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!
We are a very young family and so are still sorting out and adding to our traditions, borrowing from our childhood and starting a few new. One that our little girl, and her younger brother when she lets him, is to create homemade gifts for her grandparents – she loves to glue, paint and put smiles on their faces! Thanks for sharing such a lovely giveaway – have a beautiful evening!
We have many traditions. My parents are imigrants from Holland so as a kid we celebrated Sinterklaas Day on Dec 6th like they do in Europe. We’d clean up our shoes and place them out for Sinterklaas to fill them with goodies. We always got the traditional chocolate letter for our the first inital of our name, an orange, almond cookies and a few chocolate foiled gold coins. Then Chrsitmas Eve and Christmas Day came and we’s act more American. However, now with my own toddlers, we have one pair of big red wooden shoes (Klompen) for them to place out. They each get one shoe. It is fun and keeps the historical story of St. Nick alive, well minus his helpers (elves) and if you don’t already know well then thats a good thing;) I also buy an ornament for the kids each year just as my mother did for me. We do an advent calender as a family with readings and goodies and tasks to perform. This is rahter new and is evolving as we go. Our kids are young so this is still rather simple. Though this year we are visiting a senior center as a family and passing out goodies to them and well wishes. This year is pacakged tea bags, tea buiscuts, peppermints and a chocolate. We are making little parcels for each senior at the center which is right next to the kids preschool. My parents always had my brothers and I serving the less fortunate and taught us about giving with a joyful heart. I hope to instill this in my own kids too. You do not have to go far to make a difference!
The nativity candels are gorgeous! We have a nativity set by Fisher Prices “little people” but to have a grown up variety would be pleasent too. This would fit well in our little home also. Heres hoping to be picked!!!
These are stunning!
.-= Suzi´s last blog ..SNOW In Texas =-.
Our little family is just getting started so we don’t have many fun or creative traditions yet. We celebrate Advent from Nov.30/Dec.1 through the 24th. Then we celebrate the 12 days of Christmas from the 25th through January 6th. On the 6th we host a Twelfth Night party or dinner, complete with crowns (because we’re all part of God’s royal family!) and a treasure hunt as well as enjoying a time of worship and presenting everyone with a gift to bring them closer to God in the coming year (like a story or regular Bible, bible study, prayer book, etc).
Almost every year we try to create an outside display that promotes Jesus as the Reason for the Season. My favorite was a video that we showed through the living room picture window blinds. It was the story of the birth of Jesus and whoever was outside could see it as if they were watching a movie at the drive in. The garbage collection crew were fascinated by it as they watched from their trucks.
I don’t know that it’s creative… but a favorite family tradition is some special bear and mouse ornaments with our names one them. When we were kids, we would play with them on the tree… now that we are all older, I’ve made a set of them for each sibling.
Promoted
http://blueprintbaby.blogspot.com/2009/12/simple-mom-giveaway.html
Wow, the luminaries are beautiful!
Every Christmas Eve we go to the candlelight service at church then come home and have a candlelight Bethlehem Dinner with Jewish music playing softly in the background. The menu consists of flatbread, boiled halibut (aka mock lobster,) feta, olives, pomegranates, artichoke dip, tomato and cucumber salad, fruits, veggies, dates, figs and sparkling cider. It’s a quiet, peaceful way to usher in the holiday.
The night after Thanksgiving, my mom and I take all the grandkids who want to and drive to see the beautiful Christmas lights at a light park. We always have a wonderful time, listening to Christmas music and getting in the spirit!
This is only our third Christmas together as a married family… (our first with baby in tow!) and for the past two years and this one, we have always traveled on Christmas. Twice to visit my aging Grandparents in the north and once to visit our friends who spent a year in Egypt. It may not be creative…and my husband may not always like it… but traveling on Christmas means that we are brightening someone else’s holidays by giving the gift of our time. That is one thing I really love about our unofficial tradition.
.-= Mandy´s last blog ..A Holiday Giveaway: Lisa Leonard! =-.
We get our daughters an ornament each year showing something they were interested in that year. This year was a book for my daughter who read her first chapter book, and a soccer ball for the one who started soccer.
