You Had Me at Holidays... Ashton Dene's Antics

Today's  post is from an old friend of mine who I lost touch with after high school. We randomly found each other through a blog I was doing a Clever Betty giveaway on, and had the crazy realization that we know each other from childhood! I asked Ashton to blog for you all because I remember her family being very close, fun-loving and full of holiday traditions. Today she's going to share one of those traditions with you.

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Hi y'all! I'm Ashton from Ashton Dene's Antics and am so excited to be posting during You Had Me at Holidays! Lauren is one of my oldest friends and I love that we've reconnected through the blogging world.

As far as Christmas goes in my family, we have more traditions than most, but I love each tradition and anxiously await getting together with my sisters and parents to celebrate the holidays.

The tradition I'd like to share with you all is the one that really kicks off our Christmas holiday - picking out our Christmas tree. Each year we load up in two cars and head out to the Mule Christmas Tree Farm the day after Thanksgiving. Here are our "rules" for picking out the Albert Family Christmas Tree.

"Albert Family Rules to Picking Out A Christmas Tree"

1. Make sure the whole family (that is in town) makes it out to the tree lot.

The whole family there means that not tree will go uncritiqued in your quest for the perfect Christmas tree!

2. Know *exactly* what you are looking for.

In the Albert family we have a few particulars we look for. A pine cone is a must (insisted by my mom, Jonna), so in previous years we have started bringing a pine cone with us to strategically place in the tree (just don't tell my mom!!). A very, very special find (and christmas tree quest ender) is a birds nest. In past years, we have in fact found this and it is rather magical.

3. To go along with step number 2, height and width are important (the tree has to make it through the door!).Over the years we haven't always had a measuring tape with us, so my sisters and I have come up with a few of our own.

First is the jump test.

If baby sis can jump to the top of the tree... it is too short! (she almost never can jump to the top, but seeing her try and get ups at every tree we like is hilarious if nothing else)

Second is the hug test.

If baby sis can hug the tree (like seen in the picture above)... it is too skinny!

As you can tell, we may be in our twenties, but we are little kids at heart and always want the biggest tree allowed in the house!

4. Always remember where your tree is.

We at the Albert house have found that it is often best to look for Christmas trees when it is cold/snowing out. Our tree selection time is much shorter...instead of the trekking we did this year since it was unseasonably warm.

5. Once you finally decide on a tree...cutting it down is tricky. You should always let your best player go first.

But let everyone get a chance until you reach

Victory and timber is yelled out by all.

6. Enjoy hot chocolate while they do all the necessary shaking/trimming/netting before you take the tree home.

7. Decorate and enjoy for the holiday season.

This is basically a play by play of exactly how the Albert family picks out a Christmas tree, which we have been doing since we are little girls. Each of these steps, as silly as they sound, are actual conversations and activities that take place during our Christmas tree quest.

I hope that no matter if your tree comes from the farm or a box at Target that you get to enjoy the holiday season with people you love.

Merry Christmas!
x, ashton

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See? I love that the Albert family takes their traditions seriously. And this is just one of many! Ashton's dad was actually my high school art teacher, and I have fond memories of blackout bingo and white elephant gift exchanges that he made sure to bring from his family to the classroom. More traditions to come... tune in tomorrow for a St. Louis themed YHMH!

You Had Me at Holidays... Lisa Hessel Photography

Today's post is from Lisa of Lisa Hessel Photography. Yup, that's right. My wedding photographer is so awesome that she's willing to be a part of my guest blogging event! I love the stories Lisa tells with her camera. But I also love reading about her experiences with couples and families as she's taking those photos on her blog. She's here today to share a story about her own family and friends, and the tradition of FRIENDMAS.

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I’m just going to admit it: I’m tired.  Actually, tired doesn’t even describe it.  It’s more like I’m famished for rest. And chocolate too, but that’s neither here nor there.

I’m a professional wedding and portrait photographer, and the wonderful craziness that is 2010 is just about to die down. Hopefully by the end of December, there will be plenty of time to rest and spend time with family and celebrate.  But before we know it, wedding season will be here again (it starts mid-Feburary for me!), and my days will once again be consumed all things wedding.  Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely and completely love my job and  can’t imagine myself doing anything else… but the 60 days or so of recovery time, however, is quite lovely, and being able to hang out with our friends on a Saturday night is something we cherish. So while the snow is on the ground and the lights are twinkling in the trees, we’re going to make the most of the down time we have and really pack it full of fun, while, of course, leaving just a bit of time for relaxation and the occasional indulgence in a GLEE marathon :).

