so the effort is worth the outcome - and of course, I love getting to spend quality time with my mom.

After all the baking is complete, we then arrange the cookies and snacks into decorated holiday tins to give to people. I think it's fun to give handmade gifts such as this to people during the holidays; I know personally that handmade gifts are some of my favorites to receive. We actually just did our first round of baking over this past weekend, so the photo I've included with this submission is one of the tins I put together for my in-laws.

Spoiler: treat tin

 

[MasterM64]

Out of the holidays of the year, Christmas has increasingly become my favorite holiday! My wife and I both have been raised in families where Christmas is a huge highlight of the year between fellowship amongst family and the many fun traditions that come alongside the occasion. Of the many decorations, my favorite has always been the nativity scene exhibiting the holy family and the many additional details (like palm trees, walls, animals, etc.) to draw-in the viewer to the significance and time of history the scene portrayed. In context of the decoration, one of the many traditions my family does that has held up my entire life is the placing of the nativity scene while reading Luke 2:1-20 (passage below my entry if anyone wants to try it out themselves). Through this tradition, it serves as a reminder to us Christians how symbolic and fulfilling of prophesy that the birth of Jesus was in context of the Old Testament. This tradition additionally serves as a fun way for Christian families to teach their children the origins of the Christian traditions and meaning of Christmas. I look forward to the day when my own household continues on this tradition the years ahead. When that time comes, I will think back to the many amazing times and moments Christmases in my past brought to my life.

Spoiler: Picture

--END OF ENTRY--

Spoiler: Luke 2:1-20

The Birth of Jesus

2 In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2 (This was the first census that took place while[a] Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 And everyone went to their own town to register.

4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

14
“Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

 

[digimon]

we don’t celebrate any of the winter holidays in my family (something that definitely made me feel sad and even a bit envious when i was little) something i do look forward to every new year though is celebrating my grandpa’s birthday! my awoowe is a new year‘s baby and he did not celebrate his birthday when he was growing up. (cultural differences played into this along with other reasons) when he became a grandpa it became much of a bigger deal (especially when i came along!) my awoowe is my best friend and we’re incredibly close. every year since i was little i’d help my mom bake a cake for him and our entire family would get together at his house to celebrate. we’d have a big family dinner and end the evening with desserts and him opening his presents. my birthday falls after his so i remember always make sure to save money throughout the year to try and get him a decent present. i feel embarrassed about how lame and now terribly wrapped they probably were but i would be so set on getting my own gift for him in my own way, but my awoowe truly never cared about that. he’s so kind and grateful and has the biggest heart. i baked a cake for him last year and got him a present last year, but we didn’t get to do a big celebration last year. i ended up delivering it to him on his birthday, but our family got together at a later date. i’m hoping that my family can get back to having a big birthday fest for him together when the new year comes! i drew a picture of what i want to make for his cake this year, something dreamy and blue! my awoowe’s favourite colour (also i usually put more candles than that on his cake, but not as many as how old he is…the cake would be covered completely if i did that….)

​

 

[shellbell]

Hi there! Wow, this is presented beautifully - looks delicious. Sounds like you've sampled a lot of yummy eats over the years.

As a reminder, entries must be within the word count of 200-500 words and the picture you share should have your TBT username on it (on a physical name card for photographs or directly on the picture if you digitally or hand-draw something). You may also snap a picture in Animal Crossing: New Horizons to illustrate your text entry if you'd rather. You're welcome to edit your current entry post to make these adjustments so I'm able to accept your entry.

---

Reading time is tea time. I've seen a few shared traditions and have learned about a few new ways to celebrate the holidays. It's interesting to see them represented differently - each with a special meaning or twist. I'm all for handmade ornaments, family recipes, annual games, music, some peace and quiet, and those celebrations with neighbors and loved ones you hold dear.

All entries up to this point have been reviewed and accepted unless you have a ping or message from me!

i have edited my original post. sorry i didn't follow rules

 

[Mairmalade]

i have edited my original post. sorry i didn't follow rules

Word count is still a bit under the minimum requirement. I'd recommend using the word counter tool linked in the OP to ensure your text entry meets this.

 

[shellbell]

Word count is still a bit under the minimum requirement. I'd recommend using the word counter tool linked in the OP to ensure your text entry meets this.

gaaa so embarassing. i added a lot of details this time

 

[LadyDestani]

Growing up in a dysfunctional household where mental illness was rampant, Christmas did not have the same kind of magical feeling for me as it did for many of my friends. The one constant in my family was the arguments, which seemed to happen more frequently as the holidays drew near. The flashing lights in front of my house were just as likely to be from a police car or an ambulance as from a cheerful string of Christmas lights.

