One last quick Christmas Bucket List activity to share with you -- Making Gingerbread Houses!
There are plenty of Gingerbread House making kits out there that you can buy {and those are legit gingerbread houses!!} but we went with this super simple, easy, and toddler approved gingerbread house! In fact, you just might have everything you need around your house right now!
Supplies:
Frosting
Piping bag and tip
Paper plate
Graham crackers
Various candies -- gum drops, candy canes, mints, m&ms, etc
Small milk carton (my mom is a teacher so she got us one from her school but maybe a gas station sells them like this still??)
Step 1 -- Frost the bottom of the milk carton so that it sticks to your plate
Step 2 -- Add frosting to the sides of the milk carton and stick on half a graham cracker sheet. Do this to each side and then the "roof" as well. Fill in the edges and openings with frosting. Also add frosting to any where else on the house that you will want to put candy and decorations.
Step 3 -- Add your candies and decorations! {sneak a few to snack on too! -- note Christian's chocolaty face!} If decorating with a toddler you may need to help direct the candies so that more end up on the house than in their mouths...or maybe that's just my toddler :)
Step 4 -- Admire your hard work!
And try not to eat the house before others can admire it too!
Merry Christmas Eve!
Now...help me and my hubby clear something up -- is there a step 5 of eating the house?? I say no, he says yes. Do you eat your gingerbread house? What are your favorite house "decorations"?
With Christmas only 2 days away, we have put a pretty good dent in our Christmas Bucket List!
{At least as much as we could without snow!!}
Last week at our weekly play date at our house, we decorated Christmas cookies! The kids {most boys!!!} really got into it! A lot more than I was expecting.
The kids ranged in age from about 15 months to 3 years old.
Lots of frosting was eaten and plenty of sprinkles were sprinkled {on the floor too!} but surprisingly enough, each kid probably frosted 4-6 cookies!
I pre-baked the cookies so all the focus during the play date could be just on decorating.
There was plenty of homemade frosting {of all colors} and the kids ate it by the spoonful! But they also did a pretty good job of actually getting the frosting on the cookies too {some with more help than others}.
The little squeeze tubs of frosting were a bit of a hit, as well as the sprinkles! I should have gotten a bigger variety of sprinkles. The kids kept asking for specific colors or kinds that I didn't have! ha ha!
Through all of the fun and chaos of the event, this was the only picture I was able to snap of Christian -- green frosting up his nose after shoving a cookie in his own face to eat the frosting ha ha!
And of course -- Christian's own masterpieces!
Did you decorate cookies with your littles? What is their favorite part? Do you have any favorite "decorations" for your cookies?
This year is already going to be Christian's second Christmas! That not only means that he will actually get into the season a bit more this year, but it also means I have been left debating my thoughts on Christmas gifts at our house and what our approach should be for 3 years now!!
To some extent the jury is still out when it comes to a firm decision about gifts. It's not that I think gifts in themselves are bad. But do gifts blind us a bit as to what the bigger gift of the season really is?
I want Christian's answer to "Why do we celebrate Christmas? or What is Christmas about?" to always be Jesus.
Not Santa.
Not presents.
But can we still teach our kids about Santa, or St. Nicholas, and still do presents while still teaching them the real reason for the season?
I hope so. I really hope so. Because I would hate to take away the magic of Christmas and the opportunity to teach about giving. Even more so I would hate to take away the chance to see my son's face filled with joy as he experiences the magic of Christmas and new toys.
We will be doing gifts at our house. Santa will come.
But Santa won't be hanging over Christian's head all year either. He will be there, but he won't be a motivator for him to be "good" so he can be on the "nice list".
Jesus will be taught year round. Jesus will be the example to follow in how we teach Christian to live...and how we try to live ourselves.
Santa will be the nice man who was a saint and blessed many children, bringing joy to their lives at Christmas time. Even the man who helped to meet the needs of children who are less fortunate.
And "Santa" will be the example that we teach Christian to follow as he shares the Christmas spirit and love of Jesus. Because Santa had the heart of Jesus when it came to giving.