.-= Becky´s last blog ..Gingerbread Houses! =-.
We really didn’t do much that was creative… my mom quilts like crazy the rest of the year, but it was never a holiday tradition. I guess the most creative thing was that we would make aebleskivers (Danish pancakes shaped like golf-balls) on Christmas morning whenever we were at my grandparent’s house. I loved it! I hope I can start some more fun traditions for when my husband and I have kids…
Those are gorgeous–I want them for my mantle! Our most creative tradition (at least compared to most of the world) is our Christmas Eve dinner. We have posole, which is a soup made with ground red chile peppers, pork, and hominy. It is soooo good–we eat it with flour tortillas. For dessert we have biscochitos. They are little Mexican cookies made with lard and anise seed, among other things. It is the only time I cook with lard, but they are really good and a New Mexican tradition.
I love collecting Christmas children’s books all year at thrift stores. I’m working on getting 24 of good ones that we love. Then, plan on wrapping them and making an advent activity with them – reading one and talking about it each night.
Love it!
Our most creative holiday tradition…probably eating lutefisk (not a very palatable fish)!
Beautiful nativity scene. I hope I win!
.-= Minnesotamom´s last blog ..Cookie Jar Queen =-.
My husband’s not big on tradition, so our tradition is going to be trying something new every year! Whether we just change one thing or do something completely different, it should be fun to come up with new ideas.
.-= Shelsy´s last blog ..Catching Up =-.
When I was a kid we would go to my grandparents’ on Christmas Eve and all the grandkids would put on some kind of production–it was different every year!
.-= Sunshine Mama´s last blog ..Proverbs 31:15 =-.
Our creative tradition is “Hide the Pickle” – I believe it’s a German thing. We hide this green pickle ornament in the tree somewhere and then all the kids look for it at the same time. Whoever finds it wins a prize. It’s always good for a laugh after opening presents.
.-= Jessica @ Acting Adult´s last blog ..Cleaning is Good for the Soul =-.
I also tweeted about your giveaway. Thanks!!!
.-= Jessica @ Acting Adult´s last blog ..Cleaning is Good for the Soul =-.
Those candles are gorgeous!
I guess we have two favorite traditions. The first is our advent calendar- it’s a display of boxes in a cardboard dispenser. Each day, our daughter pulls out the bottom box, and inside is a slip of paper with a Christmas related activity for the day. Sometimes it’s simple, like coloring pages or crafts, others are bigger activities like going to a christmas tree farm, or some sort of special holiday festival. It take a bit of planning, but means more to my daughter than the traditional piece of advent candy.
Our second tradition is to buy or make a new ornament each year- something the symbolizes what the past year meant to us. It’s fun to pull them out each Christmas!
My family, for as long as I can remember, has been getting together at my Grandmother’s house on Christmas Eve to have a huge seafood dinner. It’s a very Italian tradition and I love it.
Our biggest (or longest running) family tradition is that my granddad reads the Christmas story from the Bible on Christmas Day before we can open presents. He has been doing that for as long as I can remember, and I would imagine my great granddad did that before him. Love it!
Tweet http://twitter.com/JacobsenFamily/status/6512068035
Wow! I have admired this candle set since seeing it on the Nester’s blog.
My favorite Christmas tradition is our Christmas Eve dinner. We gather for a full-on Christmas meal, then share dessert around the tree. Everyone gets to open one present (pajamas) and we read the Christmas Story and pray together before heading to bed to listen for sleigh bells. Something about being around the tree, with the anticipation of Christmas morning, makes something simple quite extravagant. On Christmas Day, we have a birthday party for Jesus, complete with birthday cake and gifts.
i tweeted, too
http://twitter.com/jjwest25
We always eat pigs in blankets and roast marshmallows in the fireplace for s’mores the night we decorate the tree. Not gourmet, but lots of fun!
saz AT chainreader DOT com
we just moved away from my family this year. I am trying to create new ones for Christmas day even though it will be difficult for me!
A unique family tradition that my mom started when I was young was that she made paper ginger bread men and sewed them together and hung them up as a cute decoration. Each Ginger Bread Man had a unique or spiritual gift/trinket inside of them that we got to open on Christmas Eve. I have started to do this with my own family, and it is the one gift that means the most every year.
