I don’t usually post on Sundays, but as I was putting together this post, it just “felt” like a Sunday post. Perhaps it is because this is the first Sunday of Advent, and it just feels right to make this the day we transition to the Christmas season of anticipation and expectation. Thanksgiving has come and gone, and unless you have later meals to attend, your mind has probably turned to Christmas festivities and all the season holds. It truly is a wonderful time of year!
I wanted to share with you how we transition from Thanksgiving to Christmas, and some of the things we do to make this season of anticipation special and memorable.
Thanksgiving Presents
Several years ago, I read about this tradition, and thought it sounded lovely. On Thanksgiving night (or early in the Christmas season), you give each child a present to start the season with. Most of the time, we have done pajamas; however, some years no one has needed them, so we’ve done a pack of Christmas related crafts or some sort of quiet toy.
Ideas to make this tradition your own:
- Give the children a gift that you might have given at Christmastime, but that would be better used the entire season.
- Give a family gift like a toy nativity or Advent calendar. (See my big list of Advent ideas here!)
- Give a special food they do not usually get.
- Give a special mug to have their holiday hot chocolate or cider in.
Christmas Decorating Day
When I was little, my church had a Hanging of the Greens party. I loved it! I decided before we even had children that Christmas Decorating Day would be special, so this tradition has been with us a long time! We put on Christmas music (this year I put together a playlist on Amazon Prime – they have tons of free music for the season!), we make special treats like fudge and this Festive Hot Punch, and we pull out all the decorations. (You can read more about our Decorating Day tradition in this post.)
Ideas to make this tradition your own:
- Invite others to participate and have a potluck!
- Eat leftovers – making everything into a soup is a great option!
- Have each child choose a special treat they would like to have for the party.
- Go shopping together for a family ornament.
- Let each child hang their special ornaments.
- Have a “Kid Tree” that can be decorated with ornaments the younger children can play with.
- Don’t forget the kid-friendly nativity! (click here to see some of our favorites!)
Crafting Day
When I was young, the local florist shop in our tiny town had a few craft days where you could pay a small fee and work on a simple project that could be given as a gift or kept to decorate your own home. It was so much fun, and something I want to pass on to my children. Some cities have actually businesses dedicated to the “Make It Take It” ideas, but you can do this at home too! You can get super elaborate with elements you find at Hobby Lobby and ideas you find on Pinterest, or if you have little hands helping, you can buy super simple crafts like these:
Nativity Craft
Nativity Tissue Paper Craft
Button Wreath
Ideas to make this tradition your own:
- Choose crafts that fit your family – simple or complex, variety of ages and abilities.
- Keep a crafting box that the children can use during free time.
- Do Christmas related art projects.
- Have a special day or week that is set aside to make crafty gifts for family.
- Visit one of the Make It Take It shops and spend the rest of the day taking in some downtown shopping.
Special School Days
As I mentioned last week, the holidays are the perfect time to take off from traditional school work so you can really enjoy the season. You don’t necessarily need to avoid all things schoolish (in fact, I wouldn’t recommend that), but wouldn’t it be nice to do schoolish things that celebrate Christmas? Here are some of the things we have done in the past or will be doing this year:
Little House on the Prairie Christmas activities
Names of Jesus Advent Study (with matching ornaments HERE)
Ideas to make this tradition your own:
- Take some of my ideas or ideas you find on Pinterest or the web, and make a plan!
- Make Fridays (or another day) “Christmas School” and make the whole day Christmasy in nature.
- Choose a theme for each week in December and school according to that theme.
- Have a special Christmas Study time each day (afternoons and evenings are great for this!).
Family Evenings
This is most certainly my favorite part of the Advent season – family evenings spent together. We sit around the fire, we eat Christmasy snacks, we enjoy the Christmas tree lights, we talk, laugh, remember, and look forward to all this season holds. Life seems to slow down and we seem to enjoy each other more. I have always adored these evenings spent with the lights low and the children snuggled close. Here are a few of the things we do during these family evenings spent together:
Jesse Tree Devotionals – see a list of some we have used HERE.
Christmas Eve Service – free for Raising Arrows email readers (sign up HERE)
Watch Christmas movies
Take a family trip at night to look at the Christmas lights
Read from Farmer Boy and other books with Christmas “sections.”
Work on handicrafts and Christmas gifts.
Play Christmas music and sing along!
Ideas for making this tradition your own:
- Think about the things that make you smile about this season – how can you incorporate those things into a family evening?
- Alternate staying at home with going out throughout the season. Choose your activities wisely!
- Teach your children how to make special Christmas treats and how to make plates of those treats to give away.
- Take the time to slow down and cherish the family God has given you. God created families, and celebrating Jesus’ birth is the perfect time to recognize this gift.
There are many, many things you can do during this season of anticipation. Choose wisely. Don’t let yourself get overwhelmed. Simplify the season and enjoy it!
What holiday traditions do you use to celebrate this season of Advent? I’d love to hear about some of your favorites!
Katelyn morris says
I tried the link for the names of Jesus but it came up as a broken or nonexistent link. We did this last year and I’d really like to do it again. I can print the ornaments themselves, but can’t access the explanations of the names. Do you have a master copy you could send me? Or have another site to direct me?
Amy says
It is on Amazon – http://amzn.to/2gF0GLb 🙂