Christmas Traditions

Hello fwends.......

I'm going to be in a tailspin all week. This, I'm afraid, may be the last post until after Christmas. I have school parties, basketball games, wrapping (oh the wrapping), baking, and just normal Christmas busyness.

I was listening to the weather-man yesterday. There might be a slight chance of snow for Christmas. Wouldn't that be nice. A fresh, white blanket to cover the ground. I happen to believe that Christmas snow is magical. Burl Ives says it is anyway. Who's to argue with Burl? Certainly not me.

I wanted to show you some of our family traditions. Things that we do every year.

This is our elf named Buddy. He is spending his third Christmas with us this year. He always comes the day after Thanksgiving and leaves Christmas Eve. The kids aren't allowed to touch him. He simply watches how they behave throughout the day, then flies to the North Pole while they sleep, gives a good/bad report to the big man, then flies back to a different spot in our home. The kids love finding him every morning. You never know where that elf will be. Gracie is sure that he moves things around in her room. She even wonders if he moves his head sometimes.

The seven days before Christmas, we add a piece to the kids nativity. After all these years, the kids can recite the words of the companion book. It's special to them. They never let us forget. The angel, Gabriel, is first. Then Mary, Joseph, Jesus, Shepherds, the wise men. Then Christmas morning, we open the last box, which is empty. This represents what God wants most for Christmas, YOU!!!!!

A friend of mine named Karen adores my sweet Gus. She adores him so much that we call her Gus' Grandma. She babysits him sometimes and buys him bottled water, cooks him vegetables, plays with him, buys him toys, ect. So, I wasn't really surprised when she thought it unfair that Gus didn't have a stocking. Thanks to Karen, he now does. She tied milkbones on the outside, filled it with goodies, and embroidered the cuff. How funny!!!

Now our mantle is NEARLY complete. (Congo and T-bone need a stocking!!!)

Christmas Eve night :

Rick reads "The Night Before Christmas" to the kids. He has done this since Ryan was a baby.

We go to church

Make reindeer food and set out cookies and milk for Santa

Refresh the Santa tracker every 15 minutes

Make breakfast casserole for the next morning.

My Grandma gave me this nativity. She made it a long time ago. You have no idea how much this means to me. I cherish this almost as much as anything I own.

We aren't the type of folks to tear into the packages all at once. We do it one at a time. Clockwise. This is because my husband likes order. He likes organization. He likes to stretch Christmas out as long as possible. (Shhhhh...... I do too)

I hope that your Christmas is super special.

Merry Christmas fwends!!!!