.-= Bonnie´s last blog ..Due Ragazzi =-.
because of our Swedish heritage, we throw in a Santa Lucia Day celebration as well – the youngest girl in the family wears a white dress and a wreath, and brings currant bread to everyone while they’re still in bed that morning.
Beautiful candle set….
As kids my mom always helped my brother and I come up with a simple Christmas craft, like turning used Christmas cards into placemats or ornaments. We made one for each of our aunts and uncles, since they always gave us gifts. I’m starting to do the same this year with my three year old…we are making snowman candle holders out of baby food jars.
I don’t know how creative it is, but we feel compelled to read “T’was the Night Before Christmas” on Christmas Eve , along with the bible about the birth of Jesus. We also must open one present on Christmas Eve…
we love taking the kids to the dollar store on Christmas eve so they can each buy something for each other….they have a blast picking stuff out and with 4 of them we don’t break the bank!
On December 25, the Wise Men start their long trek to the manger… navigating through various parts of the house, coming down the stairs, across the mantel, through the living room, and to the creche at last. If the kids make them move too far too soon, the last few days they might move inches at a time. It gets kind of funny.
Thanks for the opportunity — those are GORGEOUS.
.-= Elaine P´s last blog ..The AliceBot 5000 =-.
This is not creative by any means, but even though we own the DVD, we always turn on A Christmas Story movie for the 24 hour marathon. I will watch it over and over while I am wrapping or making gifts late into the night on Christmas Eve. We LOVE that movie!!
Oh, those candles are beautiful. Our best and maybe most creative Christmas tradition is to have a Birthday Cake for Jesus. Sometimes we bake it ourselves and sometimes it’s a fancier store bought cake with Happy Birthday Jesus written on it. Jesus has even had a Mickey Mouse ice cream cake because my then 4 year old daughter just KNEW that was the cake that Jesus wanted that year – she KNEW it!
Our other tradition that really needs to be broken – and I’m determined to break it this year – is the wrapping of the presents on Christmas morning while the family is waiting to open them – seriously, why am I bothering at that point!?
Ever since childhood my parents have given us a Christmas tree ornament. After family dinner and church service on Christmas Eve it’s the only present we are allowed to open. The idea was that once we moved out of the house to start our own families we would have a bunch of ornaments to use on our own trees with happy holiday memories from our past.
Since we’ve been married, my husband and I have carried on his family’s tradition of celebrating St. Nick’s on December 6th. It’s a German tradition, and it’s a fun way to kick start the holidays, and teach our children about kindness.
I am a new reader, and I absolutely love the site. Thanks so much!
Our favorite “new” tradition- sending a care package through anysoldier.com. We don’t have any family/friends in the military, but want to support our troops, and this is an awesome, personal way to do so. My kids are able to understand it as well. Neat giveaway!
i love these!!! sorry…i’m so tired i can’t think right now of a tradition…
.-= courtney´s last blog ..expect the unexpected =-.
We save most of our charity/missions giving in a special account throughout the year for dispersement in the month of December. We include our young children in making the decisions for part of that money so that they learn to think of giving more globally than just amongst our family and friends. It also helps us re-focus Christmas on the real reason that Jesus came to earth – because He loved people and came to make a way to save people (including us) from sin – the ULTIMATE gift.
I re-tweeted (hmferrero is my user id).
The most creative thing we have done is a Jesse Tree, but I got that idea from another blog, so I guess that wasn’t too creative on my own. I’m a programmer and not very creative. Thanks so much for the chance to win the beautiful candles!
.-= Holly F´s last blog ..Here we go again =-.
More practical than creative, but since we have 2 kids under three, I usually get things they need for Christmas, like clothes. So I decided to start a tradition of getting the kids jammies, and since my family tradition was open one present on Christmas eve, I will have the kids open they jammies they will where that night. This year I bought my son and daughter matching jammies, one in pink and one in blue…perfect for cute photos on Christmas morning!
.-= carolyn´s last blog ..Mess =-.
Those are beautiful! I think I’ll send the link to my dad since I haven’t given him my wish list! I knew there was a reason why I waited!
