December 19, 2019

Holiday Traditions

Category: Holidays, Miller Moments | Tags: christmas, family, food, music

Posted by Meagan

One of my favorite subjects to share is how our staff celebrates the holiday season! For some reason it’s gets me all excited and I can feel the natural anticipation bubbling as people are talking about their favorite ways to make it through the winter. Today, we’d like to share a few of our traditions with you…

Smells:

Anything sugar cookie scented. – Laura

Apple cider, pumpkin pie, and fires. – Chris

The scent of cinnamon everywhere. – Ileah

Vanilla. – Meagan

Music:

I love the Andy Williams Christmas album.  I’ve been listening to it every year since I was a little girl! – Kerry

My girls want to sing Christmas songs all year long before bed so we never stop having Christmas songs in our home. – Chris

My favorite new Christmas song is “Like it’s Christmas” by the Jonas Brothers. – Beth

I started listening to Christmas music with my two year old on Halloween this year.  I must say, there’s a small amount of shame associated with that decision, but then I realized it’s much more fun that way! 🙂 – Rachel

Anything by The Snow Globes or Michael Buble. Also, Oh Holy Night. – Meagan

Christmas Music all the time starting Black Friday through Christmas Day. Favorite Christmas songs “O Holy Night” (especially when sung by Josh Groban) and “Heirlooms” by Amy Grant – Ashley

Playing Christmas music non-stop. The classics are my favorite: Nat King Cole, Bing Crosby, Judy Garland – Ileah

Food:

Pecan Balls – Kerry

I have a breakfast casserole that I demand be made every year on Thanksgiving and Christmas: It has eggs, sausage, cheese, and bread in it. I love it. – Chris

We always have to have puppy chow at least once during the Christmas season, usually more than once 🙂  Sugar cookies for Santa are a must as well! – Sara

I love making (and eating) sugar cookies! – Beth

Making Sugar cookies and icing them. – Chris

Making and smelling holiday baking treats and EATING them – Ileah

Holly – Ashley

Movies:

Charlie Brown Christmas – Chris

We have to watch Elf, all the Santa Clause movies, and Home Alone every year. – Karrie

My favorite Christmas movie is “The Christmas List”, I watch it with my mom every year. – Beth

Having the annual “Hallmark Christmas Movie Marathon” with my girlfriends – Ileah

Elf, Home Alone, and The Grinch are good ones, but my favorite is Miracle on 34^th Street, the original version though! – Sara

When we decorate our Christmas tree we have the movie White Christmas playing.  It is one of our favorite movies. – Kimberly

Watching the movie “White Christmas” for the millionth time, and singing “Sisters” along with Rosemary Clooney – Ileah

Getting Over the Winter Blues:

We received the same two ideas for how to make it through the winter: coffee & travel to the beach. So pour another cup and look at some pretty places – that’s about the best we can do. 🙂

Traditions:

For this last section, we wanted to highlight some special ways that our staff celebrate this season. We hope you find these as special as we do. Our staff love to hear from you guys as well, so feel free to email your MM representative with your holiday favorite item or tradition.

• Books + hot chocolate + fireplaces
• Driving around to see Christmas lights
• Walking through the Christmas decoration aisles at Hobby Lobby 🙂
• Reading through Luke 2 with my family & advent devotionals

Laura Sappington, CPA, Accounting Team Lead

One of our holiday traditions is going to cut down a Christmas tree the day after Thanksgiving.  We also worship as a family at the Christmas Eve service at our church.  We have a traditional Christmas lighting ceremony at our house.  (My husband is literally Clark Griswold)

Kerry Marrs, Senior Payroll Specialist

Family holiday traditions: Getting together on Thanksgiving and Christmas day for big meals.

Christopher Miller, President

My little family tradition is getting my son, husband, and me matching Christmas pajamas every year (this year they have dinosaurs) 😊.

Beth Baum, Payroll Specialist

Every year I HAVE to go see the Plaza lights with my family.  There’s something so magical about this classic KC tradition and it always puts me in a happy mood.

Rachel Davis, Client Services Team Lead

• Decorating the tree with ornaments that have been collected over the span of 30 years.-and watching my 3 year old daughter enjoy decorating it now just as much as I do!
• The sheer excitement and wonderment from my 3 year old daughter about all of the Christmas lights everywhere!
• I LOVE wrapping gifts! It’s my favorite.
• Attending Christmas Eve candlelight service with my family

Ileah Christian, Senior Administrative Professional

• My favorite thing about Christmas is seeing the joy on my children’s faces as we go throughout the holiday season.  It’s just such a magical time of year and so much more special now that I have kids 🙂
• We do a different Christmas themed activity every day of December.  My son loves opening up the little box to see what the activity is for that day.
• We like decorating a Gingerbread House, going to look at Christmas lights, buying a toy for a child in need, making reindeer food so the reindeer can find our house 🙂

Sara Fry, Accountant

Decorating Christmas cookies as a family is one of our traditions.

Kimberly Smith, Accountant

One of my fave holiday traditions surrounds food (of course), my brother in law makes hundreds of peanut clusters each Christmas and we have taken on the tradition at our house also!

Jennifer Ross, Vice President

I have always used “code words” or stickers on the gifts under the tree for my family.  No one knows what gifts are theirs until we are ready to open.  Everyone then tries to guess who they are.  Ex: cartoon names, super hero names, animal names, snowman stickers…  Anything that has a large enough group for your family.  PS.  Make sure you make a cheat sheet with a key to who each person is.

Brenda Caldwell, Client Services Representative

One of our favorite Christmas traditions is a day spent eating pizza at Grinders, visiting Union Station, ice skating, and shopping at Crown Center!! 

Karrie Shepard, Payroll Specialist

I love the light displays. The ones in the neighborhoods are beautiful, but I get real joy and nostalgia from driving with my family to go see Christmas in the Park at Longview, a huge free drive-through light display. It would sometimes take us hours to wait in the car line, but that was always okay because we were sure to have thermoses full of creamy hot chocolate and marshmallows and, sometimes, we made a box of mac and cheese to top with crunchy breadcrumbs and eat with the little foldable spoon that came in the thermos lid. It was warm and cozy in the car with the Christmas music playing, yet we always climbed up and stuck our heads out of the sunroof to see the lights. The cold was nothing compared to the colors and shapes and music as the thousands of lights flashed their patterns and cycles. It was absolutely magical to see as a kid, and I still think it’s magical today.

Madison Buckley, Client Services Assistant

Christmas lights because they bring joy and attention to already beautiful everyday things in life.

Kim Berning, Accountant