For Megan.... Christmas Traditions

Blogger won't accept my novel-of-a-comment on Megan's Blog.... So this is for her.... (and for our family blog book of memories : ) )

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Some of the Wood Family Christmas Traditions....

Starting the 1st day of December we have daily visits from the Christmas Elf... He leaves chocolate kisses in an Advent House that we got a Costco 5 years ago... (this year though, in addition to that, there is a certain 7 yr old at our house that gave himself the top secret mission of being the "Jolly Rancher Elf"... T is catching the Christmas Spirit!)

We have an Advent book that my Mom made for us when we got married that has a Scripture, Song and Christmas story for each day of December... we try to read from that every night...

Like Anna, one of our favorite things to make and hang around the house is snowflakes. It's amazing how pretty they turn out and they are great for an FHE lesson this month on how we are all uniquely different children of God.

We also love getting bundled up and going to Temple square with a thermos of hot chocolate and those paper product coffee cups w/ plastic lids... This year will be extra special because of the new children's Book of Mormon exhibit, upstairs @ the Church Museum.

Another hot chocolate adventure is driving around to see Christmas lights... whether at Thanksgiving Point or even more easy... around the neighborhood....

We also love to read/sing, watch (DVD) or go to the performance of The Forgotten Carols by Michael McLean. The Joseph (I Was Not His Father, He Was Mine) song gets me every time... : )

And on Christmas Eve after Luke 2 and singing sacred Christmas songs around the Christmas Tree, we put out the usual cookies & milk for Santa, carrot for Rudolph, and sprinkle Reindeer Food (oatmeal w/ glitter) on the lawn for the other Reindeer... (of course M and I rock, paper scissors for who has to gnaw on the carrot and eat/drink the cookies and milk)

Christmas morning we always have Aebleskiver's... (WHOA YUM!!!!) for breakfast.

We just love Christmas around here!

P.S. A MUST for you this year is to come and see the free Carl Bloch exhibit at the BYU Museum of Art. I went this week with the RS sisters in our ward and that is THE BEST Christmas gift I could have ever chosen for myself! It brought me soooo much peace to be able to sit in front of HUGE paintings of the Savior and contemplate my relationship with Him and His love for me. A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!