5th Day of Christmas Giveaway with Melissa Taylor
Published December 5, 2010Special Sale: If you’d like info on a tax-free & free-shipping Christmas special on my books, click here.
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Welcome to the 5th Day of Christmas Giveaway!!
Each day, December 1-12th, I am featuring a fellow Proverbs 31 sister and an aspect of Christmas. You’ll get to know her and she, in turn, will offer a fabulous giveaway! Simply leave a comment on her post to be entered in the drawing.
And, one soon-to-be-very-giddy gal who comments on all 12 posts will win the GRAND PRIZE! You may comment on all posts until Monday, December 13th when the winners will be announced. (to see the grand prize and get caught up on the posts click here)
Now, here’s our fifth P31 gal……the sweet Melissa Taylor!!!
Hi! I’m so excited to be a part of Karen’s 12 Days of Christmas. My name is Melissa Taylor. I have been on the Speaker Team at Proverbs 31 Ministries for six years. I also work in the P31 office full time as admin assistant, prayer coordinator, and part time radio assistant. I’ve been married for 21 years and have 4 great kids!
We moved a lot during my early childhood. Before the age of 9, I had spent Christmas in Taylors SC, Memphis TN, Winter Park FL, Albany GA, Greenville SC, and Charlotte NC. Moving around so much was difficult because life was always changing. There were some things however that remained constant.
One of those was my very favorite Christmas tradition. My favorite tradition is one that most families do during the holidays. And it’s one that has provided me with more than just a good time. It represents love, life, family, memories, and it’s something I’ve always been able to count on year after year. Growing up and still today, my favorite tradition is decorating the Christmas tree.
Our Christmas tree was never one that most would consider beautifully decorated. I know in many homes I’ve been in, the tree is amazing. Every ornament strategically placed, every light coordinated to compliment the decor, ribbons and flowers and ting ting spruced throughout looking as if Martha Stewart herself had decorated it.
I have a friend who doesn’t allow her kids to touch her tree. That’s her thing. I know another family who places all the kids’ homemade ornaments on the back of the tree, only the perfect store bought matching ornaments in the front. All that is okay, but that’s not the way it was in my family.
My mom made decorating the tree a true family event. No matter where we lived or what was going on in “real life”, the tree decorating time was fun and memorable. Our ornaments were mostly homemade or purchased somewhere that held a special memory. Each ornament told a story and of course we retold those stories year after year. Life changed, but decorating the Christmas tree brought us back year after year to a place where we felt the love and comfort of home.
This tradition continues in my home today. Tree decorating time is our favorite. My kids love putting up the ornaments they claim as their own. With the Christmas music in the background, party mix and hot chocolate on the coffee table, we come together creating new memories with the same old tradition.
Since my childhood, there have been many more ornaments and memories added to our family tree from my own husband and kids. And this year will be extra bitterweet because we lost my sweet mom, it’s our first Christmas without her. Even though she will not physically be here, with many of the ornaments we hang, there will be a memory of mom and a story to be told. Her legacy will live on partially through decorating the tree.
Melissa’s Giveaway
As you read this, I am vacationing with my family in Walt Disney World. As an early Christmas gift, my inlaws have taken the whole Taylor family to the most magical place on earth. It’s one of my very favorite places because of the special memories I’ve had there during my lifetime with my family.
We will for sure purchase a Christmas ornament to mark the occasion. And so I will purchase 2, one for us and one for today’s lucky winner. If you win today, you will receive an ornament along with some hot chocolate and party mix.
If you have a special tradition or memory you’d like to share, we’d love to read about it. Just leave a comment and not only will you be sharing a special tradition, but you’ll also be entered to win today’s Christmas prize. If you don’t have a memory to share or the time today to share it, just tell us who your favorite Disney character is. 
Magical Blessings,
192 Responses to 5th Day of Christmas Giveaway with Melissa Taylor
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My Family
Daisy Duck
We make Santa ornaments out of the kids hands each year – this, along with hanging them on the tree is one of my favorite traditions – I love looking back at how they’ve grown over the years.
