Christmas traditions!

Traditions are one of my favorite parts about the holidays!  We are figuring out which ones work for us and which ones don't.  I think these things naturally change for a few years until we get into a groove and find out what we really love and what we can do without.

So I've come up with a list of traditions we have kept this year and ones we've done away with...(and it will probably look a little different next year...and thats ok!)

Traditions we've kept...

1.  We waited until AFTER Thanksgiving to decorate the tree.  Last year's post is here. This year we were in Lafayette the day after Thanksgiving so we put up our Christmas decorations that Saturday (on Drew's birthday).  I love having my tree up and decorated with other holiday decor around the house but I am adamant about waiting until after we celebrate all of the things we are most thankful for.  Thanksgiving, to me, is the calm before the crazy and I don't like to start focusing on Christmas and gifts prematurely.

 2.  On December 1st, we had our snowman breakfast.  For the last 2 years, Buddy (our elf-on-the-shelf) has made us this breakfast.  This year, that is a tradition we are not doing.  I think I'm going to rename this our "manger breakfast" or something like that to keep the focus on the birth of our Savior.  But this year, I just set our tiny nativity out and decorated the dining room.  We had powdered donuts, which I never buy (because I'll eat the whole bag) except for this special breakfast.  Jillian liked them ;) and had just woken up!

3.  Also on December 1st, we begin decorating our 25 days of Christ tree.  For family scripture time each night from the 1st-25th, we alternate which kid gets to open the ornament bag and show us which one it is for that night.  They get to hang it anywhere they want to and then we watch that scripture video or read from the Bible, and then have prayer and go to bed.  This year, since the bigger kids are becoming more and more familiar with the stories of Jesus, I ask them before we read/watch the scripture but after they've shown us the ornament, which story they think it will be.  It has been so fun to hear their answers and it warms my heart so deep that they are learning the important lessons the Bible teaches us!

4.  Christmas PJs- last year I didn't get around to buying Christmas pjs for the kids but we have in the passed.  This year we are carrying it on.  I bought some on sale at Target since the Tuesday before black friday was 40% off all sleepwear.  (I also bought myself some for when I'm in the hospital having our baby brother!)  Anyway, we will open those on Christmas Eve Eve so that I can wash them before the kids wear them on Christmas Eve.

5.  Our Christmas book basket and new book- We keep a book basket in the living room all year and usually it is filled with good bedtime books.  But if it is a holiday, it is filled with holiday books.  Last year we bought the kids each a new Christmas book but this year, we are only giving them one collectively.  A Christmas book for our family.  Not only will this save money but it starts to get overwhelming finding 3 new books each time.

I need to sit down one day and post about each one...we love so many of these sweet stories!

This year I found this book.  I'm worried it might be little advanced (its pretty long for a 4 year-old and 20 month-old) but it is such a beautiful story.  We will open it when we open our Christmas pjs!

6.  Having the missionaries over for Christmas Eve- for the last 3 years we have had the missionaries in our congregation over for dinner on Christmas Eve.  I love the spirit they bring into our home.  I typically always make shrimp & corn chowder with french bread and salad.  Last year we made sugar cookies but since Susanna licked icing off of Elder Ross' hand, I'm not sure we will do it again!  Even though it was pretty hilarious!

7.  The Rejoice in Christ Christmas program at our church- this is the 3rd year our church has held this wonderful pageant of the nativity story and Mike has been on the committee each year.  It is such a wonderful way to visualize the story of the birth of Christ and fellowship with people we love, as well as share the message of Christmas with others.

Traditions we've given the ax to ;)

1.  Elf-on-the-Shelf-  I was so bad at keeping up with this last year, it was ridiculous!  However, the main reason we made this decision was because it kept forcing me to make up more and more white lies about Buddy.  Drew is really inquisitive.  To the point where I felt like I was just making up lie after lie.  "How can Buddy fly back to the North Pole and then back here so fast while I'm at school?" (because I forgot to move him the night before so I moved him while the big kids were at preschool). "Susanna just touched him, why isn't his magic gone?"  "So-and-so at school doesn't have an elf, why doesn't he have an elf?"  "So-and-so's elf threw marshmallows all over their kitchen in while they were sleeping?  Why would she make a mess?  Buddy doesn't make messes."  I just couldn't do it again.  I want our kids to take seriously things or beings we know exist but cannot see.  I don't want them one day wondering if Christ was real or just a story.  Or if God is real or if he's mythical like buddy (and Santa too but that's coming up next).  I know that these things might not cause those thoughts to form in their minds, the didn't in mine growing up, but for our family, I just want to be honest and if I don't have to make up answers to questions like these, I'd rather not put myself in a situation where I am doing just that.  And honestly, Drew and Susanna haven't even asked about him.

2.  Pictures with Santa- We've toned down our Santa talk A LOT.  Mainly for the same reasons Buddy stopped coming around.  Drew and Susanna haven't talked about him much at all and I think it is because we haven't.  Mike and I want the focus of Christmas to be on Christ as much as possible.  Gifts and snowmen and hot chocolate and candy canes and Santa are all good, fun things and we haven't stopped all of it but if we talk mostly about Jesus Christ, hopefully our kids will think of Him more and more as the years progress.  Truthfully, I would probably be all for not even doing Santa gifts if it weren't for cousins, friends and grandparents, etc.  No one wants to ruin anything for anyone else and that's just a hard one to completely do away with.  Anyway, we have not had our pictures taken with Santa and Santa will only bring small things for our stockings and possibly one bigger thing that won't fit inside it.  The rest of their gifts will come from us and each other.

And I think that's it!  So we've kept more than we've gotten rid of but those things we've kept help us focus more on the Savior and on being together.  I love that.  And they aren't things that are too hard to manage.  The only daily (actually, nightly) one is our 25 days of Christ tree but we have family scripture and prayer every night anyway and it actually gets the kids even more engaged.  These traditions are ones that we love and ones that the kids really love too.

What Christmas traditions do you and your family share?  I'd love to hear them!