Christmas Traditions

This year I found a 25 days closer to Christ idea that fit our needs perfectly!  There is an ornament for each day that has scriptures and a video about Jesus Christ's life.  Every morning as we started our day the Christmas season, we started it out opening the ornament, reading scriptures and watching the  corresponding video.  I wish I had taken pictures of it.  It definitely brought the spirit I was looking for, into our home.  I decided to buy a few extra kits, you had to make the kits, paint the ornaments and then put them in bags or boxes to be opened each day. 

 I gave one of these kits to Melinda Nelson.  She is my pianist in Primary and I absolutely love her!!!  She is also the bishops wife and one of the sweetest women I know.  Anyway I had Hunter drop this gift, along with a small Christmas tree for the ornaments to be placed on, to the Nelson's house the first of December.

I thought she would appreciate it and I knew it could bring a sweet spirit into their home.  

What I didn't know was that she had been searching the Internet looking for something that they could do each day to bring the true meaning of Christmas and keep them focused on the Savior.  She wasn't finding anything that fit what she wanted.  That morning she had knelt in prayer pleading Heavenly Father to direct her to find something to help her family with this goal of hers.  She got up from her prayer and about 5 minutes later Hunter arrived with our gift.  He told her it was to be opened as a family tonight.  When she read my card and saw what the gift was she bursted into tears. She said it was a complete answer to her exact prayer.  She was very emotional receiving this gift and I get emotional when I think about it.

I am grateful I was able to be an answer to someones prayers, especially someone who I love and appreciate so much!  It was such a sweet experience and make me even more positive that my search for something to bring the life of the Savior into our Christmas was heaven sent.

We decided to still do a few of our past traditions that we love.

One was our Jerusalem Dinner!

The kids search through the house looking for where Joseph and Mary and baby Jesus are (aka Justin, I and a baby doll).  The kids are the wisemen.  Mona seemed to enjoy the dinner and experience.

Justin reads us scriptures telling the story of Jesus's birth as we eat.

We enjoy a simple dinner or flat bread, hummus, crackers, cheese, meats, olives, nuts and juices.

We do enjoy our visit from Peppp.  He went all out this time and wrote on Justin's face as he slept.  He was pretty hilarious!

I loved finding Kiersten decorating our chalkboard wall with a beautiful Christmas message!

She did a fabulous job on it!

Thanks for the reminder Peppp.  Love how the message was left on my bathroom counter.  Guess I needed the reminder more than the kids did?

Ginger bread house decorating is a must at Christmas time!  Ella was excited to get to decorate one this year!  I usually make a couple extra houses and send them along with the extra candy over to the Shupes so Ryker and Carsyn can decorate a house themselves.  Some years they have done it with us.

I think the kids eat as much candy as they are decorating their houses, as they actually put on their houses!  That is kind of their tradition!

Mona had a fun time decorating her house.  She had never made a ginger bread house before.  She seemed to enjoy all the holiday things that we did to make this time special for our family.

I love the way we focus more on traditions, family, the Savior and those around us during this time of  the year.  It is a great reminder of the important things in life!