4th Day of Christmas Giveaway with Rachel Olsen
Published December 1, 2011
NOTE: Be sure to check out Roomag.com, Candace Cameron Bure’s new online magazine. I have an article appearing there today. 
AND: Hop on over to my sister site Untangling Christmas where you have a chance to win a KINDLE FIRE!!!
Welcome to day 4 of our 12 Days of Christmas with my guest Rachel Olsen!
Remember that you may comment on each day’s post to be put in the drawing for that particular prize.
Then, one gal who comments on all 12 posts will win the grand prize. (You can scroll down below to day one to see it.)
You may comment on any post until midnight EST, Sunday December 11th.
All winners announced Monday, December 12th.
Now…meet Rachel!
Rachel Olsen is a writer, speaker, amateur foodie, latte aficionado and an avid reader.
This Christmas she looks forward to communion on Christmas day, and playing Wii games with her family.
Now….here is Rachel!
I began a Christmas tradition when my kids were preschoolers.
I bought a basket, tied it with a bow and started collecting Christmas picture books.
We began with just a few, but each year as one of their presents I’d give the kids a new Christmas book. (Find them on sale after the holidays.)
Soon we had a basket-full—enough to read a different book each December night leading up to Christmas. When they were younger, I’d read it to them before bed.
As they grew a little, the oldest would read to the youngest. Now they read them to themselves—one is a young teen and the other a pre-teen but they both still enjoy these Christmas stories each year.
Confession: I still read a few of them each year too! But in recent years I’ve graduate to Christmas novels. There’s something fun about cozying up by the fire or the Christmas tree, instrumental carols playing the background, with a cup of coffee and good story.
I wish I could give you that exact experience. I figured out how to come close. I’m giving away a new, hardback Christmas novel and a $10 Starbucks gift card. You’ll just have to provide the fire, a tree or some carols. The novel is Remembering Christmas by Dan Walsh. I just finished it about a week ago and posted my review of it on my blog today.
I’m also including an autographed copy of my book It’s No Secret: Revealing Divine Secrets Every Woman Should Know.
I’ll sign it to you, your mom, whoever you wish. So you can give it as a gift, or, you can sip coffee and read a chapter a day and do the Bible study questions at each chapter’s end.
The Christmas books get put away each year with the holiday decorations and then brought back out as we put our tree up.
One day I image these books will be read by my grandchildren. I hope by then to have a basketful of Christmas novels as well!
Okay…Rachel has told you about one of her traditions. What is one you enjoy?
Or, if time is tight, just say “YIKES! It is December 1st!!!!”
575 Responses to 4th Day of Christmas Giveaway with Rachel Olsen
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YIKES! It is December 1st
Hi Karen and Rachel,
I love to listen to Christmas music starting in Nov. sometimes earlier. It is so festive and something I enjoy very much! Casting Crowns and Chris Tomlin’s Christmas CDs are my favorites.
I also love to watch the Christmas movies and shows on TV. I especially like The Yule Log.
We have started a new tradition in recent years of setting up our tree Thanksgiving weekend when two kids are home from college so they can enjoy a little bit of Christmas Spirit prior to finals.
Sounds like I’d be right at home at your house for the holidays!
Same here…My favorite tradition is Going to candlelight service Chirstmas Eve and since Christmas falls on Sunday this year we will have a Morning service to celebrate Jesus birth
The Christmas season begins with Black Friday shopping with my Dad! Growing up, my mom had to work on Black Friday and my Dad would take me for breakfast and shopping. This was long before Black Friday became crazy. Even today as a mother of two, we still go shopping on Black Friday. We now include my mother (she no longer works due to an illness 6 years ago) and head to lovely shops in a small town nearby. It’s a great way to start the Christmas season.
My dad always read a story to us on Christmas eve about an angel who shared her gifts with those she met on the way to meet the newly born King. Now my husband reads a new Christmas story that features the real meaning of Christmas to our children by the fire each Christmas eve.