I love the idea that Santa can also teach our kids about grace. That even when kids aren't perfectly good ALL year long, Santa still comes through.
The concept of 4 gifts (a need, a want, something to read, and something to wear) has become rather popular, but I think I'm a bigger fan of the idea of 3 gifts, like was shared on graceformoms.com.
Jesus received 3 gifts - Gold, Frankincense, and Myrhh
Our children can receive 3 gifts as well.
Gold - Something big they've been wanting Frankincense - Something for their body Myrrh - Something for their personal or spiritual growth
We have yet to follow this example for our gift giving for Christian. This year he will be getting 3 presents from us, 3 presents from Santa, and a stocking. I believe we did about the same thing last year.
Is this the right way to do Christmas? I don't know. Will this always be how we do Christmas? I don't know that either. But for now, this is where we are at.
How do you celebrate Christmas? Do you do gifts? Do you have any "rules" for how you do gifts? What do you do to keep the focus of Christmas on Christ and not just on presents?
To see Christian's Favorites from last year, click here.
For this year's wish list and gift wins, click here.
Christian loves books. He loves sitting and flipping the pages and "reading" them all! Visiting the library is a pretty regular part of our schedule.
**Mom Tip**
Place your books on reserve/hold using the online catalog system. Then you just walk in, grab your books off ONE shelf and check them out. Makes trips to the library with a toddler much less intimidating. Also, strapping said toddler into a stroller for the visit isn't a bad idea either :)
Anyway, every season I go online and "order" our library books. I put holds on items for the specific season -- Halloween, fall, Christmas, winter, summer or even just a specific theme like colors or body parts.
You usually can't place holds on board books at our library, so we usually do a quick once over in that section and grab a few extras.
Books and reading are not only important for growing vocabularies, but little ones learn through these stories as well!
While books about Santa and baking cookies and wrapping presents are pretty easy to come across, I wanted to be sure to find a handful of good, solid, Bible based Christmas stories for Christian during this season.
Here are our favorites! Check them out at your local library, or click the link to find them on amazon.
While this is not a board book, Christian has down quite well with it at 18 months old! It tells the story of baby Jesus being born in the stable and how all of the animals were there to greet him. Each animal greets him with their "sound" -- Mooing cows, cooing doves, baaing sheep, and the bray of the donkey! Fun way to practice animal sounds too.
The story of baby Jesus' birth is related to the story of your own child's birth in this story! I love the connection it makes to the child, helping to bring them more and more into the Christmas story as they learn that this is their story too! The animated and bright, cheery pictures in this book are sure to be a hit with your little one as well!
In this build upon story, each part of the nativity is touched upon -- from the "quiet stable, dusty and brown" to "the shepherds tending their sheep" and "the wise men, travelers three". I love the sing song nature of this book and its a favorite from my childhood.
This is your basic Bible story version of Jesus' birth right from the angel Gabriel telling Mary she would be the mother of Jesus, to Mary and Joseph making the trip to Bethlehem, and finally Jesus being born in the stable and placed in a manger and kings and shepherds coming to meet him.
This has become my all.time.favorite. Christmas story! We also love our God Gave Us You book, so were super excited to get this book as a gift last Christmas. The little polar bear asks her mama "who 'vented Christmas? Was it Santa?" The mama polar bear goes on to explain that God invented Christmas and God is even more important than Santa. The bears then go to find God and discover the real meaning of Christmas.
If God Gave Us Christmas is my all time favorite Christmas story, then this is my all.time.favorite.board.book. Christmas story! This book walks kids through all the aspects of Christmas, reminding them that the season is not about the presents, the cookies, Santa, or Christmas Cards or carols. The season is all about the birth of Jesus. It also is written in a very catchy tune that preschoolers will pick up on quickly!
This is just a fun Christmas holiday book that I threw in for fun! Christian really likes this one but it doesn't talk about Jesus at all. It's all about a moose getting ready for Christmas and just when he thinks he has everything ready, he realizes he forgot the tree and has to improvise!