What a beautiful set! We go to Christmas Eve mass, then drive around looking at Christmas lights. Christmas morning we take turns opening gifts – after someone opens a gift, they choose the next gift from under the tree and deliver it to its recipient. It helps the opening to last longer and everyone gets to enjoy seeing all the gifts and reactions to them.
In terms of creativity, I am most creative in the kitchen. My girls and I are responsible for doing all of our family’s Christmas baking.
But my favourite tradition happens on the night we put up and decorate our tree. Since becoming a single mom a few years ago, on the day we decorate the tree, we order in pizza and watch The Polar Express while sitting in front of the t.v. and beside the tree.
Traditions start subtly and I had no way of knowing that this would become a “tradition” with my small family, but I’m sure glad it did!
Well, I am not sure it is terribly creative but we do the ornament thing for the kids each year (like Lisa, it has to do with some milestone/interest of the year), I also get an ornament when we travel so our tree is filled with memories of family trips, we string popcorn and cranberries EVERY YEAR (we’re on on 22nd), and the kids all get a pair of new, freshly washed pjs on Christmas Eve which they put on and then we watch a new, freshly unwrapped Christmas movie.
My husband and I will have our 3 year anniversary on Dec 22nd. In an attempt to start our own family Christmas tradition, we go out on our anniversary each year and buy a new ornament for our tree. We attach a tag to the ornament saying where we were on our anniversary and a favorite memory from that year. Right now we have 3 ornaments on our tree (we got one on our wedding day). I can’t wait to one day have a Christmas tree full of ornaments celebrating our marriage and love through the years.
My family has a birthday cake for Jesus on the 25th!
not sure how creative it is. But we have 24 christmas stories, ranging from religous to fun. Of course we read Twas the Night before Christmas on th 24th, but the rest is up to them. In the past I’ve wrapped each book individually so they didn’t know what one they were reading. But this year I just didn’t have time, and I also thought it wasn’t very “green” of me to do that.
My family always has a christmas brunch before we open our gifts.
My dh and I have the tradition of going for a walk around Christmas time and “judging” lights. We give points for various things, and it is super hard for anyone to get a perfect 10!
.-= Tammy´s last blog ..~Sunday~ =-.
we are a young family of four and we’re excited about a new tradition we decided on – buying a board game for Christmas Eve night and spending that time as a family, playing together and enjoying the evening. we can’t wait!
We make our own ornaments. Every year it’s something new!
Our tradition is to try to write unconventional Christmas letters–something funny and a little self-deprecating as opposed to writing a letter that focuses only on the highlights. This year’s letter includes an embarrassing story about publicly tearing a pair of pants while golfing.
Every year me and my girls make up a batch of 10 dozen chocolate chip cookies for friends and family. We look forward to it every year, because the recipe is so labor intensive that we only do it at Christmas.
.-= Candy´s last blog ..December Daily – Day 7 + 8 =-.
We eat chocolate chip waffles with whip cream and fruit in our pj’s after we open gifts and read about baby Jesus. So Fun!
When we were first married, my husband and I bought the Robert Goulet Christmas album as a joke more than anything (sorry if there are any die hards out there!). Our favourite Christmas tradition has become to listen to that CD every year as we decorate the tree, and our kids absolutely love it
.-= Kim´s last blog ..9/365 =-.
Wow, most creative? I guess the most different thing we do is follow the ancient Christian tradition of fasting during Advent–maintaining an almost vegan diet similar to Daniel’s in the Bible. That’s not really creative because millions of Christians do the same thing all over the world, but we do get pretty creative trying to figure out food that both feels fun for the kids and is nutritious. I can make beans a million ways, and that’s pretty creative I guess
Love your website! Our favorite tradition is our Santa’s Elf Dolls. Every year, on the night of Thanksgiving, the Santa Dolls appear in our children’s beds. Santa drops them off at the beginning of the Christmas season, you see, so they can watch over the children and report back to Santa about them! On Christmas Eve, when Santa delivers the presents, he picks up the dolls and they go back to the North Pole with him until next year.