It’s our tradition to put on some Christmas music and put out the decorations and tree the day after Thanksgiving. It’s fun to fill the house with the smell of seasonal scented candles (and leftover pie re-heating in the oven!
) while finding a spot for every special knick-knack. Then it becomes our “traditional” mission to keep the cats out of the tree everyday until it comes down! 
Thanksgiving evening after we’ve ate until we can hardly move, we pull out the Christmas Decorations and put our tree up together. We’ve done this for 26 years, when my oldest was just a baby.
I love having my home all pretty with lights and a roaring fire. I love having a warm drink and good book. This year we are starting a fun activity. We are going to go through “Characteristics of Jesus” Each day we have a character trait and a scripture. This is a good way to prepare our hearts and learn more about Jesus. I also live by the Creation Museum in Kentucky and we go to “The First Christmas Town” that has become a non-negotiable tradition.
My parents collected books about Christmas around the world when I was growing up. They’ve now passed to collection on to me to use with my children. It’s fun to read about traditions in other countries. We’ve even prepared some of the recipes that are included with the books to get a taste of Christmas around the world.
I love that, Lisa. What a treasured collection.
What a wonderful idea. I have four children and would love to start that tradition with them. I love ANY christmas book! What a wonderful way to end your day, reading a good christmas book with family by the fire!
One of my favorite traditions is putting up our “big” nativity. We plan a night when everyone will be home. Each of the children rotate choosing a “character” from the nativity and then we read the Christmas story from the Bible. The children listen and as they hear their character mentioned, they add it to the nativity. It is a beautiful time of calm and reflection in the middle of the business of the season and turns our hearts back to the reason we are celebrating.
I have a stack of children’s Christmas books, too. I love the idea of gathering them all in a basket. Even though my children are now preteens they stil get excited when I pull out the books with the Christmas decorations. My favorite is The Polar Express.
We have a stack of those books also! Love pulling them out each year as well as telling others with small children about them!
I enjoy ready Christmas books to my children as well as doing an Advent Calendar with them.
I love to listen to the WOW Christmas album beginning on black friday. I’m also a kid at heart in that I watch The Muppet’s Christmas Carol multiple times during the holiday season. Christmas is such an amazing time of year. I love the basket of books idea, I may have to replicate it with my girls.
We love so many things at Christmas. Hanging of the Greens at church. Gifts for everyone. Just being with family. Remembering the true meaning of Christmas. Our church is very small but we have for several years donated items for a family that is struggling this time of year. Watching It’s a Wonderful Life. Checking out all the beautiful lights. My Gram always made homemade cinnamon rolls. Our kids (& grandkids now) just get the packaged kind now but enjoy them just as much as it’s a love thing.
Reading One Snowy Night by Ruth Bell Graham with my 4 children…priceless memories!
One tradition that I enjoy is starting TODAY!!!!!! Y I K E S Our family in several states near and far does a Jesse tree. We each have our way of doing it, and it brings us together. Several years ago, the handmade ornaments were the big family gift. The book is signed by 4 generations.
I also have several stacks of books, but now I am looking for a basket!
I love opening up the ornaments and remembering when I received them or when we were when they were purchased. I collect ornaments when we go on trips and get my children an ornament each year to resemble what they like or things they do throughout the year. We have a 12 ft Christmas tree, so we have lots of room for ornaments, however, this year since my son is 18 months old, the bottom half is pretty empty, except for a few of the child friendly ornaments he hasn’t pulled off!
Merry Christmas,
Emily Fleener
Yikes!! My kids are still young so I am trying to think of good traditions to start. I love this book basket idea!!
Each year my children are given a new ornament for the tree, when they grow up and move out, they will have their own box of ornaments to take to their new life, home, first Christmas tree. We put the date and their name on them. My daughter has 24 now, and she still lives at home, but some day all 3 will have their own set to start a new tradition! I also have many books, I teach preschool and I add new ones each year to my classroom library for my 4/5 year olds. You need, My Penguin Osbert if you don’t have it. GREAT BOOK for Christmas!
