I have pictures from the last few weeks of Advent Preparations spread throughout this post. They don’t necessarily go along with the text but I wanted to share them.
Rudolph by Lil’ C
They say that for children the month of December is the LONGEST month of the year. For many of the adults it goes by faster than any other month in the calendar. I had so many blog posts planned for this month…..but in my effort for a SLOW holiday they went to the wayside.
This book and the Children’s version by Ann Voskamp have been such special additions to our Advent this year. The journal was a gift from my friend Amy.
In the movie A Very Monkey Christmas, The Man with the Yellow Hat sings a song to a very anxious George that explains that the Christmas preparations are half the fun of the holiday. I couldn’t agree more with that sentiment. My kids know that when we get to the bottom row of our Advent Calendar, mommy gets a little sad. The whole month is so fun and magical, it is hard to let go of it.
Our Jesse Tree with homemade ornaments
It is the month of waiting and the anticipation of what is coming (both literal and figuratively) that is the magical part for me. Decorating, reading our Jesse Tree devotions each day, lighting the menorah, celebrating Winter Solstice, our Advent Spiral, cuddling up by the tree to read Christmas stories, my eggnog coffee, making gifts……the preparations are half the fun! Or maybe for me they are more than half the fun.
Lil’C collecting holiday greens for Mimi’s house
The day after Christmas was always such a let down for me as a child and I think it still is as an adult. All those weeks of preparation and anticipation are gone after just a day or two. It is this let down as a child that has fueled me to start a few new traditions for my kids. Something to keep the magic alive a bit longer for all of us.
Charlie Brown Christmas with Friends
They made edible Charlie Brown Trees
The first tradition I started a few years ago….The Forgotten Gift. There is always a gift that I “forget” to give my kids on Christmas Day. It is usually a game for both of them and they enjoy unwrapping it a few days after Christmas.
Homeschool Holiday Fair….Z presented Christmas in Egypt
Lil’C did Christmas in Italy
The second tradition is Homemade Christmas. This we started last year so that our homemade gifts, that we spent so long on, would not get lost in the shuffle. This turned out to be such a special night for us last year, a night just for the four of us to open the homemade gifts and have a nice dinner together.
An early Christmas Gift….holding one of their cousins for the first time!!
This was magical for both Z and C!!
The third tradition is Three Kings Day. On January 6th, the Epiphany, the children receive a small gift. It is fun for them to look forward to this and this year we plan to celebrate the 12 days of Christmas leading up to Epiphany. I am not sure I will be able to keep the tree up until then but we are making a special candle holder to light and will be listening to the new Twelve Days of Christmas audio book from Sparkle Stories.
Light the Lights
Keeping the magic alive a little longer is a great way to lessen the let down that we all seem to get in our family after Christmas Day. For now I am going to savor every minute left of this season and right now go and snuggle with my two favorite little ones.
Annual Chi Chi and the girls shopping day
The girls and I had more fun wandering the store and taking pictures while Chi Chi and Auntie did the shopping!!
One of the many mannequin shots!
Magic School House 