Christmas Season 2019 is Here!
We’ve enjoyed lots of family time and Christmas traditions this month—quite a lot to catch up on! Check it out below.
My Favorite Part
We got our Christmas tree!! I am in love. It touches the ceiling and lights up the house with its beauty. I think it’s the same species as last year (Black Balsam) from the same farm in Elk Ridge (Peterson Trees). Jer says we should keep the tree up as long as it lasts, and I agree!
Sledding in the Snow
Sledding is of our favorite winter activities with our BFFs! It’s a lot more enjoyable now that all of us have appropriate clothing—the difference between a miserable sopping wet experience and a fun one are wearing the right clothes in my opinion. All the kids had snow pants, gloves, hats, etc. so we were able to sled longer than previous years.
It was so nice to be able to sled down the street from our friends’ house and just walk back inside once the kids were done and soaking wet haha, rather than freezing in the car, too!
Nativity Blocks for Kids
Growing up, I loved my Mom’s very fragile fancy porcelain nativity set and Christmas village. Now that I have my own family, I’m so glad to finally enjoy the Christmas story through this tradition again. We actually got this set last year, but it didn’t arrive in time for Christmas so this is the first time the kids were actually able to set it up. I love that I don’t have to worry too much about the kids touching and playing with it because these wooden blocks are made for kids!
They are rearranged every day since little W knocks them down. L had all the figures surrounding the baby Jesus in a semi-circle, F had the figures riding the animals, L built a very tall backdrop and had the angel on the very top, etc. Their favorite pieces are the door (W), sheep (F), star (L), and of course baby Jesus.
DIY Watercolor Gift Wrapping Paper
The stores didn’t have brown kraft paper when I shopped for it, and I couldn’t bring myself to spend the $20-$30 to get the marbled green paper I wanted so… the kids and I made watercolor gift wrap! It turned out AWESOME! It made the kids feel more like they were part of the Christmas gifting. I even wrapped the individual kids section with their own gift, it was fun seeing them say which presents were theirs based off their artwork. We did this activity several times since I’d run out of wrapping paper, and we even got Daddy to join!
Christmas Cards
I created and mailed cards this year with the beautiful photos Victoria took. To cut on costs, instead of doing double-sided flat card-stock 5x7s, I did 4×6 prints from Costco with a small insert that had updates on our family and a holiday message. I used envelopes I already had, and Miss L helped me hand-write return addresses, enclose everything, affix stamps, and seal them up. I heard part of the Christmas devotional was about simplifying Christmas and have seen lots of people moving to “digital cards” shared with everyone via social media, and I like that idea! I just also like the idea of having loved ones from far away posted on my fridge to enjoy and think of throughout the season 🙂
Visit with Santa and Mrs. Claus
Our ward at church does a breakfast for Christmas. In past years we had a program with lots of singing and opportunities to visit with everyone. This year, however, was spent in line to see Santa and get food with all my kiddos while Jeremy was out of town at a wrestling tournament. I’m grateful that the kids were so well-behaved, and that even though they weren’t into the catered breakfast casserole I got to eat it for them haha.
Miss L asked Santa for a cooking set, F asked for a truck, and W refused Santa and only cared about his candy!
Christmas Program
This is our family photo taken Christmas Sunday. Miss L and I were part of choir, which did an amazing job in the Christmas program including our first time trying a lullaby of sorts, “Baby, What You Going To Be”.
My favorite part of the program was when a family with 8 kids in our ward all came up and sang, “If I Were A Shepherd” by Stephanie K. Adams. Even the babies were singing all the words to the song like little angels! I was fighting back tears by the time they got to the end. What a beautiful reminder that even though the birth of Christ happened long ago, we still seek and follow Him in our role as his disciples.
“I’m not a shepherd, I’m not a traveling wise man, I’m not a singing angel. I love him just the same—I’m a disciple, I choose to love and serve Him, to follow His commandments, to take upon His name, I’m a disciple.”
Handmade Christmas Gifts
Christmas Kid Apron
Miss L wanted cooking stuff for Christmas! She circled a kid cooking set in a catalog which included a chef hat, apron, measuring cups, kid sized spatulas, and a couple of recipes. We kind of DIY’d it by doing them separately. I decided to make her a special apron that’s reversible with nice-sized pockets for all her utensils and that will wash up easy! She’s been helping me in the kitchen and LOVES wearing this.
Watercolor Family Portrait
My husband made this for his Mom! Read more about it here.
Check out our Christmas 2019 here.
Merry Christmas!
-Kat
