Mrs. Scrooge

I've been quite a scrooge this year. Maybe it's because Dan is gone, maybe my crazy pregnant hormones are preventing me from appreciating the full joy of the season. Whatever it is, I am really trying not to let it impact the kids' Christmas. So I've been trying to keep up with the traditions we've developed over the last several years. I've found that once I start engaging in the various activities I cheer up and get excited about Christmas again, even if it doesn't last very long.

I thought I would share the favorite things we do during the Advent Season...partly because there's real housework to be done, and I'm having a hard time finding other ways to procrastinate.

1. Each night we read one of our Christmas books, which we've kept under the tree this year.
2. Then we turn out all the lights except the Christmas lights and sing Christmas carols. The boys' favorite this year is Jingle Bell Rock...even Silas knows most of the words. And Vince really gets into it, he pronounces the words like the singer on our CD: he diminishes his Rs, sings the long I sound as the short A sound. It's so funny to hear them sing it!
3. When we receive a Christmas card in the mail, we pray for the family who sent it, that they will be blessed, and that their coming year will be full of good memories and joy, and of course if we know of a specific need, we pray for that as well.
4. Each morning the boys move the candy cane on our countdown calendar.
5. We let the boys help pick out the birthday gift we're giving to Jesus, whether it's toys for other little kids in need, or gifts for friends/family, etc.
6. We bake Grandma Lutton's Christmas cookie recipe and (if the boys haven't contaminated the entire batch) we share them with friends.
7. Each morning they look for their Elf on the Shelf. I have forgotten to move it several times this season, so I told them he was really tired and fell asleep.
8. We haven't done it this year, but we usually have an advent wreath with candles that we light each Sunday and have a little Advent lesson.
9. Christmas morning I make the boys get dressed in their Christmas clothes (another thing I've skipped this year: Christmas outfits), then we all eat a big breakfast before opening gifts.
10. After gifts, we bake a birthday cake for Jesus and have a little birthday party for him, then we spend the day playing with our new gifts together.

I hope our boys will adopt a few of these traditions when they have families of their own, but even if they don't, I hope that even when I'm in a Scroogie mood, these traditions will help them to have sweet memories of Christmas. Merry Christmas!