Have a wonderful vacation with your family!
We also love decorating the tree at our house. My tree is getting so full of ornaments made by the kids, we almost don’t have room for the others! I love to look at the tree when we are done and remember all of the stories that go with each ornament.
Our tree is not fashionable as well. The kids and I decorate with their favorite ornaments they made. A lot of the ornaments get bunched in one spot. I leave them the way the kids put them. It is definately family time.
I love Minnie Mouse!
My favorite Disney Character, hands down: Flower, from Bambi.
Decorating the tree in our home has always been a big tradition. And afterwards grandmas sugar cookies and homemade custard. Such a special time for our family. And the ornaments are mostly what we have collected over the years that have special meaning and yes, even the homemade ones. We always have the most beautiful Christmas tree!!
Mickey Mouse is MY main Mouse…For the 12 days of Christmas this year I made Mitten Garland for each of my kids…so simply and fun.
My oldest daughter, now 35, loves Disney and has every movie made so it was easy buying ornaments for her each year. My youngest daughter played basketball, grade school thru college so her ornaments were also easy to pick out. The hard part was when they got married and I had to divvy up the ornaments!
I love Donald Duck!
Two favorite of my favorite traditions growing up were decorating the tree together and watching “White Christmas!”
Now, my husband and I are starting up new traditions with our kids. For the past several years, we’ve also gone caroling singing traditional Christmas songs with our fellowship!
Goofy!
We’ve had to start new traditions with our family, but every year I got pajamas from my great grandma and when she passed my mom. When my mom was growing up she had gotten them every year from her grandma … I can’t wait for my kids to get jammies every year from their Nana, they don’t appreciate it now, but I know they will!
I loved decorating the tree and the house when our children lived at home. We put on Christmas music and just had fun goofing around and laughing. And of course, when we turned on the tree lights we proclaimed every tree we ever had as “the best one yet!” Afterwards, I would fix nachos for dinner (I know, not very Christmasy, but for some reason it was part of the tradition!)
I still decorate at Christmas, but it’s not nearly as much fun without everyone here to help!
I’m in! I was just there at Disney, too.
My favorite Christmas memory is when I was in elementary school (many years ago) and my brother would wake me up around 2:00 a.m. on Christmas morning to tell me that Santa had come. We’d go into the den, just look at what had magically appeared and go back to bed. Ah. Good times!
I too LOVE decorating the tree!
We always wore red and white striped pajamas on Christmas and so have my boys. When I had trouble finding them, I would get the material and have someone make them. I laughed reading about putting the less than perfect ornaments in the back of the tree. I made an ornamement in first grade, a gold bell with my name on it with glue and glitter and I always hung it in the most prominentspot on the tree and my older brother always took it off and moved it to the back when I was not home. This ornament spent the whole season relocating back and forth. I laugh now as my kids hang their ornaments in the most prominent place!
Now that our children are older, every year they alternate who sets up the tree…it is so fun to see how they each create something different. Melissa, hope you and your family are having a wonderful time! What a treat after a challenging year. Blessings to you all!
My favorite tradition is decorating the tree, too. My mom started a tradition of giving each of us kids an ormnament so that when we left home, we’d have them to decorate our own trees. Each one was carefully chosen to represent something we did or accomplished that year, like driving or playing a sport or even just a seasonal one.
We have the same Christmas ornament tradition in our home. It is always a trip down memory lane for us. It was also the one tradition I was able to continue after my mother went to Heaven as well. My son is getting married soon and I plan to give them a few special ornaments as a wedding gift to hopefully carry on the tradition in his home too.
I love decorating the tree with my husband as well as, we usually put together a tin of goodies for friends and family of homemade goodies!
They are predicting a foot or more of snow for us here in the Pa. snow belt…so far just light fluffy stuff..but, this afternoon we are off to get our tree. Everyone has special decorations they place…mine is a tin santa from my childhood. When we travel we always pick up a Christmas ornament too. Fun to remember memories as we unpack!