We get a new ornament each year for our tree. But my favorite thing that we do (besides caroling with the choir), is that everyone has to tell what they are thankful for before the kids open Christmas gifts. Some of the sweetest things are said.
.-= Robin´s last blog ..30 Day Challenge Update & Wifey Wednesday =-.
My best friend, myself and both of our families used to get together every year to hunt for our christmas trees. A couple of years ago, we both bit the bullet and purchased fake trees. We needed to come up with a new tradition, so this is what we came up with. We all pile into her husband’s SUV, we stop at Sonic and each order our favorite frosty drink, and then we drive around and check out all of the cool and crazy holiday displays in our town! We end up back at one of our houses for pizza and fun! It has become something we all look forward to at the holidays!
Well, my little family is just starting up but I’m incorporating some great traditions from my growing up years. A new tradition for us: the Jesse tree (http://www.beautifulcalling.ca/2009/12/jesse-tree-journey-to-manger.html) and some from growing up: Christmas Eve potluck and carolling and PJ’s as presents on Christmas Eve.
.-= Jenn @ Beautiful Calling´s last blog ..Family Traditions: Embracing Change =-.
Um, I don’t think we do anything really creative at all. Unless you count decorating a gingerbread house, I guess that takes some creativity!
.-= Post-Modern Jen´s last blog ..Merry SITSmas All! =-.
I’m just starting traditions with my little ones this year. I think the most creative so far has been limiting the gifts for the boys to only 3. I’ve had to be really creative to get some fun things that are within my budget.
.-= LaToya´s last blog ..Jesse Tree =-.
I love your blog
My family tradition may seem silly, but it was creative to us. My dad is a meat and potatoes kind of man. Every meal we had meat, potatoes, and a plate of bread with butter. Very midwest. For my dad spaghetti was stepping out of the box. But not on Christmas Eve. On that one day, we always tried something new, something we’d never had previously. And it was always exciting!
.-= Danica Evans´s last blog ..Frosted Trees =-.
We make a gingerbread house with our 5 yr old and try to do lots of other fun crafts each year.
We just started a tradition this year of having our three-year-old pick out his own ornament. He loves it.
.-= Andrea´s last blog ..He Went About Doing Good =-.
Hello from the snowy and bitterly COLD boonies of Mongolia!
Yes – the other side of the world!!
We have lived and worked here as missionaries for the past 17 years and our Christmas traditions have indeed been SIMPLE. We like it that way wherever we are, but it is easier to “pull-off” here than in the States! I confess we have shied away from *advent* activities, per se, but this year, leading up to Christmas, we are reading various Old and New Testament verses/passages that speak of the coming of Jesus the Messiah and it has been such a great way to prepare our hearts & minds for the *day* itself! We sometimes have Mongolian friends over to share a meal with us and explain what this holiday means to us. Otherwise, we are not huge into gift giving, but love to do small, thoughtful and fun gifts for the stocking! One thing is sure — we always have SNOW!! The luminaries are really beautiful…..subtle-y so, as you say. They would be a lovely addition to our *understated* decor! thanks…..
I love these!
Hmmm… I love my mom’s pepper jelly. She makes huge pots every year, and colors them red and green with food coloring. So yummy with cheese and crackers.
Reading Luke 2 and then the Night before Christmas, a book my husband’s family has had since they were little.
When I was a little girl, my grandma convinced me that one of Santa’s elves lived in my sandbox. Creative one that I was, I named her Sandy. She appeared just after Halloween and would report back to Santa on a regular basis. Most of my early childhood was spent trying to catch her in action.
Now that my kids are old enough to get the Santa thing, I’ve passed Sandy on to them. They’ve been looking for her for months and are thrilled when she catches them doing something good!
We began what will be a new tradition this Christmas. Our advent calendar consists of a hanging string of numbered envelopes–with a different family activity tucked inside for each day leading up to Christmas. Today we all worked on a Christmas puzzle together after dinner. My boy loves opening up a new envelope each morning and reading the day’s activity. There have been some hits and misses thus far with these activities–but it’s been a great way to promote slowing down and spending time together each day during this busy season. We will definitely do this again next Christmas!
Thanks for the chance to win the beautiful luminaries!
What beautiful candles!
