A Wrap-Up of our Christ-centered Christmas Traditions

A couple years ago for our neighbor gifts, we gave some white stockings away with a poem attached.  On Christmas Eve, we all write down what we will focus on giving to Jesus that year.  We keep the previous years in the stocking and read them as well.  That has been my favorite part.  When the kids couldn’t write, they just drew a picture about what they would do for Him.

This one was by my then 3 year old (now five)—he said he would share his toys:).

We have an advent calendar that we fill with candy and little service notes, mixed in with a few fun ones as well (drive around and see Christmas lights, sleep under the Christmas tree…stuff like that).  While Cheri (from I Am Momma – Hear Me Roar) and I discussed different ideas, I mentioned the idea of a service advent.  She had a bunch of supplies to make an advent calendar, and in the meantime I had decided that I would do something else.  She came up with a fabulous list for her cute bucket advent that she made and we’ll be using nearly all of the things on her list in our advent calendar.  You can read her list here.

In 2004, my mom gave us a wonderful gift.  She didn’t have the internet at home and so she typed up a lot of touching, beautiful Christmas stories, which took her a very long time and was truly an act of love.  I’ve added a couple stories since then, which is another great thing about it—that you can just add stories to it since it’s a binder.  She then compiled them in a book for us to read.  It has been really fun to read these together as a family before bedtime. 

This year we started the “What Shall We Give” ornaments after I made them for Cheri’s blog (I Am Momma – Hear Me Roar).  My kids have really enjoyed writing on their chalkboard ornaments or filling their pouch with little notes to Jesus.  And I have loved reading their sweet gifts and having a few different pictures of baby Jesus, Mary, and Joseph on our tree!  You can find the tutorial here.

And lastly, I posted about the new manger and baby Jesus that I made last week.  You can find that post here.

And don’t forget to check out Cheri’s themed week of a Christ-centered Christmas!  There are so many wonderful ideas!