Holiday Hustle

We try to jam pack December with as many fun Christmas traditions as possible!  It's my favorite time of the year and I think it's the kids as well.

Smitty, our elf, comes December 1st.  He brings an advent calendar, does all kinds a crazy things, brings Christmas pajamas and hides in all sorts of places.  The kids love his shenanigans!

We drink hot chocolate and wear new Christmas pajamas.

We go to the HV tree lighting.

Most years we go to the Gaylord for Ice.

We adopt angels the age of our kids from the angel tree and the kids help us pick out Christmas presents for them.

At school we have really fun Christmas parties.

We take pictures or get pictures taken for Christmas cards.

We decorate, decorate, decorate. 

It's fun to pull out all of the things my Grammy and mom have made for me in the past.  

 Here are just a couple.  

I bake gifts for the people we work with and teachers.  This year I baked 42 pans of cinnamon rolls!  We also bake and then ice Christmas cookies. 

I make a snowman breakfast for dinner- yum!

We watch lots of Christmas movies-  Rudolph, Frosty and Santa Claus is Coming to Town are our favorites!  

We drink hot chocolate and drive around and look at Christmas lights.

Richard and I have a date or two filled with shopping and we celebrate our anniversary.  

We go to Bass Pro and visit Santa.

This year we started something new and Smitty brought the kids their own trees to decorate. They look pretty special and the kids love sleeping by Christmas light!  

We read lots and lots of Christmas books including my favorite from when I was little.  

We listen to Christmas carols every time we're in the car from Thanksgiving until Christmas Day.  

We bake Christmas cookies to leave out for Santa. (With Mimi this year)

We pull out my mom's old Nativity set and read the Christmas story.  Cole calls baby Jesus, baby "cheeses" and hides the lamb behind the barn because he doesn't like him... Love that kid!  

This year we made gingerbread houses with Mimi as well.  Let's just say it was harder than it looks.  

Cole was hardcore... he cracked me up!  I think he ate more candy than went on the house though.  

Even Uncle Craig and Daddy joined in to help!  

The Christmas season has always been  my very favorite time of year.  Sharing that joy with my kids makes it even better!