Have a Merry Christmas at your home!
Thanks for the book rec, Mary.
We do something very similar with our Christmas books. Every year all the Christmas books we have collected over the years get put in a large basket by our reading chair. Although my boys are also getting old enough to read to themselves or each other, we do still snuggle up together to enjoy them. One in particular that my boys and me enjoy and really can be read all winter long is Snowmen at Night by Caralyn Buehner.
Loving getting some ideas for books to add to our collection. Thanks, Pam.
I also have a box full of Christmas books that we pull out every year around this time. Though my children are all teenagers, they love to look at them and talk about memories of when they were much younger, especially the teeth marks on the binding of one of them!
Hello Rachel,
I love the book idea. I have small children and may just be using this idea with my boys. I am also looking forward to the day they will be reading on their own.
Thank you,
Ashley
One of our traditions is making the fruit cake cookies from the recipe I received from our neighbor that grew up in England. It was a recipe of her family’s.
I have an unofficial collection of Christmas books, so maybe it’s time to get official with that and make it a tradition. I must admit that my most long-standing tradition of visiting my grandmother’s home on Christmas Eve is ending this year, and it has me feeling a little blue. It’s time for me to create one for my family instead of following my childhood tradition. The one thing that always brings me joy is my ornaments! I have several that hung on my tree when I was little and many different ones that mean so much to me! Thanks for the chance to win a holiday novel!
I love books, too. But one of my favorite Christmas traditions are the holiday movies I watch. One favorite is “White Christmas”, of course, but my all-time favorite is “The Bishop’s Wife” with Cary Grant as the angel. It’s a wonderful story with early cinematic tricks that really work, but mostly it is the content of the story as the angel teaches the bishop what really matters to him in his life; and teaches us all the true meaning of the Christmas season.
I love the idea of collecting Christmas picture books. I still collect picture books even though my oldest is 26 and my youngest is 12. I don’t think you are ever too old for picture books!
My favorite is the Christmas Eve communion followed by my husband reading the account of Jesus’ birth from Luke 2. We have done that since the kids were babies (they are now 27 and 30
)!
Every year my younger sister and I pick out a new ornament for the tree. We rotate years and always make sure the one we pick has the year on it. When we put up the Christmas tree, we get to see and remember all the different ornaments we’ve picked out over the years. When I have a family of my own some day, this is a tradition I will definitely keep!
Yikes, it is December 1st! We also put out several Christmas books in December adn put them away with Christmas stuff until next year to keep them special. My 7 year old daughter, loves displaying them in our living room ( I think she really actually enjoys peeking into them)! I love watching her engrossed in books!!!! …and my 3 year old loves me to read them to her during the day and daddy reading them to her at bedtime!!!
Our family has an annual cookie baking day, where our extended family come together once again for cookie baking, singing, games and pizza. Usually there is a football game going on too. We have so much
I love our collection of Christmas books that I’ve been collecting since my oldest (who is 18!) was born. This year I’m going to wrap them all……we have 25
and we’ll open one each day and read it all together. We also have a wooden Advent Christmas Tree given by my mother that has an ornament to hang on it every day. My teenagers still love to see which tiny ornament is behind each numbered door. And a new tradition we’re starting this year is making a Jesse Tree 
I LOVE the Advent and Christmas Season!!!!
Every year we go to a Christmas Concert as a family. Things are a little tight this year so I thought we would have to for go the tradition until next year. But last week I got an email asking if we would like to work the Compassion table at the Mercy ME concert so we are still going to be able to go and serve at the same time. God is so awesome!!!
One tradition that we have is the night after the first snow we all pile into the car with blankets and go looking at all the Christmas lights – they always look so pretty with the first snow on them. Like jewels in the sky.
