Christmas Traditions

     We did advent again this year. The boys were so excited to see the wreath and devotional book. They were also excited about the activities that go along with the devotional each night.

     The first devotional centered around Gabriel announcing to Mary her pregnancy with God's Son. We thanked God for His plan for Mary and His plan for us. Then Logan and I drew angels for our tree, and the boys colored them. 

     We  also started the elf on the shelf tradition this year. The boys named our elf, Buddy, after Will Ferell's character in Elf. They love watching that movie with their daddy! Buddy showed up in our Christmas tree the first morning. Santa does visit our boys, but we do not really emphasize him. While Buddy was watching their behavior and reporting to Santa, Buddy also gave us the opportunity to discuss actions that are Christ like and those that aren't.

     Last year we started reading a Christmas story a night, but weren't very good about doing every night. We also added a new pieced to our magnetic nativity each night. We read a Christmas story almost every night. Some of the boys' favorites were The Gingerbread Pirates, The Little Drummer Mouse, and The Polar Express. I love Christmas and all the traditions that make this time so special!