Traditions

I feel that nothing ties a family closer together than traditions.  They are rooted on a value or principle or event we believe in and they bring unity and stability in our lives while we live in a crazy world.  I did not have many traditions in my home growing up and perhaps I go a little overboard with them now to compensate.


I LOVE traditions.  I love Christmas traditions especially.  

Christmas~

Focus on Christ:

• We read a scripture about Christ every night.  The idea came to me while I was thinking about Christ and then I found this Ensign article that confirmed the importance and gave me ideas for Scriptures.  By Elder Uchtdorf
  "Getting Ready for Christmas" 
  " While celebrating the Advent of Christmas is not part of all cultures around the globe, there is something we can learn from this widespread Christian tradition. Perhaps even this year we might carve from our busy schedules some time to study and reflect on the true meaning of Christmas—personally and as families.
      When we prepare for Christmas by pondering its real meaning, we prepare to experience the Christ and His message. May I suggest three things we may want to study, ponder, and apply in this season of preparation.

1. First, rejoice in the birth of our Savior.
2. Second, ponder His influence in our lives today.
3. Third, look steadfastly for His coming.

I pray that each and every one of you will have a wonderful and merry Christmas season.

The word Advent means “the coming of Christ.” In Germany, where President Uchtdorf grew up, many families celebrate Advent for four weeks before Christmas."

•  Manger: We put a manger by the Christmas tree and then put a vase full of straw next to it. When the kids do acts of service throughout the day, they can put some straw into the manger so that it will be filled by the time Christmas Eve comes and we have a place to put baby Jesus when we act out the nativity.
  

 Food:

• I get together with a group of girls to make holiday goodies--this started a few years ago with Terri Holman (she has secret recipes from a candy shop).  Now Andrea shares all of her recipes with us that are so good!

• Austrian Dinner for Christmas Eve
• Mini-boxed cereal tucked in Christmas stockings for Christmas breakfast (Dave's family tradition)
•  We make Christmas cookies for Santa, they are similar to this
•  We leave candy for the elves and apples for the reindeer (the elves have a habit of leavin wrappers behind)

Advent Calendars:

•  Chocolate calendar for each kid (49 cents at Michaels)
  
•  The scriptures we read every night about Christ are tucked in an advent calendar with a starlight mint for the kids to eat.  

(the picture is from last year's Church Christmas play--Corbin is the sheep and Ashlyn is the angel holding the star)

Literature:

• A Christmas book to read every night.  I used to wrap them in Christmas paper but think it's just a huge waste of paper now (to each his own though!)

This is one of my favorite fun Christmas-time stories: 

SNOWMEN AT NIGHT

SO CUTE!

• We always read the Night Before Christmas after the kids get into bed on Christmas Eve.  The kids all sleep in one room (usually Ashlyn's) on the floor.

Activities:

• Christmas Lights at Stan Hywet
  
• Botanical Garden-gingerbread house exhibit
• Life-sized Christmas board game at Nature Center
• Nativity exhibit in Kirtland
• Santa's workshop
• Polar Express

Decorating:

• We always decorate the Christmas tree the weekend after Thanksgiving while listening to music and drinking Wassail.  We like to have Wassail on the stove just to make the house smell good.

Matching Christmas Jammies:  

• I hope this tradition lasts until they leave the house and that they don't outgrow it :)

Elf on a Shelf


***Ok, after listing out all of our traditions I have realized that I am officially overboard.  To the max.  Now that I've started them all, I can't stop though!  



What traditions do you have with your family?!!  Do share.

Tricky Trickster

My sister-in-law, Ashlee, gave me the awesome idea to have our elf on the shelf do pranks.  We really need step it up a notch with the elf.  We've hidden him in every creative place we could possibly think of these past 3 years, now the elf is starting to lose some of it's excitement to the kids.  Santa has delivered messages to the kids from the Elf.  He's eaten candy and been caught sitting on our porcelain chicken in our kitchen.  I needed to up the standard a little and having our Elf do pranks and the fact that the kids named him Trickster because he is tricky, works out PERFECT!!! 

