Friday Favorites: Your Christmas Traditions

Hi all, Janelle is doing a photo shoot for a friend's newborn baby this afternoon, so she asked me to post the Christmas tradition ideas. It was so hard to pick from all your creative entries, but here are a few of our favorites. I lam trying to figure out how I can add all six of them into my family's Christmas traditions this year! Ok, that might be a bit much, but at least one or two. Or three. Hope you enjoy these as much as we did. And check back later for 52home--Janelle said she might post one of her pics from today's photo shoot.

May the wonder of Immanuel--God with us--bring you comfort and joy this weekend.

Nicole for the girltalkers

Cinnamon Roll Giveaway from Emily

Every year I make dozens and dozens of cinnamon rolls to give out as gifts and to enjoy with our family Christmas morning. The really fun part is getting all our kiddos together (5; ages 8,6,4,2&1) along with my husband, bundling up in our pjs and winter coats and going around to our neighbors, delivering our rolls, christmas carols and our family christmas letter. Our children LOVE to do it and we have to hold them off Christmas morning, until a reasonable hour. It has been a way we are seeking to live on mission in our nieghborhood and redeem the emphasis on getting to giving.

Christmas Clues from Susan

My husband grew up doing "clues" every Christmas. In addition to stockings the kids would get one big family present. But they had to find it. His Dad would prepare "clues" and when they figured them out and followed them they would find the prize. Dad used everything from crossword puzzles to Hangman and picture riddles.

This is such a highlight in our family history that we have started doing it too. Here's a recent example. Last year when we got the kids a Wii we had four clues for them. Each was taped to the bottom of a Little People Nativity character and hidden throughout the house. Each child was given a room to search in and when they had found all of the clues they had to come together and try and figure out the meaning.

The first clue was a picture of our babysitter ("Nan"); second the Roman Numeral X ("ten"); then a picture of a female deer ("doe") and finally a picture of a child going down a slide with a speech bubble (saying "whee!"). Nan-Ten-Doe-Whee.

The extra time invested in preparing the clues (which usually means a late night after all the presents are finally wrapped) has been so worth it. Not only have their detective skills improved but they have learned to work together and have fun!

Christmas "Services" from Patti

When my kids were young, I started a tradition that I hoped would focus their hearts on Christmas day back from all the gifts they received, to serving one another. My inspiration was that God so loved us that "he gave", and I wanted to create a means for them to do the same for each other. So on Christmas Eve, we secretly drew names with all those that were sharing our holiday. We each had to think of a way we could serve that person by the end of Christmas Day, and we wrote it down on a given piece of paper, which went into a small envelope amd nestled into the branches of our Christmas tree. For example, if I drew my daughter's name, I would think of a way to communicate sacrificial love to her in a way that would touch her heart, like drawing her a bubble bath, complete with candles, music, and a hot towel for Spa Time, or relieving her of her dishwashing duties after the big Christmas meal.  After gifts are opened on Christmas morn, we pass around the envelopes so our secret is revealed, and everyone serves their person at some point in the afternoon or evening. Now my children are grown, but when we share Christmas together, we still do our special tradition, which we simply call " Christmas services".

"I thought of you..." from Dava

On Christmas mornings ever since my now six foot tall sons (3) were little, we GIVE our gifts. The pile by each person has the gifts they are giving, not getting, and "I thought you could use this Dad" or "I thought of you the minute I saw it" can be heard instead of "it's MY turn".

Book Game from Ava

We have an annual "book game" on Christmas Eve which works well for a family full of bookworms. My dad picks out books for everyone in the family and wraps them up without putting anyone's name on the books. Then, everyone has to guess and take which book might be theirs. After everyone takes their books, Dad tells us who guessed correctly. Everyone else has to do another round until everyone has the book that is for them. Then, we all open our books. The books are always so thoughtful and tailored really well to our interests. We love it!

Christmas Notes from Amy

When I married my husband I found that his family has a wonderful tradition that we now continue with my in-laws as well as with our own 3 kids. Each person writes every other person a note to put in their stocking. On Christmas morning when we open stockings (along with the small gifts inside) we have several notes from family members. We read them and then put them back in our stockings so they are there the next year as well. That way, each year we are able to read our current letters as well as past letters. After a few years the stockings get really full and the letters get moved to a box to store them in. Each Christmas eve I love sitting down and writing a special letter to each of the members of my family. I love that when my kids are older they will have a whole box of letters from my husband and I going back to when they were infants. I also never get tired of reading the past letters from my husband to me.