I spent much of my time alone in my room, avoiding the tension just beyond my door. During that time, I watched Christmas specials and there was one that spoke to me far more than any other. How the Grinch Stole Christmas captured that feeling I had of being an outsider looking in as everyone else enjoyed the holiday. The Grinch made me feel like I was not alone when I was miserable and the resounding optimism of the Whos, even when everything was literally in shambles around them, gave me hope and reminded me of the true meaning of Christmas.

So, I made it my own personal tradition to watch How the Grinch Stole Christmas every year, sometimes even on loop while I wrap presents. From the moment the first notes of Welcome Christmas come lilting through the air, I can feel my heart swell in the same way the Grinch’s heart grew three sizes that day. And by the time Boris Karloff’s resonating voice speaks the final lines, I always have a tear in my eye.

Regardless of how my personal life is going at the time, How the Grinch Stole Christmas never fails to deliver its message and renew my Christmas spirit with these simple words: “Christmas Day will always be just as long as we have we.”

Spoiler: Picture

Here is my attempt at drawing the Grinch's heart as it grows three sizes.

 

[KittenNoir]

​

Christmas time here in Australia is very hot. Therefore my friends, family and I celebrate Christmas with a lot of summer season activities. The Christmas tree is decorated and is immediately destroyed by the family cat. Presents are bought and wrapped and placed under the tree. Again they are destroyed by the naughty cat. Secret Santa gifts are exchanged between friends before the big day. We all meet up for dinner and we have some cold refreshing drinks and through laughter and joy we reminisce about the year that’s been.
Christmas day is spent with a long lunch with all of our extended family sitting outside on the deck. The massive table is filled with delicious food consisting of roasts, salads, prawns, mangos and cherries. Coming from an Italian background, pasta and cannoli is also served with Nonna bringing over her traditional homemade meatballs. Pavlova, which is covered in fresh fruits and delicious whipped cream, is always a dessert favourite. After having one too many meatballs, the afternoon is spent swimming or sitting beside the pool with ice cold drinks. At night after all of our relatives have left, we settle down with a tall glass of eggnog and we play Animal Crossing and think about all that we are grateful for.

Spoiler: Old Picture

 

[tarepanda3ame]

For the longest that I can remember, my family has always celebrated Christmas Eve more than Christmas Day. When I was younger, we would even stay up until midnight on Christmas Eve to open our presents on technically the first few minutes of Christmas Day! It made for a very long family event, that I usually spent mostly with my brother & cousin.

As the years passed, and I started a family of my own, Christmas celebrations became divided between 2 families. We usually spend Christmas Eve with my family, and Christmas Day with my husband's side of the family.

More recently though, my brother & I's family have started a newer Christmas tradition of bundling our families up in our winter warmest (for CA) & walking around a local neighborhood with an impressive display of Christmas lights. We have attended the Bainbridge Circle Holiday Extravaganza for the last couple of years now since my middle child was a toddler, & now he's 8 years old! It's just so nice to see the wonderment of Christmas with all the houses participating, and to live in the Christmas cheer. The whole neighborhood even sync the Christmas lights to music playing on a certain holiday radio station! I'm excited to take my toddler daughter this year with my niece of the same age, as they are way more expressive than they were last year. Walking the lit streets, and spending time with loved ones, is just one of the best ways I've found to spend the lovely Christmas season.

(an ACNH recreation of walking down the street in Bainbridge, where you can also choose to drive thru the neighborhood instead)

(username)

 

[Neurotiker]

So the OP states that you can choose between using a photograph, a drawing or an ACNH screenshot. I wanted to ask if it was allowed to do some photo manip or even to just draw onto the screenshot to add some flavor if you chose that option? Screenshot-only events don't allow edits but since this one allows you to draw I thought I'd ask. I guess this question also goes for editing photography in case anyone wanted to do that

 

[OLoveLy]