Here is what Trickster did last night while the kids were asleep...

 He turned the milk green and left a little tag that said, "Hehehe!  You've been tricked!"  Corbin found the milk this morning and was freaking out---he was so excited.  Trevor looked very skeptical and Ashlyn would not even drink the milk. HA!!  All three of my kids are so different.  I love it.

Here is the tag I made: (p.s. the picture of the elf came from the front cover of the elf on the shelf book)

**I must add a disclaimer as I watched this unfold this morning.  This prank kind of back-fired because my oldest is 9-years-old.  There were just too many questions.  How did he get into the fridge?  How did he turn the milk green?  How did he make the little note that he left.  THEN!!! THEN!!! I accidentally left the document open on my computer with the elf tags that I MADE. YIKES!!  Not smooth.  I just told the kids that Trickster must have used our computer to make his own tags.  Oh man.  My younger kids were totally buying that....but Trevor....not so much.  He didn't say anything but I could just SEE IT on his face!  I think that he thinks the idea of Santa and Elves is too outlandish now, but he really, really wants to believe it still.  We might have to promote him to INSIDER (to all of santa's secrets) this year. 

Tonight while the kids sleep Trickster the elf will be toilet-papering our Christmas tree...we'll see how that goes!

Decorating for Christmas

I forgot to mention that we decorated for Christmas the weekend after Thanksgiving and right before we went on the Polar Express.  Our elf, Trickster, also made his appearance.  We decided this year to have 2 trees. One that was for the kids and one for me. :)  I like it that way.  We can put all the homemade and fun ornaments on one tree with the colorful Christmas lights and then I can decorate the other tree with my more elegant ornaments and lights. 

 

Dave had Trevor help bring up all of the Christmas decorations while I was out running errands.  It was so thoughtful!!  Carrying the decorations up from the basement is the worse part!!

We listened to Christmas music while kids ate candy canes and drank homemade Wassail that Dave made.

Ashlyn loves to help me set out my Snow Babies. I've been collecting them since high school.  They are pricey!

My boys

I've done it

I have almost completed my one book a week goal for the year 2012.  Only a couple more weeks to go and I never fell behind.  I thought I did when I got back from my trip out West this summer, but I hadn't!  Anyway, I've decided to dedicate this last month on books about Christ.  More specifically, on His atonement.   

Polar Express

This tradition will never get old for me.  My kids adore it!  Ok, the truth is, I adore it and I just bring my kids along for the ride. :)  They really go ALL OUT for this Polar Express.

 

Starts with:

Purchasing Golden tickets 

Walking to our train entrance #6

 

Getting Aboard

 

Getting their initials punched into their golden tickets as they board

Writing letters to Santa

I would like some Pokemon, Star Wars squinkies...

 

 

Then the Elves, who are all dressed up, read the Polar Express as the train moves

Then they pass out chocolate chip cookies and hot chocolate

 

 

Then they arrive at Santa's workshop and you can see all the buildings decorated with lights and the Elves working and also dancing around.  Then Santa Claus comes out in his sleigh that is being pulled by a train.  

Then the train starts moving back to where we came from and the kids do a pajama parade-an Elf announces each one of them by name and they go down the aisle showing off their pjs.  

 

 

Then we sing tons and tons of Christmas Carols, my favorite being the 12 days of Christmas.

Doing the Reindeer Pokey! 

  

More reindeer pokey!

Then the train stops and Santa comes on board and sits with each child and asks them what they want for Christmas.

Then they pass out a silver Polar Express bell to each kid. 

 

It is positively magical!!

Trevor bonded with this elf.  The whole time during the train ride this elf would say really cute but corny Christmas jokes.  My kids loved this.  Trevor kept telling him his jokes too!