Oh handmade ornaments are the best. My family puts up our Christmas tree the day after Thanksgiving. With Christmas carols playing in the background. I love to put up the ornaments that my kids made in kindergarten right in front. This year we made felt ornaments together. Those are all around the tree.
My favorite Disney character is Donald Duck.
Enjoy your vacation:)
Every year I try to find fun, cozy pjs for my kids to give to them a couple days before Christmas (and of course we take goofy pictures in front of the tree). I love baking with my kids too now that they are old enough. Have a lovely vacation!
Mickey Mouse!
One of our traditions is jammie night. We all put on our jammies, have hot cocoa and drive around town to look at Christmas lights…we Love that night!!
We always decorated the tree together also. I also remember mom hanging up every Christmas Card we received with a piece of tape over and around the doorways. When you walked through, you were surrounded by card of people we loved.
My immediate family moved quite often when I was growing up, including several of the same cities Melissa spent time in. Every year, with the exception of one, we would visit my grandparent’s farm for Christmas, whether we had to drive 6 hours or 16 to get there. At times, I would say that Mema’s house seemed more like home than my own because it never changed. Now, with children of my own, we still try to make a trip to Mema’s house during the holidays.
Our Christmas tradition is to read the Christmas story before any presents are opened. From the time my children were little, we have always read from the NIV. One year, when our son was in his early 20s, we were at my in-laws and they had a different translation. The so upset my son, that from then on we always make sure to have the NIV on hand… and he always asks before we begin reading what translation we are reading from. This year I will be reading to my grandchildren. I am trying hard to memorize it! How special traditions are!
We started a Christmas tradition 2 years ago of making a gingerbread house together. This year I found a ginger bread train. I too love Disney. I adore all the characters but love Mickey.
MERRY CHRISTMAS
I don’t have a favorite Disney character, but I do have a favorite Disney movie. “Snow White” is such fantastic animation for being made in 1939. I love it!
My mother set a couple of Christmas traditions that I’ve been told I have to carry on. My mother made 4 home-made stocking for each of my children when they were little. I’ve tried to go a Christmas or two without doing the stocking-thing, but — boy! — do I get long faces! Also, my mother began the tradition of giving each of her grandchildren a new ornament for the Christmas tree each year. She mentioned that she was no longer going to be doing it this year. You should have heard the moaning! Looks like I’ll be taking that tradition over, too! Blessings to all!
We love listening to Christmas music while decorating the Christmas Tree and each night we try to take a few minutes to sit with only the lights on from the tree. It gives us a time to be still and reflect on the reason for the season, our precious Savior and Lord. We love attending our Christmas Eve service with Carols, Candles, and Communion, opening one gift, and then one of us reading the Christmas Story of Jesus from Luke.
Alice in Wonderland and The Mad Hatter chatting with my son and signing an autograph for his girlfriend. The Hatter kept saying, “Walk and Talk” as they walked away.
Edie
I’m a Pooh Bear fan & was so excited when I got my picture taken with him at Disney World on a Christmas vacation!
My favorite Disney character is Dumbo! I have to admit that I cry when they separate him from his mother!
I, too, love decorating our tree with my family. I treasure the homemade ornaments so much more than the fancy store bought ones. I also love, love, LOVE baking Christmas cookies. We have recipes passed down from my great-great….etc grandma and they are so special.
Amy
Goofy
Church on Christmas eve. We’d skip dinner, get all dressed up – REALLY dressed up with fancy upswept hair and all, then go to church, which always ended with ‘Silent Night’ by candlelight, then either have people over to our house or go to my great-aunt’s for a party there. After that we’d stay up late, watching Christmas movies and making fruit salad for dinner the next day. It was always so much fun! My family now has a party after Christmas eve church services, too.
We just returned from Disney last week! An early gift from my in-laws! My favorite tradition we do in our home is the nativity. When we are ready to set up the nativity, the whole family gets together and the children take turns choosing pieces of the nativity. I take the pieces that are left over (to prevent WW III over who has more than someone else). My husband reads the Christmas story and as that character is mentioned, the children place them in the nativity. We usually then pray and sing Christmas Carols…I remember doing this in my home as a child and it is beautiful seeing my children get excited about it now!