Do you have any favorite Christmas stories to read with your little ones?
How do you help them understand the real meaning of Christmas?
I recently shared a photo on instagram of my Countdown to Christmas Scripture Chain and got a lot of questions as to what I used for Scripture and questions in general about making this chain.
From the time that we found out I was pregnant, I've gone back and forth on my feelings about how we will celebrate Christmas as a family. I want Christian to know that Christmas is about Christ...not just about presents. ::It's about PRESENCE::
Practicing the presence of Christ as we lead up to the celebration of His day of birth.
While the jury is still out on how we will handle Santa {luckily Christian doesn't quite get it this year so we have some time}, one thing is for sure -- We WILL make Christmas about Christ.
We won't just count down the days til Santa comes, but we will count down the days until we celebrate Christ's birth. And to help us remember that that is the reason for the season I decided to add short, daily scripture verses to a regular count down Christmas chain.
The verses are super short, so I'm planning to read them to Christian too.
I wish I could say that I came up with the verses to use all by myself, but I actually found them listed here and then just decided to add them to the chain.
For your quick reference, here are the verses {1 starting for December 1st and should be cut off the chain first and 25 on Christmas day}
1- Isaiah 7:14
2- Matthew 1:18-24
3- Luke 1:26-27
4- Luke 1:28-30
5- Luke 1:31-33
6- Isaiah 9:6
7- Luke 1:35-36
8- Luke 1:37
9- Luke 1:38-41
10- Luke 1:42-45
11- Luke 1:46-56
12- Luke 2:1-3
13- Luke 2:4-5
14- Luke 2:6
15- Luke 2:7
16- Luke 2:8
17- Luke 2:9-11
18- Luke 2:12
19- Luke 2:13-14
20- Luke 2:15-17
21- Luke 2:18-20
22- Matthew 2:1-2
23- Matthew 2:3-7
24- Matthew 2:8-10
25- Matthew 2:11
Also, if you've been following me for long, you probably know that I blog based on my experiences. In this situation that means that I'm experiencing this with you! I have used this chain of scripture before, so I will be deciding as I go how I like it too. You can't really go wrong with scripture, though! I hope you enjoy it!
How are you counting down the days until Christmas? What traditions to you have to help keep Christ in Christmas?
I've always been a "Christmas doesn't start until December" person. No rushing Thanksgiving!
But MAN. Now that Christian might actually be able to get into Christmas a little bit this year I. Am. So. Excited!!!!!!
I shared a little bit about our {Fall Bucket List} in this post and decided I wanted to get a jump start on planning for a winter or {Christmas Bucket List} too!!
Did I mention that I am SO EXCITED!?!?!
So here you have it! Our {Christmas Bucket List}! Hopefully some of these can become yearly traditions for our family...if they haven't already. I so hope that I also have a chance to share about our experiences checking things off this list this upcoming holiday season!
{Here's a break down of the image list (plus a few extras!) and links too!}
Go Sledding
Drink Hot Chocolate
Write a letter to Santa
Decorate Cookies
Make a birthday cake for Jesus and sing Happy Birthday!
Do random acts of kindness -- Last year we started the tradition that we hope to continue of buying breakfast for a random family at a restaurant
Read the Christmas story from the Bible
Play with the Nativity Set -- We have this Little People Nativity Set
Build a snowman
Make a Gingerbread house
Read Christmas Books {we LOVE the library!}
Make a Countdown to Christmas Scripture Chain
Light the Advent Candle
Donate a gift to a child in need
Listen to Christmas music...duh!
Watch a Christmas Movie (or 2 or 3 or 4!) Sooo wish we had cable just for Christmas shows!
Make Reindeer Pancakes for breakfast...and Santa pancakes too! Drive around and look at Christmas lights Hang a stocking for Jesus Leave a key on the door for Santa
Make Paper Snowflakes
Watch Santa's Reindeer on the Reindeer Cam
Play Snowman Bowling
Make fun winter/Christmas crafts! I need a whole post just for this!