It’s a given we’ll spend time with our families, and of course we’ll celebrate Christmas at our church, but this year, we’re starting a new tradition.  This year, we’re celebrating Friendmas.  What is this Friendmas, you ask?  And really, that’s a good question, because, to be honest, I’m not quite sure.  

Let me explain.

So, my adorable husband Jon and I have a little boy named Kaden who’s almost two, and he’s quite the delight of our lives.

 We lead pretty busy lives (and “busy,” frankly, is putting it lightly), and as a result, we most times don’t get to see our friends and family as often as we would like. It’s really a shame, and something we’re working on because in the end, we don’t want our lives to be consumed with work and obligations.  We want a life that’s more than that.

And this is where our friends the Chapmans come into play.  Meet Bryce, Carrie and their precious daughter Ruby.  We’ve plotted and schemed for the last two years, and even though they don’t know it yet, Ruby and Kaden will be getting married in about 25 or so years.  Really.  Just you wait and see.

I don’t really remember exactly when it happened, but one day we looked over and the Chapmans were a part of our lives.  They were a fixture, just like they had always been there. We’ve been through the birth of our children together, we’ve weathered storms together, and we’ve eaten pizza from Dewey’s together more times than I care to admit. We live just two blocks away from each other, and I couldn’t be happier to have them as our neighbors.

So this Christmas, we are going to set aside some time to celebrate the season with our two families together. And hence, Friendmas.  I’m a big fan of creating traditions and making memories, and this is what we all hope Friendmas becomes… a tradition full of traditions.  While right now we don’t have a plan for what the first Friendmas will look like, I’ve had some ideas that I think all sound grand.  Here a just a few of my many suggestions:

• Making a breakfast feast for dinner, complete with chocolate chip pancakes, thick applewood smoked bacon, and the most fattening buttermilk biscuits we can make.  And then covering everything in syrup.  New Year’s resolutions will be right around the corner by this time, so why not live it up while we can?

• Making crafts with the kids.  I know they’re not even two years old yet, but can’t you just image how fun it would be for Kaden and Ruby to make a life-sized popsicle-stick manger scene for display at future Friendmas celebrations? Ok, ok… maybe that’s not the most realistic idea for toddlers, but perhaps we’ll think of something more doable.

• Putting the kids to bed and drinking hot totties till the sun comes up.  Ok, I’ll be honest, I don’t even know what a hot tottie is, but I’d really like to find out J.

• Taking lots and lots of little instax photos of the little kids.  Those little photos are way cute.  WAY cute. I took these one Halloween and Thanksgiving, and they melt my heart. 
 

• A Dora and Diego watch party.  It’s my favorite show.  I mean… It’s Kaden and Ruby’s favorite show.

• Some sort of competition.  Whether it’s eating marshmallows, or playing cards, or doing jumping jacks, or drinking hot totties, or racing through the neighborhood barefoot in the snow, there’s not much more exciting than a good competition between friends.  Especially when I get to eat marshmallows.

• Singing Christmas carols around the fire.  Many of you probably don’t know this, but I have an excellent singing voice, and I’ve already prepared a few numbers for party.  Some have compared my vocal prowess to the likes of Celine Dion.  And Carrie Underwood.  With a little bit of Miley Cyrus.  And a healthy dosage of the Celtic Woman. And Usher. (Let’s be honest, if you’ve heard me sing, you know that’s clearly a lie… I sound a little more like a wounded wildebeest than any of the aforementioned divas.)

I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about what I hope Friendmas becomes, but really, it seems kinda silly to pontificate about the details because it’s going to be great whatever we do. We’ll be celebrating the birth of our Savior with good friends who have become much more like family, and whatever the details entail, I know we’ll all be happy.  And blessed.  Oh so very blessed. It will be a time to remember that. 

 Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas, whatever your traditions may be!

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I'm pretty sure I'm going to be stealing some ideas from Lisa in the very near future for new holiday traditions... and really, have you ever seen such beautiful families?!? Merry Christmas to the Hessels and the Chapmans. Stay tuned for more YHMH goodness tomorrow...