Day 2 of "12 Days of Home for the Holidays

I'm blessed. I get the honor of reading everyone's answers before posting them here. Each answer brings it's own story. Everyone has some part of his or her story that overlaps with my own.

My questions remain the same…

What is one Family Holiday Tradition that was handed down to you

from someone in your family that you continue to observe?

How do you preserve those traditions?

Welcome to my guest blogger, Crystal Jeffrey Rieger. I became aware of Crystal through 2 Peas in a Bucket messageboard. One day I followed her to her blog and fell in love with her work. Creative beyond words! Something that made me go back to her blog over and over: she would talk with me. If I sent an email, she responded quickly and with care. When I joined “My Craftivity" she was my first “friend.” That impressed me in a world where everyone is busy and no sees others very well. Crystal impressed me as a person who cares.

Crystal Jeffrey Rieger is a scrapbooker—heart and soul—and nothing sets her creative adrenaline racing like aisles and aisles of colourful paper and a fresh packet of photos. Crystal started scrapbooking as a creative outlet and a way to document her life, but it soon developed into a full-time career. Crystal still pinches herself every morning because she feels so lucky to have a job she is so passionate about.

Crystal’s scrapbook pages have been widely published in many magazines and books and she has written two books on scrapbooking; Cut Loose (Memory Makers, 2008), and The Scrapbooker’s Handwriting Workshop (Memory Makers, 2009). Crystal was a Memory Makers Master and Contributing Editor for Memory Makers magazine before joining the team at Scrapbook & Cards Today as Creative Editor. Crystal travels throughout North America to share her passion through workshops and demos. More of her work can be seen at her blog CJR.

Ms. Crystal Jeffrey Rieger

My grandmother was a wonderful cook but it is her baking that I remember the most. I used to love to watch her bake because she never needed to measure anything and to me, as a child, it looked like magic as she tossed ingredients into a bowl. My childhood is filled with memories of holiday baking with her as she prepped for Christmas day. Before she passed away, I had a chance to record a bunch of her “famous” holiday treats which I now make with my children during the holidays. I am not as talented as her and need to measure everything but it is wonderful to me that my children eat the same holiday treats that my mother, grandmother and I all ate as children. It helps to keep all the generations connected.

Since I am a scrapbooker I have recorded this holiday tradition onto a scrapbook page. Here we are last year creating my grandmother’s sugar cookies. We spent a fun day in the kitchen giggling and taste testing and letting the holiday spirit come alive in our home.

Merry Christmas to you and you family, Crystal!

Tomorrows Guest is Ms. Elena Lai Etcheverry


Gratitude List
1. not being sleepy
2. music
3. dependency on God
4. God never letting me go
5. Grace unimaginable