Family Advent

Tis the season! Wyatt has been walking around the house all day humming “Jingle Bells” in his Kazoo (do you remember these?!). Today we decked the halls some more, started our Advent tradition, and now the babes are snuggled in their beds and I am snuggled up with a bowl of popcorn hanging out with a Hallmark movie.

I love traditions. When Corey and I got married, we both brought Christmas traditions into our home, that were from our own childhoods. He brought the baking of Candy Cane Cookies and cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning. I brought the repeat watching of White Christmas with my man Bing Crosby, and the reading of The Cajun Night Before Christmas on Christmas Eve. Last year, as Wyatt began to understand the reason we celebrate Christmas, Corey and I wanted to implement some new traditions which surrounded Advent.

I fell in love with the idea of family activities for Advent. For our activities, I implemented traditions from our own childhood, with the primary focus of being together as a family. For those not familiar with the idea, each day, as a family, you complete an activity, anything from drinking hot cocoa to ice skating. Our Advent calendar is the giant Santa pictured above (Go big or go home lol. Remember I married Kris Kringle). Once I decide on our activities, I print them off, sit down with our family calendar and organize the activities. I have shared the activities we are doing this year below!

Make candy cane cookies (if you google this, there are SO many recipes)
Make a Christmas treat to share with neighbors (We normally do peppermint bark, YUM)
Go ice skating
String popcorn
Drink hot cocoa with marshmallows
Pjs and Christmas lights (one of my favorites. Wyatt is overjoyed the ENTIRE time)
Rhema lights (A Tulsa gem)
Snowman dinner (I have a snowman cookie cutter I use for grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup! Easy Peasy!)
Get a Christmas tree (Owasso Christmas Tree and Berry Farm)
Go shopping for a child on the Angel Tree
Watch a Christmas movie
Make Christmas ornaments
Unwrap and read a Christmas book
Make a Christmas craft
Roast marshmallows by the fire
Make a gingerbread house
Decorate room (He LOVES this)
Hang mistletoe and give kisses
Make Christmas cards for friends
Snowflake pancakes for breakfast (snowflake cookie cutter for the win)
Make hot apple cider and wrap presents
Make a present for teachers
Watch a Christmas movie
Read Cajun Night Before Christmas

Also, the Jesus Storybook Bible. That Sally Lloyd Jones is just amazing. She also, in her amazingness, created an Advent reading schedule for us, bless her. Reading one chapter a day starting on December 1st, ends you on Jesus’ birth on Christmas day. For my boys, I always want the focus for this beautiful season to be centered on Jesus. Yes, and hallelujah to all the yummy treats, and Christmas movies, and eyes lighting up on Christmas morning. But in those same moments, I pray the boys would be treasuring in their hearts, a beautiful thankfulness for the gift of Jesus.

XO