This giveaway is now closed.
Today I’ve got another giveaway for Simple Mom readers, just in time for the holidays. Dayspring, who runs (in)courage, where I’m a monthly columnist, wants to bless someone with one of their best sellers — this beautiful Nativity Hurricane Trio.
This is a set of three frosted candle luminaries, each set on a wood base, and backlit with metal silhouettes of shepherds, the three wise men, and the holy family.
I love these because they’re unique but not tacky; simple but creative. They look great with just about any home decor, and their subtle display of the nativity scene whispers a subtle reverence.
And this week, one of you will win this!
Here’s how to enter:
1. Leave a comment, telling me — what is your family’s most creative holiday tradition?
2. To get a second entry, tweet about this giveaway — use the “retweet” button at the bottom of the post.
3. To get a third entry, post about this giveaway on your own blog, and make sure you link to this exact post (not the home page, SimpleMom.net), so that it will leave a trackback.
This giveaway is open to anyone worldwide. It will end this Friday, December 11 at 11:59 p.m. EST. I hope you win!
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We eat manicotti the night we decorate the tree!
We just started some new traditions this year. My husband and I really wanted our kids to not be confused between the real Christmas story and the commercialized one. I had read a book earlier this year by Noel Piper called “Treasuring God in our Traditions” and we have begun using some of the Piper family traditions. Instead of a Christmas Tree, we have an old wooden table with a Nativity on top of it and presents under the table. Also, instead of stockings we have made “Shepherd Pouches” to put gifts to give away (we will probably refill them for the kids on Christmas Eve.) So far it has been a true blessing for our kids, they are even acting out the Christmas story in their pretend.
I thought I was pretty creative last year by having our baby 2 weeks before Christmas! ha ha
Since she will be 1 this year, we are looking into yearly traditions. We plan to sit in our pj’s, watching “White Christmas” and then reading from the Bible before bed. In the morning, I plan to make a breakfast casserole after gifts are opened.
For me, the most creative part of the season is time management. I have divorced parents and we both have many family members. For us, carving out time to see everyone and spending quality time is quite a puzzle sometimes but we always manage to do it!
I don’t know how creative this is, but one of our favourite Christmas traditions is going out for a special lunch on Christmas Eve day. It’s usually not busy at all and it’s such a nice way to connect as a family ( usually just the 4 of us) in the relative calm before the storm. Our little guys are just about vibrating with excitement by then, so it’s great to take a break and sit down and break bread together (and have someone else do all the cooking and clean-up!).
Every year my hubby and I take our two dogs hiking in the snow covered mountains to find our Christmas tree. It’s great exercise and a lovely way to spend the day!
We just started our family and I can’t wait to start our own Christmas traditions!
We attempt to make each other homemade gifts every year (some years go better than others.
). Love the candle holders!
Not very creative but we go out for delicious hamburgers on Christmas eve…
My oldest child just turned two so we’re starting to really consider traditions this year…. we don’t have too many yet (the addition of our 5 month old has made it harder to think clearly, lol), but so far we’ve decorated cookies for Christmas. I want to start an Advent calendar, but I just can’t pick one that I like (I like too many!). I also want to do something on Christmas Eve, maybe watch the same Christmas movie every year in our PJ’s on the sofa while drinking hot chocolate with homemade marshmallows… I like the suggestions of other readers – the ornaments would be fun to do!
We do a lot of baking and give that as gifts. Not very generic, but it’s our creative and affordable outlet for gift-giving.
When I was a little girl, we not only had Santa Claus, we also had Anti Claus. If we were too well behaved, Anti Claus would come a few days before Christmas and steal all our presents from beneath the tree! But he’d hide them somewhere in the house, with a note on the tree letting us know he’d been there. My brother and I loved searching the house for where Anti Claus had hidden our presents – it was always my favorite tradition, and I hope to pass it on to my own children some day.
In fact, I might just sneak over to my parent’s house and do it to them!
We are not super creative…but we always make Norwegian Christmas cookies like Krumkake since my grandparents came to the US in the 50′s. I can’t wait for our Christmas Eve spent together enjoying those delicate cookies!
Lina´s last blog ..Really?