My sister and I don't really celebrate Christmas but since covid, we found more meaning celebrating it recently. In fact, when we were little, Christmas made us dream about having great and beautiful gifts while spending a really special day fulfilled with joy and laughter, all family members are gathered around a big and fancy table. The table will be decorated in gold, red and green ornaments: in the middle of the table we can spot the most awaited main dish, a big Turkey along with some family-made desserts like Christmas pudding, macarons, gingerbread and Pandoro (an Italian dessert that we occasionally eat when it's Christmas). A white candle with a red ribbon followed by two smaller colored ones are placed next to the big one. At the front of the old and brown chairs hugging newly bought fluffy pillows, white plates with golden sparkles will find its way complimenting the white cloth put on the table. We can also hear faint cozy sounds of firewood slowly burning and cracking in the fireplace with some named Christmas stockings hanged at it. A well-decorated Christmas tree is shining brightly even if it's put in the dark at the corner of the dining room: presents from all sizes are piled up at the bottom of that lovely tree.
This is how we imagined Christmas when we were little girls but when growing up we realised that Christmas isn't really a big event at all. We had good and bad memories during Christmas day and we end up not celebrating it anymore.

Now, we only celebrate Christmas by doing simple tasks that make us comfortable, ease our minds with peace and little happiness like scrolling through social medias/Utube, binge-watching random fantastic/romantic movies or even watching Live Streaming of Kpop's December Ceremony Awards Shows while eating fastfood (pizzas, fried chicken) or asian food like sushi (we really love that!). We're always gathering around the soft cream-coloured sofa in the dining room, wearing our favourite matching pyjamas along with two thin blankets to keep us warm through this rough winter. I personally love the end-of-year season because i can find an excuse to buy more stationary supplies for my jounaling such as colorful washi tapes, minimalist and cute stickers, plain journals or even kpop albums because we can treat ourselves a gift for all the effort we made this year right?
Anyway, not celebrating it can be a good thing too. I hope that you're doing well and that you're not stressing yourself overthinking about next year. Keep your choices and needs simple and follow wherever your heart goes.
Christmas comes by every year giving some hope and to others sorrow but the most important thing is that we're all enjoying small things: we don't need a lot of things to have happiness, we create and find happiness in ourselves first.

Thank you for reading and i hope you will spend a merry and joyful end of year! ☃

(Us having fun on a Christmas Day!!) ​

 

[DaCoSim]

This may be the hardest task I’ve done on TBT. We have many many Christmas traditions in our house. Christmas Eve consists of red and green Christmas nachos and opening new pjs with our kids and then watching Christmas Vacation and Mickey’s Christmas Carol. Even though my kids are now all teens, they still are very very excited to do these things. Over the last few years, I’ve come to realize that my husband and I have created a new tradition that is just as important. Since our kids no longer wake up at the butt crack of dawn, he and I have started waking up around 7 to enjoy Christmas morning. While I bring in the stockings and “Santa” gifts (even though my kids are too old for Santa), my hubs makes “special” coffee (w/ baileys and praline), finds the station with the fake fire, and turns on instrumental Christmas music. Then we just sit on the couch together with our dog/dogs and watch the fire and Christmas tree while absorbing the beautiful peace of the morning. Last year was bittersweet as our Morgan was no longer with us, after we had to put her down due to cancer. This year will be even harder as our sweet Brodie lost his battle with pancreatitis back in November. I know we will try and make it a happy time and we do have our sweet Ellie to help with that, but our hearts ache for our other 2 sweet fur babies. This years “Santa” gift to our kids will be different. Rather than put something out that they asked for, I ordered some dog plushes that look like our Brodie and am currently making bandannas with Brodies name on them. I just want to give them a little piece of him to watch over them as he was our fiercest protector. I know he and Morgan and my dad will all be watching over us this Christmas and I have a feeling we will see some of their special magic on Christmas morning this year.

Spoiler: Christmas morning tree and Christmas Eve pjs

 

[Mairmalade]

Christmas time here in Australia is very hot. Therefore my friends, family and I celebrate Christmas with a lot of summer season activities. The Christmas tree is decorated and is immediately destroyed by the family cat. Presents are bought and wrapped and placed under the tree. Again they are destroyed by the naughty cat. Secret Santa gifts are exchanged between friends before the big day. We all meet up for dinner and we have some cold refreshing drinks and through laughter and joy we reminisce about the year that’s been.
Christmas day is spent with a long lunch with all of our extended family sitting outside on the deck. The massive table is filled with delicious food consisting of roasts, salads, prawns, mangos and cherries. Coming from an Italian background, pasta and cannoli is also served with Nonna bringing over her traditional homemade meatballs. Pavlova, which is covered in fresh fruits and delicious whipped cream, is always a dessert favourite. After having one too many meatballs, the afternoon is spent swimming or sitting beside the pool with ice cold drinks. At night after all of our relatives have left, we settle down with a tall glass of eggnog and we play Animal Crossing and think about all that we are grateful for.

