Christmas Traditions

I love the Christmas season, which for us starts the Sunday after Thanksgiving with Advent. This is the advent wreath that my mom made us for our first married Christmas together. We light the four candles each Sunday leading up to Christmas.  We take turns reading Christmas stories and singing songs. Robert's favorite Christmas song is Sleigh Ride or the Giddy-Up song and Jingle Bells. Hailey just points to a song that is next to a page number that she likes.

 Then we have St. Nick's Day on Dec 6th.  Robert and Hailey were excited to line up our church shoes the night before and was so happy to see their surprises when they woke up.  Each year they always get an ornament, a book, and candy.

 Hailey's ornament is Rapunzel from "Tangled".

 Robert's is three black little trains which has a hard time of keeping them on the tree.

 Hannah's is a cute teddy bear with the number 2 since it is her second Christmas.

 Here's Nathan reading Hannah's Little People Christmas book that has little flaps.

 Robert's book has tons of animals.

 And Hailey's is about different places around town.

Hailey's likes her ornament.

Nathan and I got a "Our Christmas" ornament and our Christmas book came late.  I ended up getting "The Forgotten Carols A Christmas Miracle for Isaac and Eliza" that has a CD included with Michael McLean reading the story and 4 songs from the Forgotten Carols.

Also, on Dec 13th is St. Lucia's Day where I made a wonderful breakfast complete with eggs, sausage, cinnamon rolls, apple turnovers, and egg nog.  I have a Christmas Traditions around the World book and I read to the kids about St. Lucia's Day which is a Swedish tradition. I can't wait until Hailey's old enough (and has her own room so I can just wake up her and no one else) to be St. Lucia.