We do a Christmas-Eve gift swap with my extended family where everybody contributes one present to a big pile in the middle of the room, then we pick numbers and start picking presents. Lots of people do something like this, but what makes ours special is that everybody has to put on reindeer antlers and do the “reindeer hop” when they get up to pick their present out of the pile. Everyone has their own style. It’s hilarious.
We make Christmas candy every year to take to all of the get togethers and pitch ins. We usually do it all day long while watching Christmas movies.
Angela Cochran´s last blog ..Baby Purr or Gremlin?
I love holiday traditions and I love these nativity candles!
One of my favorite things to do with our kids is to pick one special night where we all have a “slumber party” and sleep under the Christmas tree. There’s something magical about sleeping under those twinkline lights…and the kids love it!
Rebecca´s last blog ..Photography contest
we have several little traditions that we have carried over from our own childhoods and some new ones that we have started for our family.
we read the christmas story on the days leading up to christmas and we have little ornaments that go on our tree that corresponds with the different parts of the story. my daughter loves this one. i also buy ornaments for everyone, sometimes two. my mom did this for me and now i do it for my children. a special tradition that may have to be modified now is that my husband and my daughter always place our angel on the tree together as the last item. (we have a new baby boy so that may have to change alittle). we also decorate our tree the saturday after thanksgiving as a family. i am sure there are a few that i am leaving out that we just do and don’t really think about them being tradiditons.
We add a new ornament every year that reminds us of that year. My daughter’s in a Wizard of Oz phase and we added a ruby slipper this year. We also have a separate little tree for my dachshund ornaments (yes, I have a bunch.)
Our Christmas tradition is the kids having a new ornament each year. At first it was easy, as it was first, second, third Christmas. Then it was either their choice or if we travelled an ornament from our vacation spot. This year my daughter got her driver’s license and I was happy to find a driver’s license ornament. My son got his hunting safety certificate so I got him a moose ornament. Cute! Also got one for our new puppy
i tweeted but not with that little button as it doesn’t work for me.
twitter.com/tmonda
tzigane´s last blog ..Week 46- Sun Flare
I tweeted… @lina19
Lina´s last blog ..A Giveaway!
Not terribly creative, but we give pajamas to each other on Christmas Eve!
I also posted this on my blog for another entry! Thank you! http://dabeesknees.wordpress.com
Lina´s last blog ..A Giveaway!
In honor of the real meaning of the season and with the 12 days of Christmas in mind…..we purchase a nativity set with 12 pieces in it. My family and I will take one piece at a time.. each day of the 12 days of Christmas, and secretly take the wrapped nativity piece up to a family’s (in need..whether emotionally or financially, etc.) mailbox and drop it off with a little message of hope attached…we always save the little baby Jesus piece for last. That day we drop it off with a box of Christmas Dinner staples or something else like a little Christmas Jar of change (money) that my kids have been adding to all year long with their pocket change. It’s a tradition that has brought some tears to our eyes, some laughter (you try and be sneaky….it’s hard to do sometimes when they soon catch on that they will be receiving a gift everyday…lol) and some joy in our lives.
Every year the whole extended family gathers at my grandparents house on Christmas Eve. We enjoy a wonderful meal together, then all 25 or so of us gather in the living room to listen while my uncle reads the Christmas story from my Grandma’s Bible. Then we go around the room & each one of us gets to pick a Christmas carol to sing one verse of together. Then we exchange grab bag gifts. Good times!
Thanks for the giveaway – the candles are beautiful!
MaryAnn´s last blog ..
I surprise my girls with little gifts or candy in their stockings all throughout December, so they are always walking by and patting their stockings!
i blogged about the giveaway
http://mycrzylife.wordpress.com/2009/12/09/a-holiday-giveaway-dayspring/
tzigane´s last blog ..A Holiday Giveaway: Dayspring
We make a thankful chain during November and to transition to Christmas season we place our chain on our decorated Christmas tree in December. We actually saved our chain from last year so we connected the two this year. Our tree isn’t the classiest, but the ornaments and decorations are connected to memories.
Thanks for the great giveaway!
My favourite tradition is a new one this year. We made a kid’s Jesse Tree and add an ornament and read a bit of the Christmas story everyday.