We have an advent calendar and inside each date is a slip of paper with a family activity for the evening written on it. They are never elaborate (look at Christmas lights, make peppermint bark together, put a puzzle together, etc.), but the kids absolutely love it. It makes for some simple, relaxing family time in the midst of the holiday craziness.
Hmm…most creative? We always watch It’s a Wonderful Life and drink cocoa. Does that count?
This is our first Christmas with just our family, in part because we’re supposed to be having a baby.
So it’s been hard to start many “traditions” thus far, although this year our biggest (besides the whole birth thing) is probably foregoing the big Christmas tree in favor of the tiny Charlie Brown looking potted tree, which we can plant in our yard come spring. Our hope is to do something like that every year, so we can have the beauty of a real tree without having to actually cut one down! 
We’ve also chosen to stick with mostly “shopping the house” and making our own natural decorations for the home, in keeping with our desire to focus on what matters most at Christmas…not buying things, but being with people and serving.
.-= Rebeccah´s last blog ..When He Says "I Don’t." =-.
Our special thing is that we remove Jesus from the Nativity every year. We hide him in the room with the tree and NO ONE can open presents until we find Him. It helps get the focus from presents and on Jesus when they wake up and are foggy headed(forgetful).
.-= Mary´s last blog ..Huh? =-.
My kids wake up to find “Santa’s footprints” across the room from the back door to the tree (we don’t have a fireplace). Baking soda sprinkled through a cut-out boot print…
When I was a kid my parents once attached yarn to the bottom of each of our stockings and it was like a giant spider web across the whole house. We each had to follow our own yard to the end where we found sleds. My sister and I did this for our parents as adults and it was hysterical watching them try to climb around in the yarn and over each other. Such a great memory!
Our most creative Christmas traditions are homemade presents, and trying to find a place for our Christmas tree in out small apartment. Not much, but this is only our 2nd Christmas as a family! These candles are so cute! I might actually have to buy them for myself if I don’t win!!
We wait until our kids are snug in their beds, then we get everyone up (in their pj’s and slippers) and head out to look at Christmas lights. I bring Hot Chocolate, some extra blankets and cookies/popcorn.
The kids love it and ask when we are going to do it every year!
.-= Angie´s last blog ..Batteries not included and Some assembly required =-.
My family’s creative tradition for Christmas lies in the wrappings. Throughout our lives, we strive to wrap it in a way that’s never happened before… presents have been put in every food item you can think of (jello, pudding, ice, rice krispie treats, etc.), put in cement, tarred and feathered… you name it. Christmas morning is chaotic but wonderful at my house!
.-= Heather´s last blog ..Fitness… or lack there of. =-.
Every week of advent we add new characters to our nativity so baby Jesus does not appear until the last week of advent.
It’s not original–we ripped it off from The Christmas Story–but we get take-out Chinese food every Christmas eve. It’s fun and makes things less stressful since no one needs to cook!
One of our favorite traditions is to take our family photo card and write major events of the year and favorites of our four kids for that year. It’s fun to look back over the years of photos and milestones and favorites.
We also buy a new ornament for each child each year and I write their names and the year on the ornament. When they leave home they’ll have their set of ornaments to take with them if they want.
.-= Rose´s last blog ..The Starrs Arrive Today! =-.
I would love to be added to your giveaway!
One of our favorite traditions is setting up a separate, small tree that we use to hang felt nativity ornaments on while we read the Christmas story from Luke, chapter 2.
~ Christina
.-= HsKubes´s last blog ..Songs for This Special Season… =-.
My son is 2 1/2, so this is the year we are really starting to establish some traditions. Even the simple advent calendar is a big hit for him – he wants to put Jesus up in the manger every day!
Growing up, our family had an “elves party” every Christmas Eve. We even dressed in hats and shoes with bells (made by my mom), sang songs, danced, and then played a new game that “santa had dropped off for the elves.” So fun!
.-= Alissa´s last blog ..Conversation with the Universe =-.
My family has a very old tradition of hiding a pickle ornament in the Christmas tree. The first one to find it on Christmas Eve gets to wear the Santa hat and hand out presents.
I love reading all these traditions in the comments!
