Love Traditions

I wanted to re-post our Christmas Tradition list from last year.

I love holiday traditions. Here is a list of our Christmas Traditions. Some are silly, some are small, but they are all done with love.

1. We start our Christmas off by watching the Nutcracker, which Tony plays the trumpet for.
2. Paint Ceramic ornaments
3. Make (or buy if it's cheap) an ornament with each child's picture in it.
   
4. 25 gingerbread men. We have 25 foam gingerbread men that we string up along the stairs. We have names of friends and families on them. For 25 days of Christmas, we take one gingerbread man family & pray for them through out the day.
5. Wrap 24 Christmas Books. I wrap them up. The kids get to pick one book and unwrap it then we read it each night.
6. When Christmas cards come in, we pray for that family. We also do this when we are addressing our Christmas cards to send out.
   
7. We (try) make crafts for our teachers and some family members. For a homeschool family, we sure do have a lot of teachers. (Church and extra curricular activities) Many people don't give a little gift anymore to their teachers. I feel that it is important to do this as well as send a card of encouragement along with it. There have been many times when I've wanted to quit because I thought I wasn't getting through to the kids. Then someone sends a little gift and or a card & that was the encouragement I needed to keep serving the Lord.
8. Look at the Christmas lights while singing Christmas carols.
9. Dance crazy to Christmas music.
   
10. Having a family Christmas tea with all the trimmings.
11. Write a letter to Jesus.
12. Watch Christmas movies with popcorn with just the TV and Christmas tree lights on.
13. Christmas scented bubble bath. (I can't smell, but the kids really enjoy this.)
14. We make a Christmas paper chain with parts of the Christmas story & the count down on it. We take one down each night and read it. Then we imagine what it would be like to have actually done the part that we just read.
15. The last 3 years, we've taken the 23rd as a day of celebrating Jesus' birth- a birthday cake, read the whole story, act it out, and sing only Christmas carols through out the day. I've tried and tried to do it on Christmas day, but it is so crazy. When I wake up on the 26th, I felt guilty because we really didn't celebrate. No one really knows when Jesus' birthday was.
16. We started this last year & will continue it each year.  On the 23rd, we do The Adornment Tree.  Mrs. Ann our pastor's wife does this every year with the Sparks.  I asked her for a copy.  It is ornaments of: Baby- name Emmanuel, The Door, The True Vine, Living Water, The Light of the World, Bright Morning Star, The Lion from the tribe of Judah, The Lamb of God, The Good Shepherd, Crown - The King of Kings and Lord of Lords, The Bread of Life, & Cross- Savior.  A small story goes with each.
17. We put out sheep food for the shepherd's sheep on Christmas Eve.
18. We have a Christmas breakfast on Christmas Morning.
19. We go to the grandparents house and meet up with the cousins.

I do love Christmas. For me, it is really important to instill into my children what Christmas is all about. I like to spread it all through out the month.

I would love to hear about your Christmas traditions.