Christmas Traditions

I love Christmas time! I love to decorate and enjoy the yearly holiday traditions. I remember several of the traditions we had when I was a child so I want to pass on some to my boys.

On Christmas Eve they will get new Christmas pajamas and before bedtime we will get in the car to drive around and look at the decorated houses.

I want to have a nativity set each year. We had the same one every year when I was little so that is my goal at some point. This year we have the Little People Nativity Set which the boys are loving!

The advent calendar is another yearly tradition that I always looked forward to. I have the advent calendar that I used as a child and look forward to the boys using it as well. There is a little mouse that gets moved each day; I remember Chelley and I fighting over who got to move it and I am sure there will be the same problem with the boys. We would always get something in the pocket each day whether it was money or candy.

This year my mom found a really neat PlayMobil advent calendar for the boys. Each day you open up a door and get some pieces to a whole set. By the end you will have a whole play set which is a neat idea. I just recently found out that they make several different versions of this so I think we might make this a yearly tradition as well. I will try to find a new play set each year for the boys so they will have a new toy by the end of the advent calendar. This year it is a snowy setting in the woods with animals. I didn't realize you had to actually put the advent calendar together though! When I opened it I discovered you have to put together the calendar by putting in the dividers and separating out the toys into each compartment.

A few more pictures of the beginnings of decorating the house....

We get a personalized ornament for each of the boys and our family every year. We have already gotten them for this year.

I could go on and on, but won't. Hopefully Ben and I will create some of our own traditions and continue to pass on the ones we both remember from our childhood.