Now that I have Brady, I really want to start having some new traditions around the holidays. I love this time of year and having a son just makes it even more exciting. Yes, Logan is my son also but it’s different when we only have him the 1st, 3rd, and 5th weekends of the month. I would like to do things with him as well so I need to come up with some ideas for the weekends during the month of December with him. (I know I’m a little late since it’s Dec. 5th.) We need to have traditions with him as well. Maybe something special so he doesn’t feel like he’s on the back burner. I asked him last night if they have traditions at his other house. He said no. But I can’t really take his answer for all the truth….not because he’s lying, but because an 8 year old boy doesn’t always take the time to think about his answer. In fact, he may not recognize that they actually do the same thing every year at his other home and that IS a tradition. Anyways, I love traditions. Growing up, our family had a tradition of getting together with my Dad’s side of family on Christmas Eve night. Now that we’re all grown up and have our own families, that has changed.
I think the most important part of these new traditions is to incorporate Christ as much as possible. To teach our boys that Christmas is not just about all the lights, GETTING instead of giving, Santa (that’s another post), etc. but it’s about Jesus’ birth. So here are a few ideas I have for new traditions around our home. If I don’t start them this year, I will have plenty of time to get all the materials ready and the ideas made before next Christmas.
I think I mentioned last week about some of the CHRISTmas posts over at I Am Momma Hear Me Roar. THIS idea she posted is by far my #1 tradition I want to start this year with my family. It was actually a guest post done by Delia. You can find her blog here.
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Then Cheri (I Am Momma Hear Me Roar) came up with a Service Advent Calendar with the help of Christie (a Lemon Squeezy Home). I LOVE this also. I want an Advent Calendar in my home but I think I may try to come up with something besides the silver bucket one that Cheri did. Either way, I love the idea. I think giving to others is SO important and I think it’s great to teach this at a young age.
Some of the services listed were:
- Visit someone elderly.
- Make an ornament for grandma.
- Call an Aunt and tell her you love her.
- Leave kind notes for Daddy all over the house.
- Leave change in the vending machine for the next person.
To go along with the idea of a Service Advent Calendar, I thought what Christie mentioned over at her blog (a Lemon Squeezy Home) about a book called The Last Straw. (Found here at Amazon.) was also sweet. I would like to get a book or two, if not this one, to read with our boys. I need to go to the book store to actually read and select what is best for our family but here are a few I’ve been looking at via Amazon.
Are there any children’s books about Jesus’ birth that you enjoy?
To go along with the above ideas, I think it would be nice to pick one weekend out of the month to go get some coffee (hot chocolate for Logan) and look at Christmas lights. I would also like to find a kid friendly craft to do with Logan (and Brady when he’s older) to make for the grandparents. I think it would be fun for the boys and I to work on these crafts together and then hand deliver them. I know the grandparents would love that!
So those are a few ideas I have as far as new traditions go. I would love to hear some of your traditions! Maybe I’ll get some new ideas.
1 comment:
I love traditions also, and can't wait for Aaron to enjoy this year. One thing I do that I think you would love was a empty book I found at walmart one year. It was an ornament book that said "Twas the Night before Christmas" and all the pages are empty. I bought a couple (for future kids) and for Seth's very first Christmas I was able to record our family night and what we did the 'night before Christmas'. Now Aarons is being recorded as well making sure to pinpoint their own personality so they are not the same. Each year I go back and reread and love remembering our times. We also go and each get a new ornament every year, then do the hot choc and look at lights while listening to the Chipmunk CD :) Seth helps me back cookies and we pass those out to our family and friends. Then Christmas Eve night before bed, we turn out all the lights except the tree and read the story of Jesus' birth. Then we sing a few song Away in the Manger, say our prayer and tuck the boys in. So now that i've blogged on your blog, you will have soo much fun making new traditions with memories that will last forever!
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