One of my favorite traditions growing up was getting our Christmas tree & then going to get Cappucinno to bring home & sip while we decorated the tree. I am a newlywed & we live in a small apartment w/ no room for a “full size” tree, but we have a mini one.
so as my 1st year as a married couple, I can’t wait for us to read the story of Christ’s birth when we wake up have coffee, & reflect on all the wonder of God! 
Yikes! I still have a lot to do. Really, one of my favorite traditions is reading a Christmas story advent book, such as ‘Jotham’s Journey,’ Tabatha’s Travels,’ or ‘Bartholomew’s Passage.’ We are reading ‘The Christmas Jar’ this year.
Our favorite tradition is decorating the tree while listening to Christmas music. The process has been slow this year since we travelled Thanksgiving weekend and now hubby is sick (and we don’t want to do it without him). We’re hoping to make good progress tonight.
Have to admit that I have two shelves full of Christmas books; absolutely love them. One of my favorite traditions that helps me keep the spirit of Christmas is to play nothing but Christmas music from the day after Thanksgiving through Christmas day.
I have a box of Christmas books that we get out every Dec 1st. (Which, I better do that, now!!) I wrap each one and the kids pick one book a night to read under the Christmas tree. It is a fun way to count down to Christmas.
I’m waiting on the arrival of my first grand baby! These books would be an awesome gift for my son and his wife to add to the baby’s library. Thanks for your post today. Merry Christmas!
This is our first year with our daughter. So you could say yikes!! : ) next year when she is older we plan on telling Chrostmas stories also…veggie tales style!
Christmas**
Since my husband is a Pastor, we are always home on Christmas Eve. His family is from Norway, so on Christmas Eve, it is our tradition to sing “Silent Night” in Norweigan…my father-in-law is the one to lead us. We also put a candle in some sweet treat, light it, and sing “Happy Birthday” to Jesus. And we read about Christ’s birth out of the Bible. Then we open gifts from our church family.
My husband and I usually travel to our parents at the holidays so we have starting putting up our Christmas tree the weekend before Thanksgiving. This tradition has allowed us to truly take our time and enjoy it together and ensuring we don’t miss the OSU vs. Michigan game. Merry Christmas everyone! Go Bucks, there’s always next year
Christmas Carols, hot chocolate, and decorating the tree. Then a weekend of homemade frosted Christmas Cookies sometime before Christmas.
We do the same thing! I’ve been collecting Christmas picture books for a while and we try to read one a day every day in December. We also have a simple little Advent devotion guide that we do each night~no crafts or anything, just a simple reading and prayer. I love this season! ~Lynne
I love having a Birthday party for Jesus on Christmas eve!! They boys make him a cake and sing happy birthday. I love knowing that on Christmas eve my children are going to be thinking of Jesus and the true reason for Christmas!!
YIKES! It’s December 1st!!
One of my favorite traditions is piling up the kids in the car and going to look at Christmas lights in our community. I just, today, found a link for some fun 25 days till Christmas advent activities and one was “the mini van express”…I plan to implement it this year. I will create golden tickets and have them hidden in their pajama drawers or either bed. I will have my husband get them ready that night, while I warm up the car, pop some popcorn and make hot chocolate – then before actually going to bed – we will have a Polar Express of our own that night – I cannot wait! I foresee this being a new tradition in our family even when our kids are teens.
Thanks for sharing the “minivan express” idea…I love it! We, as a family, watch the polar express every year so this would be great fun to do with the kids!
We have the same tradition here too and this one. Way back when I was in college (20th reunion is coming up quickly this spring), I would purchase a new Christmas CD or 2 reflecting the music I was listening to or one of the artists who was popular that year… I now have a large collection of Christmas music with everything from Charlotte Church and Andre Bocelli to Lady Antebellum, Bebe and Cece Winans, Kenny G …
And one other thing: YIKES IT’S DECEMBER 1!!!! Where did November go???
