Yesterday we got to enjoy one of our favorite family traditions! Each year, since the girls were quite little, we’ve done a family Christmas shopping day in teams. David and I alternate each year between the girls. What started out as an exercise in thinking of what the other family members might like has turned into a cherished time where just the four of us enjoy festive quality time together.

It’s a beloved day that has taken many forms, from an hour at Walmart and Mexican food, to attaching it to Daniel Stowe Gardens for lights, to Birkdale Village and a nice dinner after. This year, we made it more of a midday event to take advantage of our proximity to Asheville!

We had the day marked on the calendar, but the details were kept under wraps until yesterday. We hopped in the car and started driving and quickly H remarked that we were entering a different state. Indeed we were! And not too much longer past the state line we pulled into The Grove Park Inn!

Well, we tried to but the entry and parking were absolutely slammed. I’ve never seen it so insanely busy, but I guess that’s what the Gingerbread Competition does to the place Thanksgiving through New Year, according to our server at lunch.

The Grove Park Inn holds a lot of special memories from us. We spent a magical night there when for our family Christmas overnight when the girls were little and it snowed! David and I have enjoyed Big Band Weekend and a snowy night away together there. We celebrated him turning 40 there with his parents. I took girlfriends there (twice!) for a trip and celebrated Mom’s 70th with her at their famous spa. All that paired with the Inn’s majestic nature and decorated history make it feel like such a special spot to our family.

Back to yesterday– David ended up dropping the girls and I off at the front and went to find parking so we could check in for our lunch reservation. I’m so glad we had one; there was a sizable crowd waiting hopefully for a table. We were seated tucked away in the back, which made for a nice spot for us to chat, but terrible lighting for food pictures.

I love the Grove Park and our server was great and very kind and I’ve eaten at The Edison before and know it can be very good. I think the hustle and bustle of the mass of extra people threw the kitchen for a loop because unfortunately our food was a little cold and the wait time fairly long. Good thing we enjoy each other’s company and taking pictures through heart hands!

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Lunch did fill our bellies though and then we were ready to explore the hallways full of gingerbread competition finalists. There are categories for adults, teens, and kids, and seeing what they can do is incredible. Some kids ones are very sweet and I love that you can tell they were done by a child while some of the adult entries are so intricate that it’s hard for me to believe they are really gingerbread at all! The rules are that it must be 100% edible and 70% gingerbread, so I suppose they really are.

We wandered down one wing then swung back by the lobby for their famous hot chocolates (for the girls) and a peppermint mocha latte (for me). Outside they had the heaters going, making quite a comfortable place to soak in the view and the precious Christmas decor they had set up. After enjoying our beverages, it was back to exploring the other wing of the hotel and more gingerbread masterpieces.

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We also wandered the onsite stores and the girls and I were absolute blown away by this incredible dragon sculpture made entirely out of pages from Harry Potter. Complete with a glowing eye and all, it had a big sold sign on it at the impressive price of $26,000.

The other highlight for the kids was admiring the wall of portraits of famous people that have stayed at the hotel and noticing none other than… Kevin McCallister! We all agreed they should put a little Santa hat on him for the month of December to make him stand out.

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After getting our fill of wandering, we headed back to the truck to venture to our shopping destination, a close by outdoor mall with some promising stores for each family member. From REI to Orvis to Francesca’s, Kendra Scott, Athleta, and Barnes and Noble; we had many choices. The area was decorated festively and we split into teams (Hailey and me; David with Kaitlyn) and took off! I had the best time getting to explore and shop with H and we decided on our picks fairly quickly.

We met back up with the opposing team to hear that David wanted to swing by the nearby outlets for an undisclosed reason, so we packed up, drove over, and I found my new shopping hub for the kids! I had no idea it was there, but upon seeing a Dillard’s (where H’s Christmas dress came from!), an American Eagle, Aerie, and so much more, I know we will be back to explore.

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Less than an hour later we were back home and greeted by an overly excited Finley, ready for a walk and for her supper. We settled into a cozy evening of baths, Christmas music, and a simple can of tomato soup “with stars” for dinner, as we were all still pretty full from our late lunch and festive beverages.

This year felt like a really fun one for me. Looking back through posts to link to in the beginning of this post and seeing Christmases of the girls being little tugs at my heart strings. But instead of wishing I were back in those days, I let them make me smile and be grateful that I got to have those experiences. It also helps me embrace this current stage where family adventures are easier and we all converse on a higher level, talking about interesting subjects (like the Mariana trench and Ernest Shackleton) and making each other laugh.

What family traditions are special to you? Have they evolved through the years?