Throughout the month of December I tried my best to keep our home and hearts focused on Christ because I know it is so easy to get distracted. Especially this year with Solomon becoming more aware and active in our traditions, I knew I wanted to make an effort to create some sweet memories. I thought it would be nice to share a little bit of what we did, since I had several people enquirer about some of the things I had shared on Instagram and Facebook this month. I love having this space for that reason, sharing my heart and little bits of our life for my memory sake, and also to share my heart for Christ.
1 // birthday cake for Jesus
Making the cake was definitely my favorite part of our traditions this year! I had hopes to make a cake for baby Jesus last year but Solomon was still pretty small and it was completely over his head. After seeing how much he has grown to love birthdays and birthday cakes, I knew he'd love making one for Jesus. And eating it, of course!
On Christmas Eve, after the morning Christmas Eve service at our church, we came home to make the cake before lunch. He was so excited and I bought him an adorable apron set from Pottery Barn that he was even more excited to wear while baking with mommy. It was all so cute.
Then Christmas morning, after the gifts were opened and we had our breakfast we got to light the candle on the cake and sing happy birthday to baby Jesus. It was sweet, and I can tell that it will be a very sweet tradition to keep up in the future.
2 // three wisemen gifts
When I was growing up I knew a family that did this so I always thought it would be a sweet thing to do with my family one day. One thing I love most about this is how the living room and Christmas tree isn't consumed with gifts. I personally never liked the idea of over giving when it comes to Christmas or Birthdays. Less is more in my book, and most of the time kids get so many things from other family members and friends, anyways. So, having just three gifts that represent three gifts like Jesus got is a great way to keep it simple and also tell the story behind it.
We have also agreed to "do Santa" but not enforce it. It's pretty easy for a kid to believe in Santa with all the Christmas happening around us on tv, in the mall, and all the songs on the radio. I also grew up believing in Santa and I had so many wonderful and fun memories from that time. It is magical and a kids imagination is such a beautiful thing, so it's only natural for Santa to be a part of that. I did want to tweak a few things and not do the naughty or nice part. We plan to tell our kids that Santa is a nice guy that brings gifts but he doesn't see you when you are sleeping, and he can't know if you are good or bad, only God can do that. I believe it's very important for our children to know the difference between a story about Kris Kringle, and the truth about Christ. I would never want them to confuse the two.
When picking out the gifts I decided to do something they want (typically the BIG thing they ask Santa for each year), something they need & something to read. I also like to try and keep the three gifts faith based as much as possible so we can continue to point the gifts back to the true reason for the season. This also helps you keep Santa at a low cost and not go overboard, which is also nice once you have multiple children, which we hope to have one day.
Solomon's big WANT this year was his bike, that was easy because he never stopped talking about wanting a big boy bike anytime anyone mentioned Santa to him. The NEED was a new puzzle for his room since he has outgrown the simple ones he plays with every night. I ended up buying him this New Testament Puzzle which I thought was so cute. The second he opened it he exclaimed JESUS, which made my heart so happy. The READ was this First Bible Basics book which I loved because of the beautiful images and how it explains the theology of the bible.
3 // advent cards
I was so excited when I found these Crew and Co Advent Cards because they went along with the Jesus Story Book Bible which is a big favorite in our house. It would be so simple to add in these cards to our bedtime routine with Solomon and read the bible verse on the card and then read the story as a family every night. Don't get me wrong, we definitely missed some nights, but 90% of the cards were read and finished. I couldn't help but think about how sweet it would be to pull out the cards each year and reread the story of baby Jesus as a family. I love traditions and this one will definitely be a big part of our Christmas season for a long time.
So there are a few of the things that I have tried to do this year to keep our eye on the real reason for the season! I have heard and seen a few things that I love that I might try to add to the mix next year, but we'll see. Are there any special things you do with your family?? I'd love to hear them!