We always start the Christmas season with a visit to the “Lewis Light”. An older family of siblings began this massive display of lights around their family homeplace out in the country. Over the years, it has grown in size and in popularity. Several acres of land, several million lights, many displays of children’s stories, Christian nativity scenes, Disney Christmas stories, colored lights, Santa and his reindeer with the sleigh….etc. It puts everyone in the giddy, festive mood…..then at the end of the “walk-through” is the Biblical Christmas story, with a step by step illustration in lights, which puts your mind back to the real meaning of Christmas. We go every year, and try to each find one friend to bring, who has never seen them before. This year, we are taking two Chinese International foreign exchange students who spent 9 days with us during Thanksgiving. We are praying for their salvation! Merry Christmas!
YIKES! It’s Dec 1st! Where did the time go?
Every Christmas I always go back home to my parents! I’ve never missed it! We have a big family get together on both my mom and dad’s side, and I hope this never ends. It’s so nice to see the whole family together! Merry Christmas!!
I miss the days when my kids were all at home! We used to read Christmas Stories together and do an advent calendar too.
Our church does a Journey to Bethlehem event the first Thurs-Sun of Dec(starts tonight) you take a trip through time and it becomes a live..From taking the census to hearing angels sings, meeting roman soldiers all the way to the manger scene. Beautiful and always puts my whole family in the Christmas spirit!
Yes, I will admit, I am saying, “Yikes, it’s December 1st” because I have not even begun to think about gifts for the family and my 5 children. Money is super tight this season with my husband being out of work for 1 year now, and thinking about how to pull off Christmas for the children makes my head start to ache.
Last year our family started the Shelf Elf tradition and the kids love finding Arvie each and every morning. Rachel, I love your idea of the Christmas book basket. I adore books and the children adore me reading to them. What a great idea for advent evenings, reading them a Christmas storybook each of the 24 nights! (Purchasing Advent calendars for 5 is not quite possible this year). Thank you so much for this giveaway opportunity, I cannot wait to put up the tree and read to my children! Have a very Merry Christmas!
All Smiles Now!
~jennifer
The Christmas books are the most treasured “decorations” at our house. The kids just can’t wait to get them out each year. They are now. 7, 9, 11, and 14. I still catch the older one looking through the books occasionally.
one tradition that I did for years and actually forgot about u til your blog was to wrap each book in Christmas paper before packing them away. Then when th decorations come out the kids get to take turns picking out present books and opening them each night for their bedtime story. I am definitely doing that again! It was so much fun for all f us. What kid doesn’t like opening a present early??
When mine were youger I would wrap them in Christmas paper before putting them away as well. Then they would choose and unwrap one each night to read. Over the years mine learned to tell which book was which by the size and thickness through the paper! So now I save the paper and effort. But I loved when we wrapped them. Merry Christmas!
Christmas baking with my mother and grandmother…This year my son helped make those creme wafers…and he loved them. To bad they are only made once a year!
Yikes!! It’s December 1st!
I enjoy making cookies with the kids to give away to teachers, mail carrier, UPS man, etc.
YIKES! It’s December 1st!
Really like your tradition of reading the Christmas books…. and the book suggestions from you and the others. One thing we’ve always done after our tree is up is to have homemade sugar cookies and custard while we sit around the tree and read of Christ’s birth from the Bible…the real reason for the season.
Have a Merry Christmas
I keep thinking this is the year I will slow down and start a tradition. My girls are now 9 & 10. Pray for me to put busyness behind me so I can enjoy my blessings. The book idea is a great one. I am going to our local “Ollies” bargain book store on my lunch hour today.
On Christmas Eve my three daughters all get to open one package (pajamas) that they get to wear to our church’s midnite service. They think it’s so fun to wear PJ’s to church
Hey Tera. My kids get new PJs on Christmas Eve too. We have yet to wear them to church though! That sounds fun. Merry Christmas!
