Christmas traditions...everybody has them and does them, and to me, it's one of the most special parts of Christmas in our house...
The things we do each and every year, some old from when I was a child, and some new that J and I have started with our own family, all special and dear to me, as mundane as some of them may be...
Getting our tree EVERY year the Sunday of Thanksgiving is the kickoff to the countdown to Christmas in our house...we get it every year, same place, same kind, same size...and boy do my boys know not to mess with me on changin any of that...;)...C and I decorate straight away after J spends 30mins getting it to stand staight in that d*mn stand...then I spend 30 to 60min's with the lights...you dont even want to be in the room with me when I do the lights....'nough said.....
Then C and I do the best part together..unwrapping each individual ornament and rediscovering each and everyone of them as if we'd never seen them before....my oldest ones date back to the 70s when I began my first Christmas's....
Then we always do the zoo lights around the wk before....some yrs its not too cold..this year it was FREEZING....I thought I was going to die of frost bite....but we did it...and not only sipped our hot cocoa..but one of the kids dumped it all over the stroller, which reminded me I never cleaned off the back of the stroller from last year when it was dumped...;)
And cookie making...Ahhhhh..Christmas cookies...I wish I had some sentimental story to tell of how wonderful it is to bake cookies in my kitchen with my two little sweeties, baking lots of Chrismas goodness into all those batches...but NOT.....sorry, must admitt...I totally am too controlling to fully enjoy this part of our traditions....and now with two helping me...OMG...can you say, control freaks worst nightmere....;)J.K...
But seriously...I try to enjoy and do for about 20mins..then I'm done....but C and S so enjoyed it and that's the point, right?
Elf on the Shelf.....he's still kickin it here at our house....some times I'm running down the stairs literally at 6am, to beat C out of bed and "help" Elf hide yet again....J is not too good at remembering either! But our Elf has continued to get into all sorts of trouble this year....
Advent wreath and calendar....I had a calendar growing up, which my mom sewed a new one for my kids, and it's the first thing they wake to do,after finding Elf,each morning...but the wreath is something new J and I wanted to introduce to our children and do....b/c really, that's what this is all a/b...remembering, and honoring why it is we do all these traditions each yr and what it is we are celebrating....
I made my own wreath with the help of the craft lady at Michaels some yrs back...I changed it up a bit, cause I'm not havin pink and purple candles in mine....C and I argue every Sunday when we are lighting a new one, that they are the wrong colors..lol;)..I tell him Jesus doesnt mind..he knows Im too Type A to have my wreath sportin candles that dont match my dining room...
So anyway...C has learned so far that Advent means, "coming" and we are all waiting for Jesus to come back..and the circle of the wreath means God's love never fails...no beginning and no end...with each candle that we light each Sunday nt in December, we know we are getting closer to Jesus' coming, Christmas Day, not just the day Santa happens to show up as well;)
So anyway..these are some of the things we do each year...and each year I love doing each and everyone, and I count my blessings as I go...each year there are more to count, and for that I am forever grateful!
xoxoxo
