our christmas cards + favorite traditions

+ cutting down a tree at a local farm  

+ baking cookies with hot chocolate 

+ holiday movie nights + with a festive cheeseboard 

+ an advent calendar (i would love to incorporate prayer, service, and books into it once my kids are older) because the coming/arrival of something so special should be celebrated. 

+ as a child, i loved driving around my hometown and looking at all the pretty christmas lights. for our kids, i love the idea of a ‘holiday bus tour.’ possibly a week before christmas? … we would have our kids look under their pillows for a ticket. on the night they find the ticket, we catch a ride on the ‘holiday bus tour’ . a ride in our pajamas- stopping by our favorite places for holiday lights while listening to tunes. we did something similar to this last night. 

+ a visit to a german christmas market 

+ a day in the city + lunch with dad at a diner (we did this today!) 

+ making orange garland and hanging fresh garland throughout our home 

+ st. nick coming in early december / leaving a letter to santa and receiving a small gift, oranges, candy in our shoes/stockings

+ christmas eve boxes: pajamas, a book, an ornament and reindeer food 

+ a night dedicated to lighting the tree – where we put on a favorite record, dance, do it all up together. i also want to have a tree designated to all the ornaments my kids love + maybe some popcorn garland and tinsel!

+ making bags to pass out to the homeless (gloves, socks, water, snacks) + volunteer

+ going to see the nutcracker (a childhood favorite) 

+ filling out this christmas story book every year 

+ church on christmas eve 

+ we sing the 12 days of christmas with my husband’s family at dinner (we all have a wine glass and sing that part) 

+ random acts of kindness (here are a few ideas for giving back) 

+ christmas eve was always the most magical night of the year for me growing up… it was intimate and beautiful. we would all get dressed up as we enjoyed a nice dinner (similar to the one we still enjoy today) with all four of our grandparents (i had no idea just how fortunate i was to be able to experience this as a kid). after dinner, we would drive around with our grandparents and would look at christmas lights/would go to our town square to see baby jesus in the manger. when we got back, the carrots on the front step were usually nibbled and the tree was full of gifts when we walked inside. there were always candles lit, a bowl of red and green m & m’s, and the record player was always on… we would spend hours, taking our time, opening each gift. i remember the excitement from both us (and from grandparents) – so much joy! i am so thankful for the way my parents always made it all so special. after we opened our gifts, our neighbors (they had four girls) would usually come over and we would play until late in the evening with our new toys while our parents enjoyed cocktails. christmas eve – simply my favorite.