I'm so enjoying this special time of the year and all of the fun holiday traditions that come along with it! We have several favorites that we continue each Christmas season!
One thing the kids look forward to is our Christmas Elf, Alfie, coming back to our home from the North Pole (Elf on the Shelf)! Each night he reports back to Santa how the behavior has been around here and then returns to a new "spot" each day. The kids race around to see where he's hiding each morning! They've even enjoyed talking to him and sending notes back to Santa with him. So cute!
The kids also look forward to rediscovering our Little People Nativity Set. It comes out once a year with the holiday decor and it is like a brand new toy! They have so much fun playing with it! Its wonderful because it is a set that is kid friendly and can be handled and enjoyed without the worry of it getting broken.
Another special tradition is our basket of Christmas books! Much like our Nativity Set, we keep these packed up with the holiday decorations so they only come out once a year. The kids love looking through them again and remembering their favorites! We have several including The Sweet Smell of Christmas by Patricia M. Scarry, Merry Creature Christmas by Dandi Daley Mackall, and God Gave Us Christmas by Lisa T. Bergren. We love to cozy up under a warm blanket and read together!
Each night at dinner we try to read an Advent Devotion from this sweet little book, Getting Ready for Christmas. It is perfect for the kids, short but gives us a verse to discuss and an activity to do as a family.
Our family also enjoys a fun family holiday movie night! We break out the popcorn, cuddle up next to the twinkling lights and watch favorites like Elf or the Polar Express. This year we plan to check out The Search for Santa Paws and Disney's A Christmas Carol.
At least one evening during the season we love to grab some hot chocolate and drive around to see all of the Christmas lights and other decorations in our neighborhood and those surrounding us. We listen to holiday music on the radio or a CD and enjoy the view! Each year I treat myself to a new Christmas CD. This year my favorites are Glee: the Christmas Album and Chris Tomlin's Glory In the Highest: Christmas Songs of Worship.
Another thing I try to do every year is put a new picture ornament on the tree for both of the kids. It is so neat to pull out the collection of ornaments each Christmas and see how the kids have changed! This will also be a great gift for the kids to have for their own Christmas trees someday!
These are a few of the things we do to celebrate this season. I'd love to hear all about your favorite Christmas traditions! :) I hope you are enjoying the holidays and treasuring the memories!
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