Love the candles!!
We try to make our Christmas cards each year… economical and crafty! 
Alana´s last blog ..Is there such a thing as Time Management??
There are so many to list. Christmas books as many as we can find. The Bible Christmas story. Advent wreath and calendars. We make a long candle and number it 1 – 25 with a holly berry at the bottom. We burn it down ever single day to the next number. We study the history around all the Christmas traditions…candy cane, tree, ornaments and ect. Like I said too many to write.
Bobbi´s last blog ..Nativity Giveaway on Simple Mom — Live simply, stay sane. Life hacks for home managers.
We started doing gingerbread houses with my niece and nephews & they loved it so much we’ve decided to make it an annual tradition.
My mother-in-law actually fixed spaghetti for Thanksgiving dinner this year, because that’s what everyone wanted!
We just started a tradition this year of an Annual Cookie Bake – we got a large number of people (and dogs!) together at our house for some baking of cookies for the women and kids and watching of football and eating of cookies for the men.
We had a great time of fellowship and food and can’t wait for next year!
Great giveaway! My favorite family tradition is baking with my own girls all the holiday recipes passed down from their grandmothers and great grandmothers!
Coming from different ethnicities, my husband and I have had to mix our traditions together and always enjoy making our own too. We love to open one present on Christmas Eve and enjoy Pazole (traditional Mexican dish) with friends and family that night as well.
Rebekah´s last blog ..Baby Soriano
This is our first Christmas as a family. Some things I’d like to start are: purchasing/making an orniment for each person, leaving cookies and mike for santa and doing an Angel Tree
I retweeted this post :
http://twitter.com/Rebekah_Soriano
Rebekah´s last blog ..Baby Soriano
about 13 years ago we started the tradition of not giving christmas gifts. we focused the gifting time on st. nicholas day (dec 6th) and epiphany (jan 6th). it’s a struggle to keep the tradition going when our culture is against us. I still feel like i’m cheating my kids with no gifts on dec 25th (they do open presents from grandparents) but we want, really want the focus to be on the birth of christ – emmanuel.
Barb´s last blog ..Snowflakes..If I could Do This So Can You
This is my first Christmas for my family. I would like to purchase/make an orniment, leave milk/cookies for Santa and do a Angel Tree.
Every year on christmas eve the entire family will get together and my father will read Twas the night before Christmas. Then, when we were younger, me and my sisters would all sleep together in the same bed
That hurricane set is beautiful!
Don’t know that these traditions are amazingly creative, but they are special to us. One of our traditions is to give new PJs to our kids and each other on Christmas Eve. Another is to do an Advent wreath as a family. We do a modified version that works well for our children’s ages and is a special time after dinner each evening in December. When the kids are older I think it would be fun to start the tradition of a family camp out in the living room the first weekend night that the tree is up, but they’re not old enough for that quite yet.
Lisa´s last blog ..Honolulu City Lights Parade
I just posted about this giveaway on my blog:
http://familiadesoriano.blogspot.com/2009/12/holiday-giveaway-dayspring.html
Rebekah´s last blog ..Baby Soriano
Lovely!
hmm…our family’s most creative tradition? I guess it would be the gingerbread house. we make it all from scratch. The kids love it…and I’m trying to release control so it can be less structured for them and more fun…maybe not quite so pretty though!
Loooove the candles, just gorgeous
Fave traditions:
1. Pyjama rides, put on dd pj’s, pretend that she is going to bed, and then go out for a ride to look at the Christmas lights, stop for hot chocolate
2. Every year i buy a new ornament for dd, I will give them to her when she gets married
3. the christmas elf – he hides a chocolate or small gift in dd’s room every day in December
We drive around town looking at Christmas lights while sipping hot cocoa on Christmas Eve. Then come home all snuggly and ready for Santa Claus.
Every year, each of my kids hang their dated Christmas ornaments on the tree, in chronological order, beginning with the year they were born. They are now 28, 25, and 23 years old. To save time, a few years ago I tried to stop the tradition, but they insisted on doing it.
Tweeted: http://twitter.com/lacadazy/status/6505280465
Those are beautiful candles. Even if I don’t win I think I’ll have to buy a set.