A tradition when I was growing was my dad always reading the Christmas story from Luke 2 before we did any presents….. now we do it with our young children….
Like you, all our tree ornaments have special memories – made by the kids, or made by friends, or given as gifts over the years. My children are grown now and have ‘left’ home, coming just a few days before Christmas Day, so I have had to decorate the tree myself. But one tradition we do is that some of my ornaments are tiny Kenyan ‘ciondo’ baskets, which I fill with sweets. I always wonder how long they’ll last as my son loves peering inside to find a tasty snack! They’re always all gone well before New Year!
Opening gifts one at a time, olest to youngest and vice versa, creates patience in the littlest ones but th all tolerate it very well. Also breakfast enchiladas is always a big hit!!
One tradition we started since my husband became a minister is hosting an open house every December as a way of giving back to our congregation. One little way we say thank you for another great year!
My family celebrate “Norwegian” Christmas so we open gifts on Christmas Eve. Christmas morning we open our stockings together and get together to eat breakfast! My grandparents once took the WHOLE family to Disney World and it was a BLAST! I hope you are having a fabulous time!
For several years we have had a basket of wrapped Christmas books. Each day, the children open one book that we read together. They look forward to these books each year and it helps the little ones leave to presents under the tree alone. We use a combination of sacred and more secular books. They love it and I do too!
Each year we take our kids out to find the “perfect” tree for our home. Then we come back home and my husband gets the tree in the stand while the kids and I pull out the ornaments and turn on the Christmas music. After the tree is decorated we turn on the tree lights and sit back with a cup of hot chocolate. It is a family affair when we decorate our tree each year.
Each year I purchase my children a new ornament for the tree. I choose something that respresents something that has happened in their life during the year. My kids (ages 30 and 24) enjoy looking at the tree each year and finding “thier” special oranments. My daughter wants to know when she can have her ornaments…I don’t know that it will happen anytime soon. LOL
Every year growing up, we would go in the first few days of December to cut down a Christmas tree. As we got older and family circumstances changed, we didn’t do it as often. It’s a special time to remember because it was the ONE thing our family did every year together.
In our family the Christmas tree is also a fmaily event. The only part that is strictly mine is putting on the lights. I was taught by my mother and have continued in her ways only one way to put on the lights. Once this is done its ornament time! We have some store bought…and each get a new store bought each year; but the majority are homemade. Each has its own story and memories that we recall as they are put in the perfect place on the tree.
When my children were pre-schoolers we made cookie ornaments and my parents gave us their old four-foot artifical trees with old ornaments. They had more fun decorating and undecorating “their” tree when ever they felt like it and didn’t really care about the “grown-up tree”. You should have seen their little faces beam with accomplishment. I don’t know what kept them from eating the cookies?? Looking back, I now realize it’s not how “perfect” the tree looks, it’s the memories that were created with all the imperfections.
I’m in!
I’m in!
Sweet Millisa…This is the 5th Christmas without my Mom…I will be praying for you and your family…Our tree is filled with so many memories…stories to tell. I love getting ornaments on vacation or special places we go. Our children are grown, but we now have grandchildren ornamets…It’s not perfect, but it is full of love and memories…
My parents give each family member an ornament a year, so our tree is full of different fun ornaments. I have collected 38 so far and my husband has been in the family for 20 years. We have four children 16, 11, 10 and 5. So each year we have to carfully select which ornaments will go on the tree. The tree and ornaments are fun, but my favorite part is the manger scenes. I collect them and have so many differnt ones that I love this time of year when I get them out and transform our home into a magical christmas wonderland!
I have collected ornaments for my children since they were small. Every year they would receive a new ornament corresponding to what was going on in their life at the age they were at. When they got married they had ornaments to put on their 1st Christmas tree.
Christmas is the BEST time of the year!
