Christmas Traditions- New

   This week I will post on some fun Christmas traditions we do at our house.  Really... none of them started out with the plan of being a tradition, they just kind of did!  Today though we'll start with a new idea that I AM planning on making a tradition!

   I read about this idea this week in Homeschooling Today Magazine and I loved it! It was mentioned along with other ideas and I may understand it a little differently, but this is how we are going to do it. You take a baby doll and wrap it in rags and wrap it up like any other gift.  Address it to someone and place it amongst the other gifts under the tree.  When someone opens "baby Jesus" everything stops.  This is when you read the Christmas story and remember the real reason for the gifts and the excitement.  They ended this time with singing Away in a Manger.

   I love the thought of stopping in the middle of gifts.  It's easy to talk about Jesus before and during Christmas but at least at our house all that seems lost when the paper starts flying.  I'm really excited to add this to our Christmas day.

   This past week the Jesse Tree has been going well and we get to light another candle on the Advent Wreath.  The big day is creeping closer!  After a year with some terrible health issues I am so happy and feel so blessed to simply be alive and watch the fun and excitement in my children's eyes.  Thank you LORD for so many simple blessings.  Thank you LORD for LIFE and that this year in particular I am aware that I have it "more abundantly"! (John 10:10).

Blessings on your day.