In our home we don’t put any presents under the tree until Christmas Eve-evening. Our children sleep under the lit tree on Christmas Eve and wake up to presents under the tree.
Andrea´s last blog ..friday was a good day
Weird…my first entry did not post. We drive around town on Christmas Eve looking at Christmas lights and sipping hot chocolate. Gets us all snuggly and ready for Santa to come!!
We love to take a night and make scones and hot chocolate as a family. It’s simple but FEELS like Christmas to us!
Jen M´s last blog ..Red Pinecone Ornament
We have several traditions, but my favorite is the big decorating day. The weekend after thanksgiving we all get together at my parents house to decorate. It’s an all day event and anybody who knows our family knows about it. Growing up I often had several friends come. I loved it because they would ask to come, knowing the tradition. I felt like we were reaching out to those kids who didn’t have family traditions and loved being apart of ours.
Our most unique family tradition (we have many) is that we write poetry to accompany our gifts. The poetry is supposed to give the recipient clues to what is inside the package. The poetry MUST be read outloud, and pre-reading is against the rules! Making up words, however, is allowed. The poetry is almost always hilarious as it is often written late on Christmas Eve when people are starting to become delirious. Sometimes, though, it is sentimental and everyone ends up crying. I’ve never known any other family to do it. In fact, my husband thought we were all nuts when he first joined the clan. Turns out, he is one of the best poets out of all of us!
Sarah´s last blog ..someday when my christmas decorations no longer fear for their lives…
I don’t think we have a creative or unique tradition, but we really love how we decorate our house with our traditional trees and village on top of the TV cabinet. We give p.j.’s on Christmas eve as well. We are just so appreciating being together–and this year our soldier son gets to come home for two weeks right at Christmas time. What a blessing!
I retweeted!
Jen M´s last blog ..Red Pinecone Ornament
We aren’t a hugely creative family! We always read the Christmas story from Luke 2 before we open gifts on Christmas morning, and then I fix Monkey Bread for breakfast. That’s the only morning we ever have it, and my kids (21, 18, and 16) still love it!
Susan´s last blog ..Wednesday in the Word: Jesus – God’s Sent One
Ours isn’t that creative but it was always fun (and excruciating when I was a kid)! The main thing is that we can’t look at the tree until after breakfast… We start by opening stocking stuffers in our PJ’s. Then we make breakfast, which is usually a frittata that we made the night before. Then we have to clean everything up before FINALLY getting to the tree. Then we start opening them one by one while everyone watches.
umm we have many the picked up along the way from many families, make fudge and another goodie and bring them to our neighbors, librarians, and teachers. new ornament each year, the most special to me is Nochebuena. This is a traditional latin christmas eve meal. We invent friends and celebrate Cuban style. Thanks for the giveaway.
We’re a young family, so we’re still working on traditions especially as we work towards having a more simple and natural life. But, this year, was the first that I made (and did!) an Advent calendar/countdown chain. I used leftover scrapbooking paper (from before I went digital), printed out the daily activity (each no cost, of course), glued it to the pretty paper, and secured each with brass brads (already laying around the house) to form the links. I was so pleased with myself.
I was just wondering how I could dress up some glass vases I had on my mantle for Christmas and these would be the perfect thing!
Sarah Johnson´s last blog ..Accountability
I retweeted! https://twitter.com/ByGrace3
Susan´s last blog ..Wednesday in the Word: Jesus – God’s Sent One
I’ve been giving my kids ornaments since birth so when they move out and have their own tree, it will be filled of momentos and special ornaments.
jen@odbt´s last blog ..ww: the most famous reindeer of all
Just posted about the giveaway on my blog too -
http://bygrace3.blogspot.com/2009/12/holiday-giveaway-at-simple-mom.html
Susan´s last blog ..Holiday Giveaway at Simple Mom
we do christmas candy with my family each year.
We get Hallmark Keepsake ornaments each year, started by my great-grandmother before I was born. (That’s not the creative part.) We write a Christmas memory on the inside of the new ornament’s box each year when we are putting them away. My kids LOVE reading the memories as we put up the tree each year.
