Christmas Traditions | Just Thoughts | 2022

There are many tried-and-true Christmas traditions, from baking cookies, opening presents, and watching Hallmark movies. Often I forget that everyone’s Christmas season looks so different. That’s why we’ve crafted this blog to let you in on the Christmas tradition for all things Annie T. and the team.

Let’s start with the traditions of the biz:

Golden giveaways are one of my favorite traditions in my business. I pick five killer gifts to give out to a few lucky winners. Have you ever wondered why I give away five golden giveaways each year? Is it to build biz hype? I will not lie to you all and say that isn’t part of it. However, the main reason is I love giving gifts to people is rooted in my faith. As a believer giving gifts at Christmas is a symbolic tribute to the three gifts the wise men gave to Jesus, The Christ child. It is a little thing my business does every year to recenter my focus on the reason for the season.

See if you can spy a few of 2022’s Golden Giveaways!

I love to offer sweet gifts to my clients every year during the holidays! One perfect gift to put on their Christmas trees is the Christmas ornaments I make with a picture of them on it. One of the ornaments I create is for the lovely couples I captured weddings for during the year. I love giving them a “First Christmas as Mr. & Mrs.” ornament!💚❤️

Another gift I offer to clients is Christmas cards. I offer a few designs for them to choose from to have their pictures on. It’s always the sweetest when my clients order them with pictures I have taken of them to send to their loved ones.

Who got Elaine and I’s Christmas card this year?💌

Let’s roll the ornament of tradition over to Lauren, our social media wizard.

Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year and is my favorite holiday. I have so many annual traditions with my family that make this time of the year so special. The traditions kick off almost immediately after Thanksgiving when we put up the Christmas tree, lights, and decor around the house.🎄

The house is decorated for Christmas, usually before December starts, and we already have Christmas music playing nonstop. I love listening to Christmas music every year- I never get tired of it. I love traditional Christmas music the most. Some of the traditional Christmas songs I love listening to are Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, Michael Buble, and Josh Groban’s Christmas versions. These artists sound so similar that my mom and I often play a little guessing game and ask, “Who’s singing this one?” 🎶

We always get excited about the Christmas cookies we make. We make candy cane cookies that taste so good and pepperminty with crushed peppermint bits on top. We love our classic red and green almond spritz cookies, which are so cool to make with the cookie stencils and machine we press against the cookie tray.😋🍪

We always watch our favorite classic Christmas movies: Elf, Polar Express, the Santa Clause movies, and Home Alone movies. We’ve started watching some Hallmark Christmas movies for the past two years. I got my dad a Hallmark bingo game for Christmas last year (because he likes the Hallmark channel), so we’ve been playing it while watching the movies. After Christmas shopping and thousands of online order deliveries at our front door, we wrap presents, and we love it. We love choosing the paper and bow combinations for the gifts we cover. An annual gift we give every Christmas is the Obijeski family calendar, and my mom calls it “my best work yet” every year. We always make sure we wrap all five calendars identically, so there’s no confusion that they are the calendars!🎬📬

Each year we host Christmas Eve dinner. Family from my mom and dad’s side of the family come over, and everyone always has a good time. We get pictures in front of the tree and use some Christmas props! We enjoy cocktail shrimp, cheese, and crackers for appetizers while we catch up. We have tenderloin, bacon-wrapped green beans, napa salad, and homemade mac-n-cheese for dinner and my grandpa always brings a surprise dessert!🥰📸

Once it’s Christmas morning, we start opening gifts in the stockings and family gifts. Then, we have coffee cake at my grandma’s house, and we open presents over at her house. After that, my grandpa, uncle, and aunt come over, and we give out open presents. We have buffalo chicken dip for lunch that my mom makes on Christmas. Then, my cousins and relatives on my mom’s side come over, and we give out and open presents. It’s a wonderful day.🎅🏼🎁

Picking up the Christmas tradition next is me, Annie T.!

I love all the Christmas traditions, from white elephant gift exchanges to candlelight services at my Church. There is something so magical about the world’s focus during the holiday season.

One simple Christmas tradition I love is drinking my coffee in a Christmas mug. Coffee tastes better out of a mug. Therefore your Christmas mug of joe hits differently.

My family and I go to the Farmers Market to pick out our Christmas tree. Typically we all go after Thanksgiving. My parents get a tree for their house, and I get one for mine. It is a jolly good time. One year, I did a photoshoot of my sister and brother-in-law there. How cool is that?

Going to see Christmas lights is another trend I hold near and dear. It is a fun way to all be together and be surrounded by the Christmas spirit. In fact-Macon is known for its Christmas Lights Extravaganza! Y’all should check it out.

Those are a few of our favorite things during the Christmas season! We would love to know any of ya’ll’s traditions, so drop them in the comments below. Merry Christmas to all!

Xoxo,

Annie T., Lauren O. ,and Elaine B.

#MerryChristmas #MaconChristmas #ChristmasTraditions