View attachment 419176
​

Lots of fresh goodies! Your cat and I are alike - I always break at least one ornament per year. Please note that photographs should have your TBT username in the picture on a physical name card. You may edit your current post so that I may accept your entry.

This may be the hardest task I’ve done on TBT. We have many many Christmas traditions in our house. Christmas Eve consists of red and green Christmas nachos and opening new pjs with our kids and then watching Christmas Vacation and Mickey’s Christmas Carol. Even though my kids are now all teens, they still are very very excited to do these things. Over the last few years, I’ve come to realize that my husband and I have created a new tradition that is just as important. Since our kids no longer wake up at the butt crack of dawn, he and I have started waking up around 7 to enjoy Christmas morning. While I bring in the stockings and “Santa” gifts (even though my kids are too old for Santa), my hubs makes “special” coffee (w/ baileys and praline), finds the station with the fake fire, and turns on instrumental Christmas music. Then we just sit on the couch together with our dog/dogs and watch the fire and Christmas tree while absorbing the beautiful peace of the morning. Last year was bittersweet as our Morgan was no longer with us, after we had to put her down due to cancer. This year will be even harder as our sweet Brodie lost his battle with pancreatitis back in November. I know we will try and make it a happy time and we do have our sweet Ellie to help with that, but our hearts ache for our other 2 sweet fur babies. This years “Santa” gift to our kids will be different. Rather than put something out that they asked for, I ordered some dog plushes that look like our Brodie and am currently making bandannas with Brodies name on them. I just want to give them a little piece of him to watch over them as he was our fiercest protector. I know he and Morgan and my dad will all be watching over us this Christmas and I have a feeling we will see some of their special magic on Christmas morning this year.

View attachment 419236

Spoiler: Christmas morning tree and Christmas Eve pjs

View attachment 419237
View attachment 419240View attachment 419243

Your plush idea is wonderful - I'm sure they will be treasured. As a reminder, if you choose to submit a photograph for your entry, your TBT username must be present in it on a physical name card. You may edit your current post and I'll be able to accept your entry.

So the OP states that you can choose between using a photograph, a drawing or an ACNH screenshot. I wanted to ask if it was allowed to do some photo manip or even to just draw onto the screenshot to add some flavor if you chose that option? Screenshot-only events don't allow edits but since this one allows you to draw I thought I'd ask. I guess this question also goes for editing photography in case anyone wanted to do that

As the text is the main component of the entry, some manipulation would be fine. If you choose to use a screenshot, it’s OK to use one of the in-game filters or crop it if you wish; however, I do ask that mediums be kept separate. E.g.: if you’d like to use the screenshot option for your picture, it should be just the screenshot – not a screenshot with digitally or hand-drawn picture(s) on it.

Minor manipulation of real-life photography would be fine as well (e.g.: adjusting lighting, colors, cropping). Your TBT username will still need to be present on an actual physical name card if you go this route though.

 

[Liz!]

Since my Children were born Christmas has always been spent with the same traditions.
The Festivities always started on Christmas Eve when many of us would go to my Mothers house for games, drinks and foods.
The Children would track Santa on the internet. The night would end when the tracker was showing Santa heading for the U.K. I then had two children desperate to get home, get their Christmas Pyjamas on and be sleeping.
It was great. 9pm Christmas Eve and kids in bed.
Once I had finished all the present preparations (about 1am) I would sneak into their rooms with their Stockings. One at the end of each beds.
On waking around 6am I would find the Kids in their room already up, stockings open and entertaining themselves, and so Christmas day began.

The first 2-3 hours of the day was spent opening presents (yes, they got way too many)
By the time this was done and tidied our Families would have started arriving. My Mum would be upstairs with the Kids playing with their new gifts. Hubby would be sitting on his butt entertaining the Family and I would mostly be in the Kitchen cooking. (with a little bottle of something)
Dinner would be eaten and enjoyed. Hubby on the dishes while I got some relax time with the Family. My Family would leave around 2am and fun was had by all.

Things are more relaxed with current Christmas's with the Kids grown up and many Family members no longer with us, but we still follow the same timeline.
As long as I have my Mum, Kids and Hubby with me, Christmas will always be the most wonderful time of the year.

My picture is a reminder of my living room on Christmas mornings past.