My Christmas tradition is having Christmas Eve with my family, we have pizza, snacks and desserts and then Christmas day with my husbands family with a traditional meal. The whole family loves this. My kids are grown and that is what they still want to do. We have our family time with gifts, etc after my family leaves Christmas Eve. I want to start my own traditions with my grown kids, but they are disappointed if I mention chaning what we do.
Yikes! It’s December 1st!!
WE have started the Christmas book collection fr my 3 year-old too. I hope to add to it every year so she can have these for her family one day. We also started a collection of Christmas ornaments that I can pass to her. Before she was born, my husband and i collected ornaments from every place we traveled that year. We still do that ( getting creative now about making some from the memories of that trip) and for my daughter, I am starting a collection of ornaments t remind us of something she really enjoyed that year. This year, it will be a “Wizard of OZ” or “Mary Poppins” ornament. Thanks!
We do the same thing – collect Christmas books and read them together as a family. This year, I gave a pile (to borrow) to friends with younger children so they can start the tradition too. We also have tiny stockings with a holiday family activity to do each day in December. Today is to make truffles and watch “Nativity Story” together.
YIKES! It is December 1st!!!!”
Yikes it’s Dec 1!!! When I was in school, my Christmas reading was “Gone with the Wind”. I loved it and I’d read it between Christmas and New Years every year. Not too Christmassy I guess. But that meant Christmas time and break from homework time!
“YIKES! It is December 1st!!!!” blessings and thank you for all you do:)
YIKES! It’s DEC 1st!!!! Lots to do & feeling the pressure ~ my hair is standing up! O Lord, still my heart, to not worry & feel pressured to get procrastinated projects done! Anyway, Christmas traditions in our family begin with the day after Thanksgiving with Black friday shopping & our christmas tree/decorations put up that wkend. I’ve started making handstamped christmas cards & have sent them out 2 years now. One of our family favorite tradtions is Christmas Eve with Dinner, Candlelight Service & opening 1 present the night before christmas, then the next morning, we open the rest. We relax & get ready to go to one of my neices house for Christmas day dinner, then open presents. It’s gonna be harder this year as my mother passed away in May, so amidst all the christmas excitement, I’m feeling a litle sad & missing her. Love this daily blog as I look forward to it each morning & it helps me through the sadness. Thanks for doing this, Karen!
I can’t believe it is already Dec. 1. We will be starting some new traditions at my house as my kids are grown now and moving out on their own. However, I know that there are some things that will never change.
The day after Thanksgiving we go and cut our own Christmas tree and decorate the house. The kids love looking for our Charlie Brown tree. These are our ” make a memory moments “.
I love the idea of a Christmas book basket! I can’t wait to go get basket to start filling it up!
I love the day after Christmas – everything seems to settle and calmness sets in….that’s when I love to get coffee, read a good book, and thank God for all my blessings!
A girl after my own heart!!!! I did the same for my children and I so loved it!! Guess what— I went out yesterday and bought ” God Gave Us Christmas” by Lisa Tawn Bergren for my 3 year old granddaughter Simone!!!! Yikes it is Dec 1st!!!! Thank you and many blessings!!! Barb
We love listening to Christmas carols on the radio and of course singing very loudly. Also, a tradition we have is a new ornament every year. I so enjoy reading everyone’s comments so I better say Yikes, its Dec 1st and get off here!
I started a children’s Christmas book collection 31 years ago when my first daughter was born. It is a wonderful tradition to bring the books out each Christmas. I also have a 29 year old daughter and to this day, they still enjoy looking at the books when they come to visit. My oldest daughter is expecting her first baby, our first grandchild, a little boy, in April, 2012. I am looking forward to starting a Christmas book collection for our grandchild and look forward to sharing the books that his mother read when she was growing up.
We have several Christmas books that we enjoy revisiting too. I also like trying advent books as a family. We have one that was very inexpensive and has great recipes too.
YIKES!! It is December 1st!!!
