Tell about favorite family traditions

My sisters and I made the front page of the newspaper in December of 1966. The most vivid Christmas memories for me were of us getting to hang our stockings on Christmas Eve. We always had matching pajamas. After we "hung the stockings with care" we set out cookies and milk for Santa. Then it was off to bed to dream of "sugar plums" and all that Santa was going to leave under the tree. I guess these traditions are not unlike a lot of people. But because we lived in such a small town we must have been the big news story that year.

I was only two years old in this picture and obviously not to thrilled with Santa. We got visit Santa every year for many years. I think sometimes these visits were at the ward Christmas parties. There really were no malls when I was small. How did my parents do the shopping without a mall?
This picture was taken one year later and I must have figured out what Christmas was about because I look pretty happy! My mom always decorated the tree so pretty. We were allowed to put ornaments on the bottom part of the tree. I still have a few of the ornaments from when I was little. Our stockings were all the same. Red felt with our initial on them. We always hung them on the mantel in order of age. I do have an old movie that my dad took one year of this ritual. I love that we waited until Christmas eve to do this. For Halloween every year we would dress as devils. This was a tradition. I think my mom made the costumes. She made a lot of things when we were little. There was a house on our "candy" route that always took pictures of us. That is why I have these. We seem to always be dressed alike. Christmas pajamas, Halloween costumes, Easter dresses. Maybe that was so we would not fight over who got what. Maybe it was so my mom could keep track of us. Maybe my sisters and I liked it that way, I do not remember. But even so I think we were so cute!
Finally, one of the last years we were in Boulder City we got to be ballerinas. Aren't we adorable. My mom put make-up on us and we got actual pumpkins to carry not paper sacks! My dad would take us all over - it seemed like hours - and we would come home with so much candy. Not only candy but people would make great treats. Something that I would not let my children eat now. It was a different time back then. Plus, I am sure most of the houses we went to were friends of my parents.

Easter traditions were very similar - we got new dresses and had an Easter egg hunt inside our house. We always had Easter baskets. When we were small our dress always matched. When we were older my mom usually made our dresses. We lived in Oregon when this picture was taken. We also celebrated all the other holidays. I do remember New Years as a little girl being a big deal. I remember having party favors and a special dinner. The 4th of July in Boulder City was always time spent at the city park at the fair or carnival (I don't know what it was called) Then in the evening we would watch fireworks at the baseball field. There probably was a ball game that day as well. Thanksgiving was very traditional with the turkey and all the trimmings. Even though we moved a few times while I was growing up the one thing that stayed pretty constant was our holiday traditions!