How was your Thanksgiving? We are thankful for good health. I've been literally laying around the house, losing weight and catching up on tv, with pneumonia the last week. So grateful to be home to heal. My kids have been under the weather as well but we are all on our way to good health now. We are looking forward to the Christmas holiday and hosting our family this year.
I wanted to share some of our Christmas traditions with you. For us, it's the traditions that helps to make this holiday so memorable and special. Here we go:
1. Christmas books: Probably one of our very favorite Christmas traditions is that I wrap up all of our Christmas books which have been stowed away in the attic since last Christmas so we haven't been reading them all year long. Each night we open up a book or 2 (we have a lot of Christmas books in our collection!). Now, we are getting to the point where the kids are starting to be able to read some of our Christmas classics. We can't wait to see which book will be opened each night. New books get secretly added to our collection each year as well.
2. Christmas cookies and hot chocolate: Bryce and Brayden LOVE to help me make cookies from rolling out the dough to decorating and of course, eating! They may not be pretty, but they are tasty!
3. Decorating the tree: We love to remember where and when we received or purchased each and every ornament.
4. Elfie: This is one tradition that is hard to keep up with (if you know what I mean) and honestly, we aren't very creative about this one.
5. Christmas Stockings: If you stay with us over Christmas, you get a Christmas stocking that's why we have 12 stockings hung by the fireplace this year because we're hosting our family this year. We can't wait! At our house, mom and dad fill the stockings on Christmas Eve and we open them after we go to church. We will probably serve lasagna, garlic bread, salad, and gingerbread houses made by the kids for dessert for Christmas Eve early dinner before church.
6. Christmas stuffed animals and plastic manager scene: These are Christmas favorites that like our Christmas books are put up out of sight and mind in the attic during the rest of the year so when they come down at this special time of year they're even more special. The kids have a collection of tacky cheap plastic Christmas items that have buttons that you press and they play music/spin/dance- they love it!
7. Christmas movies: We love watching favorite Christmas shows and movies. We were so excited to catch The Wizard of Oz on tv two days ago.
8. Christmas cards: I have to admit it- I LOVE receiving and sending Christmas cards. Mine are already in the mail (but that's partly because I am leaving tomorrow for 2 1/2 weeks away working in Florida). I will really miss going out to the mail box each day and seeing what cards we receive in the mail. I'll be in heaven when I return home and can look through the cards. Here's where we'll display the Christmas cards we receive:
9. Kid's Handmade Christmas Goodies: I have pulling out old ornaments or other items that the kids have made throughout the years.
10. Chocolate Advent Calendars: I remember my parents buying me chocolate advent calendars when we lived in Germany.
11. Christmas lights: Drive around the neighborhood and surrounding neighborhoods looking at their Christmas lights and decorations.
Thanks for joining me today friends. I'd love to hear from you. What are some of your favorite Christmas traditions?
Be well and be joyous.
Merry Christmas!
Megan