We just completed the tree decorating for this year! Yeah! Our tree sounds a lot like Melissa’s…all homemade ornaments or ones that the kids have picked out through the years. One of our favorite Christmas traditions is finding the perfect tree at a Tree Farm. We started this tradition when we lived in Michigan. Now we have made our home near family in Iowa and have visited a couple farms. Some of our favorite Christmas memories center around the whole process…complete with bundling up, trecking in the snow, warming up with hot chocolate and a cookie.
I love having Christmas breakfast with my parents and siblings. When I was growing up, after we had opened our gifts at home, we would head to my grandma’s house for Christams breakfast. I didn’t realize how much it meant to me until my grandma had passed away. Now my husband, kids, and I go to my parents house for Christmas breakfast with them. The tradition continues, just in a different location.
My family never had any traditions that I can remember. We’ve never gotten together as a family to decorate a tree or anything like that. I’m sure my sister, her husband, and the two kids have their own traditions and my younger sister probably gets together with them during the holiday to do fun things but I’ve never been invited to participate in family fun. Usually this was because I had to work and never had a day off except Christmas Eve and Christmas. My family and spending time with them is important to me and it always made me sad when I was left out because of having to work. There have been a few times when my younger sister and I stayed over Christmas night at the married sister’s house whenever we celebrated Christmas day at her house. I guess that could be a tradition.
Our 4 children are grown and we have 10 beautiful grandchildren that are scattered from just 20 mins from our home to all the way in Kuwait. Decorating the tree is usually done by me but occasionally my grandchildren are over and able to help. My husband and I buy a special ornament from every place we visit and it’s so much fun to hang them on the tree and remember the fun we had and the memories we made over the years. I still have many handmade ornaments my children made when they were in school and I love bringing each one out to hang. There’s just nothing better to play Christmas music while decorating the tree, singing about the birth of our wonderful Savior!
We always buy our boys an ornament that represents their interest for that year. We have bought both of them a small tree they have on their dressers and they decorate themselves with their ornaments they have collected.
My parents took our whole family and my sister’s to Disney World last year. We loved it!! Hope you’re having a blast.
I too love decorating the tree with ornaments over the years. Whenever we go somewhere I purchase one and right the date on the back. It is one of my favorite times to cherish past memories. We have hot cocoa with redi-whip and candy canes in it as we decorate.
Our family’s favorite traditions are decorating the tree and baking Christmas cookies. It really is my favorite time of the year.
My Dad started a new tradition last year and I am certain it is one we will carry on for years to come. He feels everyone gets caught up in the gift buying instead of the real meaning of Christmas so everyone buys everyone in the family a gift that costs on $1….this lets everyone keep from stressing out over what to buy and how much to spend. Jesus is the reason for the season and spending Christmas celebrating his birth with family is extra special for all to enjoy!
My mom bought an ornament every year for my children – from their first Christmas until they moved out and/or got married. Once they were on their own, I boxed up their ornaments for them and they had a good start on decorating their own tree – with memories attached – as each one was carefully picked out by “Memaw”. Great tradition that I hope to do for my grandchildren as well!
Picking out the tree from a tree farm is one of my favorite things. We also buy each of our kids an ornament every year so their first tree out on their own won’t be bare. Another part of the tree tradition that’s important to me is the lights. They have to be mini colored lights!
And my favorite Disney character is Pooh Bear!
I used to be much pickier about decorating our tree but I have really loosened up and have let the kids decorate and place ornaments pretty much wherever….they are all special and have memories attached to them. I love our FAMILY DECORATED Christmast tree!!
Our family would attend Christmas eve service and then go out to dinner. We have pictures of this event each year as well as the fond memories!
Putting up the tree is a family affair at our house. A Christmas tradition begun in our family year’s ago, when our daughters were young – each year I would give each of them an ornament. The next year it went on our tree. Then when they grew up and left home they had ornaments and memories of those ornaments to take with them to their home.
Our family buys ornaments to commemorate the year. It’s a fun tradition.
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I’m in
One of my favorite memories is the year I asked my older sister what she wanted for Christmas. She said “a million bucks”. Well, my husband is a radio engineer and one of the stations had received a big bag of fake money as an advertising item. When they were finished with it, he brought it home and we wrapped it and gave it to my sister for Christmas. I love looking at the pictures of her opening her “million bucks”. They are priceless. Thanks for the chance to win.
