Holiday Traditions:The Great Pumpkin

I expressed in one of my earlier blog posts about how much I absolutely love traditions. One of my favorite things since getting married is finding out traditions from each of our families and making them our own. My absolute favorite tradition since meeting Matthew is The Great Pumpkin.

Before Matthew and I "officially" started dating, he told me the story of his family's tradition of The Great Pumpkin. The background story of the great pumpkin is actually pretty funny. When my mother-in-law was married to her first husband it was the time period where VHS tapes were popular, along with video games. So, she wanted a way to get the kids more movies and games, thus the great pumpkin was born.

Basically on Halloween night, you leave out peanut butter cups for the great pumpkin. You also carve a little jack o'lantern in them. Think of it like leaving cookies out from Santa. Then when you wake up the next day, November 1st, the "great pumpkin" will have left you a movie or video game. When Matthew told me this tradition, I fell in love with the idea. We celebrate it every year, and my sister even started adopting the idea. This year I bought Parker a veggie tales movie that the great pumpkin will leave at my house for him.

Random nerd fact about me and Matthew. We are really into Studio Ghibili films. So, this year, I am hoping the great pumpkin will leave me The Secret World of Arrietty. Yes... I realize this is borderline lame, but there is a no judgement zone here at When North Meets South, hear me? The Great Pumpkin is actually saving Matthew's movie until he gets home. So it will be wrapped and ready when he gets home. But, word on the street is that he'll be leaving him Season 6 of Dexter. That's just what's going around the rumor mill.

Since it's October, I just wanted to share this fun tradition that we have in our house. What about you guys out there? Any fun tradition that you celebrate with your family? Please comment and share! I'd love to hear all about them.


Oh! on a side note, look at this cute fall wreath I made. Excuse the ugly green door please!

Traditions

Happy New Year

I wanted to share a new tradition that has been recently added to my life. Being that I am from Indiana I am no stranger to the stupid, cold, white fluff that takes over our town during the winter. Snow. Some people love snow, but I have and will never be one of those people. So what did I do? Married someone from the south of course! The few times snow is anywhere near acceptable in my book is when you just need that one snow day to catch up on sleep or a good sledding trip, and of course on Christmas. If it were to even snow again for the rest of the season I would be perfectly fine with that.Luckily, I won't have to deal with snow only when we visit my amazing family back home. My mission is to gradually talk members of my family to move south until they are all out of indiana, haha. A girl can dream!  But, back to snow. As many times as you hear stories about reindeer making "tracks" in the snow, that is hardly ever the case. I can only remember a handful of times that it was actually snowing on christmas eve and christmas morning like in the movies. Now, I can always remember it snowing on new years eve. With all of the snow I never even heard of a tradition they have in the south that I am all too willing to adapt to, "popping" fireworks! I mean, if you really wanted to you could light fireworks on new years eve but you would look rather silly bundled up in the snow trying to light a sparkler. This year was M and I's first new years eve where were in the same place together so we took full advantage of it! My in-laws bought a ton of fireworks and as soon as it got dark we went to town! It was so bizarre. Here I am, in the middle of winter, in just jeans and a sweat shirt -gasp-! It was something I wasn't used to at all but boy did I enjoy it! If I were in Indiana I would of had to wear; jeans, boots, a longed sleeve shirt, a thick winter coat, gloves and a warm hat. It was a nice change of pace. I have a feeling I am going to be adopting a lot of new traditions into my little family but some will be the same. Case in point, Cabbage. My mom always made us eat cabbage and pork on new years day. Well made isn't the right word because I absolutely love cooked cabbage. Add just a little butter and seasoning salt and I am in heaven! Growing up she would put quarters in the pot when it was almost done cooking and if you got money in your bowl you were going to be extra lucky that year. We don't get money in our bowls now but I almost get anxious if I don't eat my cabbage for good luck on new years day! I'm so grateful that my mom carried on traditions like eating cabbage for good luck or eating finger foods on christmas eve onto to me and my siblings, because it's something that I will carry onto my children in the future. Traditions, to me, are what make the holidays more memorable!

 

inspiration

where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncirumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all- Colossians 3:11