November 29

I am super excited for Christmas this year!! It's fun to have our own family now and to begin our own Christmas traditions. Here are a few of our favorite family traditions during this time of year:

1. A real Christmas treeYes, they are expensive. Yes, they are messy. Yes, it would be easier to just pull one out of a box. But I grew up having a real tree every year, and I insist that we continue this tradition. When the girls get a little older, we might take a trip to a Christmas tree farm to cut down our own. For now, we just go to the market down the street.

2. The Advent BookWe received this book as a wedding present. The idea behind the book is that you open one door for each day in December and read a part of the Christmas story. Each night you add on more and more to the story, until the story is complete on Christmas Day. Daniel and I started reading this book together in December even before we had kids, though it is much more fun now that we have little ones to enjoy it with us.

3. Advent Boxes

In addition to our advent book, we also have advent boxes. I got these boxes last year from Stampin Up, and each day in December we opened them up and got to eat the candy inside them. This year, in addition to the candy, I am also going to add one activity for us to do on that day. Some of the activities are simple; some are a little more complex. Some are things that were already on our calendar anyways.

I got the craft ideas from this e-book, The Truth in the Tinsel. The book suggests ideas for a craft per day to tell the Christmas story. I love doing crafts, but that's a bit ambitious for me. So I just chose a few crafts. The crafts we do will coordinate with the part of the story we are reading in the advent book that day.

Without further adieu, here's my plan!

12/1: Make an angel craft
12/2: Get the Christmas tree
12/3: Go to the Christmas parade
12/4: Make an Elizabeth and Mary craft
12/5: Get out and read Christmas books
12/6: Popcorn and PJ party at church
12/7: Make a stable craft
12/8: Watch a Christmas movie
12/9: Ride the Christmas train at the mall
12/10: Visit Santa
12/11: Preschool Christmas program at church
12/12: Eat a candy cane
12/13: Make a baby Jesus craft
12/14: Put money in Salvation Army kettle
12/15: Watch a Christmas movie
12/16: Decorate a gingerbread house
12/17: Make a wise men craft
12/18: Take gifts to friends
12/19: Make a star craft
12/20: Drink hot chocolate
12/21: Wrap presents
12/22: Watch a Christmas movie
12/23: Make Christmas cookies
12/24: Christmas Eve service at church

We'll see how closely we follow that plan. I'm pretty good at making plans and pretty horrible at following through with them. But we're going to try this and see what happens. I'm sure I will take pictures and blog along the way as well.