Brenda S.
we love listening to Christmas music while decorating our tree & reminiscing over the special ornaments the kids have made or collected over the years. love this time of year!
im in
One tradition I’ve had since my Daughter(26) and son (21) were born is to buy each of them a ornament every year. my daughers were all Angels, my sons were all sorts of different ones, but now that my daughter is married and has 2 kids of her own, she was able to take all of her ornaments home to have for her families tree, and we’re keeping the tradition with our grandkids.
Tigger!!!
My favorite family tradition is a smorgasbord complete with foods that I remember my grandparents making on Christmas Eve. It’s the one day of the year I can be Swedish!
A favorite family tradition is going to get our tree at
One of my favorite family traditions is to go to a local farm to get our tree and then the next day we go to our annual little town Christmas parade which is followd by a bonfire,hot chocolate, singing carols,lighting the town tree and then we head off to the pizza place for dinner. The children love this weekend and so do we.
kareng
I’m in!
My favorite Disney Character is Minnie Mouse. Merry Christmas!
A family tradition is my mom and daughter making gingerbread cookies together each year. My daughter looks forward to this for weeks leading up to the holiday season.
As alot of the previous people, I also always buy the kids an ornament each year that represent something special for that year. They love pulling them out each year and remembering.
One of my most favorite Christmas memories was sitting around the kitchen table with my 4 sisters and decorating the cut out cookies. Of course, as we got older, we got a bit ‘sassy’ with our decorating but it was great fun!
Decorating the tree with the family gathered, music playing and special treats is definitely the big tradition. But I also love reading two books to my children. One helps them to see Jesus in all of our holiday symbols and traditions. The other is an adventure story to read daily for advent. I almost forgot! We also love to read The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. Merry Christmas!
My favorite memory is going to the mountains to get a Christmas tree. This weekend was no different, add a little snow to the mix and we had a wonderful time!
My favorite Disney character would have to be Mary Poppins!
I’m In!
One of the best traditions that my family has is the decorating of the Christmas tree. Decorating the tree was always a big deal when I was growing up. The whole family would go out in the bitter cold to find the perfect tree and have my dad cut it down. Once home, mom, me and my sisters would all gather around our tree and get to work. When I was really little, Mom would play old Christmas records while we decorated. The one song I most remember was the Little Drummer Boy. And so now, each year, we have a little drum ornament that goes on our tree to remind me always of those wonderful times.
We also have a fun tree with many homemade ornaments and the kids love help decorate. Favorite disney character: The Genie from Alladin.
In memory of my bestest friend, Shannon, …..
Eyore is my favorite Disney character…
Nothing like Disney at Christmas – we were there in December 2 years ago and loved all the extra lights. We “accidentally” saw the lighting of Cinderella’s castle the night we stayed for the parade. WOW – totally cool and truly magical! We just decorated our tree with all our kids ornaments. So much fun to recall the things that were important to them at different ages and stages. We also have a Disney ornament on our tree to remember our fun family trip there. Too many favorite Disney characters to name just one!
My favorite Disney character is Donald Duck – he’s too funny!
We are taking our kids and grandkids to Disney World over the New Years holiday……oh my!
My favorite is Mulan! Have a great time at Disney.
I have trouble with holiday traditions, because in all my married life it has been about the in-laws. We never stay home! I HATE this (sad to say – sounds terrible doesn’t it?) I get no support from anyone to stay home and create our own traditions. My oldest will be 20 in a few weeks, and she has never had the pleasure of a holiday at home! Well, I do give each child their own ornament each year, and when the leave home, they will have a collection to start their OWN tradition with. Each ornament is chosen or made to represent something special about that year. For example, an ice skate for the year they learn to skate, etc. I don’t have a favorite Disney character, really. I like them all. I hope to someday be able to take my family there. It’s never been in our budget to do so. Our other children are 10 and 6 now.
Tigger
Minnie Mouse:)
I’m in!
I’m in