And maybe...just maybe...the Elf on the Shelf will appear at our house!?
Oh. And for more fun Christmas ideas, be sure to be following me on Pinterest!!
We want to make Christmas magical and for Christian to learn the mystery of faith that is connected to Santa...so Santa comes to our house, but we also want Christ to be at the center of Christmas in our home. So hopefully we can maintain a good mix!
Okay. December hurry up and get here! I'm ready for ya!
What's on your holiday bucket list?Do you have any family traditions you try to do each year?
Technically there were only like 33 days between Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve this year...which apparently is less than usual? I'm going to say that's why it went so fast!
We also were in New York for Thanksgiving with the hubby's family so we didn't get back home until I think December 3rd. And then of course, I came down with a nasty stomach bug and well...with not much time left until Christmas {or should I say weekends} we had to go get our Christmas tree while I was sick.
Yep. I sat in the car with a puke bucket while the hubby went and got us a tree! Isn't he the best!?
You're probably wondering...
"why didn't they just get a pre cut tree from the boy scouts or something??"
Well, for the past 3 Christmases {all of the ones hubby and I have been together for} we have had a tradition of cutting down our own tree at Hampton Hills Tree Farm and we didn't want to break the tradition...especially for Christian's FIRST Christmas! Not that he is going to remember any way...ha ha
Once we had our tree {and when I was finally feeling better} we decided we needed to get Christian to see Santa Clause! He needed to tell him that he wanted a crawl around car for Christmas :)
With the lines to see Santa at the mall about 3 miles long and the cost for a single picture way over priced...we got creative! Well, actually the Minnesota Transportation Museum got creative! You paid the general admittance fee and then got a to explore the train museum {which will be super cool as Christian gets older} and also got to go on a train ride, have hot chocolate and cookies, and see Santa! You could take your own picture or pay $5 to have them take one for you! Honestly, our pictures probably turned out better than the one we bought, but you can't beat $5 even for the option to see Santa! All in all we probably paid just as much as we would have for a fancy mall picture, but had basically no waiting line and got a train ride and some fun at the museum! Can't wait to do this again with Christian next year!
And so the double pictures begin...one with daddy and one with mommy!
Christian was SO intrigued by Santa! Selfishly I was hoping to get a screaming baby picture...But these are pretty great too!
This year we spent Christmas with my family in Wisconsin. We drove over on the Saturday before Christmas and stayed through Christmas day. Since Christian was extra spoiled, we got a head start on opening presents as soon as we arrived! We can't wait for the warmer weather to start using this fun new sled!!
We did give it a test ride with a walk through Irvine Park near my home town to see the Christmas lights. Christian loved it! And the lights :)
On Sunday we celebrated Christmas with my dad's side of the family and Christian got to play with his 2nd? cousins! I think they're his 2nd cousins...my cousin's boys :)
Props to baby photographers I tell ya! I could not get both of these guys smiling and looking at me at the same time!
Logan (9 or 10ish months) and Christian (almost 7 months) had tons of fun playing together, though!
And Christian enjoyed hanging out with his Great Grandma Charlotte too.
Christian and Grandpa Ron
My cousin also got a super fancy schmancy camera for Christmas from her hubby and she was trying it out...Check out the fun pics she got for us!
Christian also LOVED opening all of his presents at Grandma Jill's house! We kept doing a few every day! By the time Christmas day rolled around he was a pro!
It was so fun watching him rip the paper off!
All dressed up for Christmas Eve church
Opening a few more presents on Christmas Eve before heading to bed
Hanging out with Great Grandma Greta
And Grandma Jill on Christmas day
We drove back to Minnesota on Christmas day so that we could celebrate Christmas as our little family too! Christian was so excited to find that Santa had brought him a crawl around car like he had asked!
Spoiled some more!
My hubby also surprised me by getting us matching pajamas for Christmas day! Can't wait to continue this tradition every year :) So fun!
We hope you all had a very Merry Christmas! We sure did!