Gail´s last blog ..The stuff that Christmas is made of
I like letting the kids open one present for xmas eve and leaving out cookies for santa and carrots for his reindeer. The kids get so excited about it.
We make cookies and take them to our neighbors.
Emily Armstrong´s last blog ..Purple Fairy
We started the Holiday season on Thanksgiving evening and giving our son a pair of pajammas. That way he can wear them through the whole winter.
Meh, I don’t think I do anything ALL that creative, but one thing we do every year is give the kids new jammies on Christmas Eve. Then, they get to go to bed in snuggly, new pj’s, and wake up in them Christmas morning to open gifts!
We never really did anything that creative for Christmas, but we would make dumplings by hand to prepare for the New Year holiday and the soup we would eat on that day.
My inlaws give us a new Christmas book every year and we open it early and enjoy it and the previous books all through Christmas.
One of my favorite family traditions is making homemade and hand made Christmas candies the week before Christmas and handing them out to friends on Christmas Eve.
Rebecca Mast´s last blog ..He’s Coming
My little family tries to make as many gifts as possible – I knit and sew and ‘make’ lots of presents, and once my daughter is a little older (she’s only 11 months) I will encourage her to be creative and make presents for others as well!
The candle holders are just lovely. We are still adding traditions in our family which is so much fun. We always open one gift on Christmas Eve. This is a tradition my husband grew up with. This year we are doing a Jesse Tree with special Scripture readings and an ornament to add to a small tree each evening. I enjoyed reading all the traditions people have posted here.
HopiQ´s last blog ..Thanksgiving Preparations 3
My husband is an engineer, so we like to build some crazy gingerbread houses.
We do an advent calendar leading up to Christmas. Our family is young, so traditions are just starting.
We have Danish Ebleskivers for breakfast on Christmas morning—the best part is that my husband makes them.
Michelle Marsh´s last blog ..My lifting buddy
Those are so pretty! My family loves to drive around after the Christmas Eve service and look at the lights before coming back home to eat some yummy treats.
My parents gave us an ornament each year, usually one that was representative of something significant about our year that year. We try to do the same thing for our Blessings, though with 7 of them, sometimes it’s quite challenging!
Creative tradition? hmmm?
It’s more another’s tradition that I partake in…Every first Saturday of December, I attend my church’s Ladies Christmas breakfast where individual ladies from my church uniquely decorate tables for all the guests. We have breakfast, usually a drama, a choir and games to open up the Christmas season. It’s absolutely lovely.
And, that evening, my husband and I attend an annual “wreath party” friends of ours have had for 23 years. They have a non-working farm, and in their barn they have piles of various greens. They offer a ring to folks new to the wreath party but veterans bring their ring from years prior to make a Christmas wreath. Everyone is asked to bring a dessert or appetizer to share. My friend decks out her house with amazing decorations, always something to behold, and we enjoy one another’s company for the evening.
These two events are always held the first Saturday of December, and I have come to absolutely cherish kicking off the Christmas season with these two events.
we try to combine bits and pieces from the different cultures that our family has… toutiere pie making from the French Canadian side, tamale making for the Guatemalan side and of course the Christmas Ham or Turkey as well! In addition, we listen to Christmas music in all 3 languages, and try to learn a little about how Christmas is celebrated not just in these countries, but in other countries all over the world.
tweeted http://twitter.com/micaela6955/status/6507709714
Michele P.´s last blog ..It’s snowing and I need a laugh today!
In our family, the FOOD definitely has to be our most creative tradition. My husband’s pineapple chicken balls, sister-in-law’s caramelized onion chip dip, but mostly my big and constantly renewed vat of homemade eggnog!
Going to the Christmas Eve service and singing all of the Christmas carols.
Our family is still young, what we always do is put the kids in their Jammie pop some popcorn ( or buy the big tin can ) and look at christmas lights.
It’s always a fun quiet time we share together.
I love traditions and we have several. I guess the most creative is: we all write down a few things we love about each family member and put it in their stocking for Christmas morning.
Nothing too creative other than homemade sugar cookies for Santa. I let my little one decorate any which way he wants.