I started to write that I didn’t have any traditions because I’m not married and I don’t have any children. I don’t decorate because no one comes to visit me and I can’t see. I’ve always just gone to who ever’s house is hosting Christmas Day. God just reminded me that I do have a tradition. For many years my sisters, dad, and mom have taken turns having Christmas Day at their house. For the past several years it’s been at my sister Michelle’s house. Every time it is my other sister and I spend the night and watch a movie after the kids go to bed. There are usually lots of cookies and other food left over and I eat all I can.
Oh, and about the decorating. Next Christmas I will be living closer to my family and plan on getting my sisters to help me decorate. My mom has already told me that we will be at my apartment for Christmas. I don’t know if she was kidding but who knows it might start a whole new tradition.
We LOVE LOVE LOVE Christmas books!! My children both love to read and I think this is an awesome idea! Thanks for sharing! And thanks for the giveaway opportunity!
I also love to read Christmas books – those for adults & children. In fact I just ordered one I remember from childhood – Sweet Smell of Christmas – it’s scratch & sniff!
I love this book basket idea! And, Yikes! It really is December 1st!
We too love Christmas books. Also love the snuggling that goes along with the books!
What a fun idea! I have 2 favorite traditions: Making decorated cookies with my grandchildren (ages 6, 4, 4, and 2), and The Hanging of the Green at our church. Both very special traditions we enjoy at this time of year.
The cookie part is a huge mess, but they enjoy it so much (and so do I), and hanging the Green is such a special time to focus on our Savior and what His birth means for us today.
My favorite tradition is going to the Christmas Eve Service with all my family. Such a sweet time of worship and great way to lead into the opening of gifts by remembering Christ first.
I love the book basket idea. I think i will start that with my grandbabies.
My family started a couple years ago a new Christmas tradition. We have a bunch of finger foods and snacky foods and munch all day long and either play games or watch movies all day as a family. Since we moved away from all our family this is a lot of fun and time together with just my hubby and kids.
we also do a christmas book basket. and try to do something like the jesse tree or daily advent activity.
Yikes, it’s December 1st. I have an appointment with the lawyer to read my dad’s will, alone!! and then to watch my daughters children (two hours away) so she can go have an ultrasound to find out what is causing her stomach pain. What a way to start the month.
My husband started a funny tradition called Christmas Bingo that we play every night the week before Christmas. The prizes are five and dime gifts, candy and gum. It’s mainly just an excuse to gather together, talk and laugh.
Yikes it’s Dec 1st!
yikes its December 1st
We haven’t really come up with our traditions yet. I guess only time will tell which ones we keep. We are trying different activities. One thing we do have is a nativity out that the children can play with.
I begin listening to Christmas music the day after Thanksgiving. I have a large book of Christmas Carols. When my kids were little we would gather around the piano and sing 2 or 3 different carols every night in the last few weeks leading up to Christmas.
A tradition my husband & I started when we moved into our house was hosting a “Trim the Tree” party for our neighbors & friends. We would put the tree up, lights on, the decorations out and let others put them on the tree. It was a way to get to know our neighbors and keep in touch with long-time friends…so much fun! We just moved out of our house, so we will not be hosting one this year, but look forward to next year.
I’d love to attend that party, Jodie. But I’m probably too picky about my tree to let other people decorate it! (Is my perfectionism showing?) Merry Christmas ~ Rachel
We read the Christmas Story from the Bible. on Christmas Eve together as a family. We also go to Christmas eve service and celebrate with a dinner of homemade pirogies and fried shrimp with our family.
From a Family Fun article years ago, we started wrapping our Christmas books every year and my kids open one each day until Christmas. Even at 17 and 12, they still love this tradition.
I love this idea!
Christmas Tradition: reflecting on the past years’ experiences and lessons…
Tradition in the Burgess home is reading the Birth of Jesus and The Night Before Christmas before bed on Christmas Eve…
That’s the best book and story ever, Kendra!