2 on Tuesday - Christmas Traditions

As you can see, between my linky party and Andrea's, Tuesday is a busy day on ye olde blog.  :-)  This week, Andrea is asking:
What are your Christmas traditions?

For organizational sake - I'm going to break this into two parts.  You're going to notice some total overlap!

1. Traditions growing up...

• A new ornament each year. Typically, my brother and I got to pick ours out the first weekend in December.  Then, I had the job (sometimes with, but usually without) of decorating the tree. 
• Putting up the Christmas tree.  Always live!  Always had some sort of mishap.  Remind me sometime to tell you the story of the year we had a tree that was sprayed by a moose.
• Drives to see Christmas lights.  Some of the communities around here go ALL OUT!!!  There are neighborhoods that charge admission and blare music as you drive through. 
• Putting up the nativity scene. I loved putting up my mom's nativity scene!  It was 70's cheesy...but it's a part of me.
• New shoes! Growing up, I always got a new pair of shoes for Christmas. I'm sure it was a practical gift...but it was always one that I looked forward to.
• Advent calendars.  Growing up they were those awesome chocolate-a-day calendars.  It sure worked to get me excited!
• Passing out the gifts.  As a kid, it was always my job to pass out the presents.  As my mom put it - "You've always been really organized and diplomatic".
• Christmas morning pictures.  I inherited my shutterbug gene from my dad.  He was forever harassing us with the camera! As you can tell... I was occasionally less than amused!
• Christmas breakfast. Dad always made waffles and cinnamon rolls for Christmas breakfast.  It's one of my fondest memories.
• Christmas movies.  Our play list included How The Grinch Stole Christmas, It's Christmas Charlie Brown, A Christmas Story & National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation.
• Midnight Church.  I have wonderful memories from high school of this.  Why?  Because I was in the church choir and singing in the dark via candlelight to the congregation almost always moved me to tears. Tears of joy; tears of nervousness (Hey, give a clumsy girl a candle while she's in a choir robe and y'all better start PRAYING I don't burn the church down!); tears for all the people I so desperately miss.
• Christmas morning pictures.  I inherited my shutterbug gene from my dad.  He was forever harassing us with the camera! As you can tell... I was occasionally less than amused!

2. Traditions now...

• A new ornament each year. Due to "budgetary cutbacks", I won't have my own tree this year (which is fine...it's just me in the house, really).  But, I sure as heck will be getting a new ornament!
• Putting the tree up.  This year, I'll only deal with my parents tree...which is now artificial. And much, much smaller than the trees of growing up.  When I have kids, I'll make sure they get the same huge, live trees that I did.
• Drives to see Christmas lights.  See above.
• Putting up the nativity scene.  When my dad's mom passed away, the nativity scene my mom had made her found its way back east.  I cry when I put it up.  But it's good tears.
• New shoes! It's one of my few treats to myself, but I always buy a new pair of shoes for Christmas.  :-)
• Advent calendars.  These days, I use the Jacquie Lawson computer advent calendar.  This year the theme is "London".  I'm in love!
• Passing out gifts.  Still my job, gang!  I know that at some point I'll get married and the logistics of Christmas day will change...but until then, I'm enjoying being the keeper of the gifts.
• Christmas morning pictures.  These days, I'm usually the one holding the camera & the pictures are mostly of the pups ripping into their gifts and showing off new toys/outfits.
• Christmas breakfast. If you guessed that I'm the one making Christmas breakfast the past few years, you'd be right.  :-)  But you all know how much I love to cook!! Typically, I hold true to the waffles of yester-year.  I think I might like to mix it up this year.  Maybe cinnamon roll waffles?  Maybe french toast casserole?
• Christmas movies.  Movies from my childhood are still on heavy rotation.  I've also added Love Actually (one of my FAVORITE movies, period), the new version of How The Grinch Stole Christmas, A Muppet Christmas Carol, The Polar Express, Serendipity & Elf.
• Church. I still go...but I'm not in the choir.  For years, I had a job that prohibited my attendance at rehearsals.  Maybe I'll find my way back to the choir. Maybe!

What are your Christmas traditions?