One tradition we have is to make chocolate covered cherries at Christmas time. We’ve done it for over 15 years now, and we give them to our neighbors and friends.
.-= Ruth´s last blog ..Laraine Shoulder Bag Kit Giveaway =-.
When we were little, we lined up in the hall, youngest to oldest, and then ran into the living room to find out what Santa brought. I’m 39 and we still did it last year.
.-= Stephanie´s last blog ..My new favorite song =-.
This nativity trio is ablstuley wonderful!!
I ouwld so love to win it.
Please enter my name.
I’ll come back and tell you when i have posted about it.
blessings
barbara jean
Hmmm. Just in case i do not win, are they for sale??
.-= Barbara Jean´s last blog ..Thrifty Vintage Thursday =-.
I posted about the giveaway.
Please enter my name again.
Sorry, I do not twitter or tweet.
barbara jean
.-= Barbara Jean´s last blog ..A Wonderful Giveaway!!! =-.
I forgot to tell you a tradition:
Here are two.
When I was young we used to go very year to the woods and cut our own tree.
In those days (oh that makes me sound old) you did not need a permit or have to go to a certain area or anything.
You just went out wherever and cut whatever you wanted.
It was usually snowing on the pass and we made a play day of it too.
Going down the hill on an old washing machine lid.
The other thing we have done is to make a manger instead of having a tree.
One year i made it life size, and put candles all around the bottom of it.
thanks for letting us share
barbara jean
.-= Barbara Jean´s last blog ..A Wonderful Giveaway!!! =-.
every year on christmas eve everyone wears their new christmas jammies and open one gift before going to sleep all together in the living room.
These are adorable!
Most creative holiday tradition, besides managing to get Christmas shopping done WITH the kids and them not ever seeing the surprise purchases, would be going out and handpicking the mistletoe that grows in the oak trees on my mom’s property. Then we put them in a small silver teardrop shaped holder and hang it over the door. The kids love it! And love the little kisses they get for not only being the helpers but the tradition of the mistletoe.
.-= Jessalee´s last blog ..The TRUTH =-.
tweeted
deefna
RT @tweetmeme A Holiday Giveaway: Dayspring http://bit.ly/8Inunh
We don’t really have any traditions yet…I’m thinking of a Jessie tree. I really have been trying to get a child’s nativity scene…and hopefuliy I will get some baking done. When I was a child we would make popcorn cranberry garlands and hang them on the tree after the season we would hang them on trees outside for the wildlife =)
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Growing up, our Christmas tradition was to select a pair of shoes we then needed to carefully clean and polish and then leave before the fire place where Father Christmas would stop by and pile our gifts on the shoes. The most fun was trying to pick the RIGHT kind of shoes, those where more things could be piled on without the pile toppling, or those who were the deepest for those lovely little gifts that would then shift down to the tip…
This nativity creation is beautiful. A new tradition we started is having an activity oriented advent instead of the treaty kind. It is a fun way to plan and be creative with the kids and helps when us moms get caught up in the busy busy of the holiday.
A tradition we started last year is to have my daughter (now 3) help out with making Christmas dinner. Since we have family members who visit on Christmas Eve and some who visit on Christmas, there are lots of opportunities for our daughter to assist.
.-= Gregory´s last blog ..Thanksgiving Menu =-.
My kids are only 2 and a half and 1, so we are still new on the Christmas traditions, but I just try to make everything special for my 2 yr old. He received the little people nativity this year, and he has been singing Christmas songs constantly! I love hearing all the wonderful traditions from everyone. Thank you!!!
Well…this was not my idea…I got it from someone’s blog a couple years ago, but I LOVE it! When I wrap all the gifts I no longer put “to” & “from” tags on them, now I put a sticker with a number on the present & keep a master list of who it’s from (Mom & Dad or Santa). Then no one knows who the big box is for or who gets the present that sounds like a million tiny parts jumbling around. Then Christmas morning when we open gifts the kids will pull out a gift & we’ll all find out who it’s for & that person gets to open their gift. I have so much fun with this & now that my kids are older & have alittle more patience (and less presents) they enjoy it too.
Smiles, DianeM
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