Personalize your gift wrap!

Wrapping all of those presents can be a big project, and "helping hands" aren't always so helpful. Let little ones be a part of the Christmas wrapping by having them decorate tags for the gifts you're giving. It's simple to do, helps younger children feel a part of the process, and gives your recipient a package with a little extra tender loving care. We used a Sizzix die to cut tags from card stock (rectangles work, and are super easy...), then decorated with materials we had handy. You could use sequins, buttons, paper scraps, or even just crayons and markers. It doesn't have to be fancy, custom tags made by your kids are special, no matter how they're done!

Share a Tradition!

Some traditions are just too good to keep to yourself. So share them! We've enjoyed baking cookies, making gingerbread houses before Christmas or smashing them after, or bringing friends along to a live Nativity...all with other families. It's a great way to get to know each other, and you'll create some wonderful memories!

Construct with Gingerbread!

We love making things out of gingerbread! It's fun, and not as difficult as one might expect. We moved from making the gingerbread from scratch, to buying a kit, complete with frosting mix and candy!

Here are some of the things we've learned from making a few houses through the years. First, make sure that the board you make it on is sturdy--either that, or don't plan on moving it! Next, you probably won't eat it anyway, so save yourself some grief and just hot glue the thing together. Finally, it's supposed to be fun, so don't worry about perfection! (I'll save Anna the embarrassment and not share the picture of her spreading frosting on with her hands!)

Start a New Tradition!

Sometimes we get so caught up in all the things we do every year, that we forget that it's okay to do something new and different. In the last few years we've added some new activities to our Advent celebrations. One of our favorites is a shopping trip to the dollar store.

Each child has enough money to buy one thing for each person on their list, which includes immediate family and a few others. Then it's up to them to find "the perfect gift" for everyone. This can be quite a challenge at the dollar store! The results may be sweet (Candy!), practical (A pack of screws!), or silly ("Planet of the Apes" snap together model!). And all the while, the kids do their best to keep secrets...

Try something new this year...something simple, sentimental or silly. Who knows? It may become a treasured part of your Christmases to come!

Visit a live Nativity!

Visiting a live Nativity is a great way for kids (and adults!) to see what it might have been like in Bethlehem so long ago. Our family likes to visit the "Bethlehem Faire" each year. As you enter, there's a stable of live animals. Then music sounds, and as you look up, an angel appears! Inside, they set up a miniature city full of people selling spices, animals baskets, and more. Children run around talking about a special baby that was born. Finally, you reach Mary, Joseph, and a tiny baby. It's a small space filled with straw. This year we heard Joseph comment that he hoped the straw would keep the baby warm through the night.

The visit doesn't take long, and it costs nothing. But it is part of our Christmas celebration...one that we wouldn't miss!

Keep it simple!

Growing up, one of the things that I looked forward to most at Christmastime, was painting plaster ornaments. I made bunches of them each year. Imagine my dismay when I grew up only to discover that my mom had not saved every single one of them! I now realize that she just didn't need hundreds of poorly painted plaster ornaments! But that tradition is one that has stuck with me for years...Mollie

With many small hands around, breakables may not be the best thing. Not to mention all of that paint! To keep things a little simpler, we've started decorating wooden ornaments. You can purchase a pack of printed wooden cut-outs, along with some markers and glitter glue. They are easy to do, and it's something the whole family can do together...little ones and big ones alike!