As a child we used to have a small nativity luminary candle on the dinner table. Each night my brother and I would take turns lighting the candle and getting to have baby Jesus facing us. It is a great memory! This is a tradition I would like to carry on with my kids some day. Now that I am married my husband and I started our own tradition of picking out an ornament together each year for the tree. We write the year on the back and it is great to think back on each one.
Hm. My now-family (me and my husband) doesn’t have too many traditions, but my sister and parents and I made it a tradition to go to the movie theater on Christmas Eve. I think it started with Toy Story, and it has continued. It was the only time we went to the theater, so it was a special treat. And it took care of the “how will we pass the time before the Christmas Eve service?” quandry.
Kathy´s last blog ..Bound and Buried
We have a holiday tradition of taking a few minutes before dinner to share hopes and wishes for the holiday season and new year individually with every family member. It’s a great way to get some moments of private catch-up time with everyone right before the true hustle and bustle of dinner and presents begins. As for the candles, they are just lovely and would be such a warm treat on our mantle. xoxo
We use our socks (ranging from newborn size to adult) and hang them by a ribbon for our advent calendar. The kids love seeing how very small they were, love knowing exactly how many days left until Christmas, and love finding goodies inside when it’s their turn to take down a sock.
Beautiful candles!
My mom and I bake goodies together during the month of December. We also buy Xmas themed takeout boxes and pile them up with the baked cookies and candies and give them out as gifts. We have such a great time doing it together – I can’t wait to include my future kids!
RaychlP03´s last blog ..Oh, how boring
We buy one Christmas book each year, and then read our collection through out the Christmas season.
Those are beautiful candles.
My favorite Christmas tradition starts in November when we pack an Operation Christmas Child shoebox. I have been packing Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes for years and now that I have kids, I’m so excited to continue this tradition with them. It’s so important for us to teach our kids to give, especially when they “get” so much. It just fills my heart to see them pick out all the toys and fun things that will go into the box for another child. If you’ve never heard of OCC, check them out: http://www.samaritanspurse.org
My boys are a little young yet, but I’d like to start a tradition in a year or two where we actually make the Christmas cards we send out. First few years, they’ll probably just scribble a red and green background, and then I’ll put on the decorations. Right now, it’s mostly just me . . .
Those are so pretty!
My kids are still pretty little, but they love doing our Advent Calendar during the month of December. We alternate fun treats like stickers or candy with little slips of paper instructing us to do a Christmas-themed activity. It could be baking, a craft project or a fun winter activity like snuggling under a blanket with a mug of homemade hot chocolate.
Not a very creative tradition but we open new PJs every Christmas Eve. Last year, the kids made a Nativity together and, if I can find another cute idea, we may make that a tradition.
Shellee´s last blog ..What JW Learned in Sunday School…
My family’s most creative holiday tradition is actually collecting creche scenes – which is how I come to be commenting on this post! Our living room has built-in bookshelves, and come December my mom clears out most of the books and non-seasonal trinkets and displays a dozen or more different creches. We have one that my sister made as a young child; we have a plush set for children to play with; we have a set depicting the nativity happening somewhere in Indonesia, complete with manger as hanging-basket and the house on stilts, and we have a touristy one from Canada depicting bears as the main characters. It makes holiday get-togethers at our house really interesting, as people peruse the collection and pick their favorites.
Actually, this would be a great addition!
My husband and I started the tradition of reading Luke’s account of the Christmas story on the night of Christmas Eve . We started this tradition the first year we were married, and we have now been married 25 years. We do this every year. We love it and it helps to keep our minds and hearts on the real meaning of Christmas.
Tammy Pallotta´s last blog ..2009 FBC Secret Prayer Sister Banquet
My family has fondue every Christmas Eve after service: mmmm, cheesy goodness.
Dren´s last blog ..When a songwriter meets a felted creature during Advent
My babies are grown up now, but when they were young, we had several traditions. None of them are particularly creative, but we enjoyed them just the same. I always made butter cookies with a cookie press, and the kids would decorate them with all those lovely red and green sprinkles, red cinnamon candies, and chocolate sprinkles. We also had a tradition of opening just one present on Christmas Eve.
Sandy´s last blog ..Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!
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