Tis the season!
For giving away gifts (we’ll get to that in a minute!). For trees and lights, poinsettias and holly. For Deck the Halls and Oh Holy Night. For It’s a Wonderful Life and The Grinch Who Stole Christmas. For freshly fallen snow, baking cookies, sipping hot chocolate, wrapping presents, hanging stockings, and that red kettle outside of stores.
Most importantly, ’tis the season for celebrating the amazing miracle that is God incarnate.
That’s what advent is all about.
Expectantly awaiting that one moment in history when everything changed.
When God reached down into humanity and said, “I will be your rescue.”
Immanuel. God with us.
This is the first year my (not so) little man seems to “get it”. And his innocent, childlike excitement is contagious.
He was busting at the seems to decorate the tree….
To make his homemade advent calendar…..
To put up his own little Christmas nightlight in his room…
We listened to Christmas music and we counted Hershey kisses and talked about the first Christmas lights and the meaning of the star at the top of our tree.
It was a fun, magical night.
I hope one of many more to come.
Let’s Talk: How do you prepare for Christmas? What are your favorite Christmas traditions?
Don’t miss the Christian Fiction Christmas Giveaway!
From now until Christmas Eve, you may enter to win a basket of books and prizes – either to keep for yourself or give away as gifts to friends and family! Scroll down to enter via Rafflecopter!
Basket contents: Wildflowers from Winter and Wishing on Willows by moi, Made to Last by Melissa Tagg, Shadowed by Grace by Cara Putnam, Catch a Falling Star by Beth Vogt, The Heiress of Winterwood by Sarah Ladd, A Sweethaven Christmas by Courtney Walsh, an advanced reader copy of Kristy Cambron’s debut novel, The Butterfly and the Violin. As well as Peppermint Twist lotion from Bath and Body Works, Heartstrings Stringed Quartet Christmas CD, a handmade ceramic hummingbird ornament, two $5 gift cards to Starbucks, Christmas in Connecticut DVD, and a piece of handcrafted art by Courtney Walsh.
[…] – and don’t forget to enter the Christian Fiction Christmas Giveaway. The contest closes […]
[…] – and don’t forget to enter the Christian Fiction Christmas Giveaway! There are all kinds of great books and fun goodies to […]
[…] miss the Christian Fiction Christmas giveaway! Enter to win 8 books and an assortment of gifts – all in one fun Christmas package! For more […]
I’m so Thankful their are writers who put God first and use their talents for his glory…..We need more of you!
I love seeing pure Christmas joy on a little face. Your son is adorable!
Have a wonderful Christmas.
Loved the pictures of the advent rope. Your little boy is so cute. We are all scattered now, but we used to go to Christmas Eve at church, then go home and have soup and snacks and play games. I really miss those times.
Have a very Merry Christmas.
Thanks for sharing your son’s pics Ms. Ganshert. He’s so adorable! Just like him, my kids are always excited to decorate for Christmas. They help me put all the Hallmark ornaments, which I have collected over the years, on our tree. We also have a small Christmas tree with numbered tiny ornaments, which they hung every day ’til Christmas Eve. My 3 kids take turn on putting the ornament-of-the-day every morning. We try to keep this tradition no matter how busy life gets to keep the excitement this season brings…
How awesome! I hope I am one of the winners! I don’t often win…
I love reading, and since on a fixed income, enjoy the free books. Thanks to all these great authors and a very mery christmas to each of you as well as your readers.
We have a Nativity Advent Calendar we use with our boys. There are other traditions, too. You’re give away sounds wonderful. Wish I could participate but I’m one of those rare birds who doesn’t have any social media accounts.
Katie, your little guy is so sweet! He reminds me a lot of my boy who is now 10! And I love all of your traditions! We always all decorate the tree together, and my kids put up their little trees in their rooms.
There’s nothing like childlike excitement about Christmas! Your little man is just precious. For me, Christmas really starts when I stop everything, read through Luke 2, then pull out the Christmas decorations. Hot chocolate runs aplenty and the movie “White Christmas” plays in continual repeat all while I’m decorating. It’s a wonderful, joyful way to launch into the Christmas season!
Can you believe I have NEVER seen White Christmas?? I think I need to rectify this!
Thanks for sharing your precious photos, Katie! 🙂
Our Christmas traditions: Christmas tree goes up the weekend after Thanksgiving. We always do brunch with my husband’s family early Christmas morning, and then it’s back to our neck of the woods for Christmas fun with my parents and sis and kids.
We never miss the Christmas cantata at church, and the days surrounding Christmas we watch favorite Christmas classics, drink lots of punch, and enjoy just being together.
Merry CHRISTmas, Katie!
I love Christmas with my family spacialy with my 4yr old grandson.l will be 50yrs.old this Christmas eve.l hope to spend many others .with him.it’s nothing any more special then to see the light in his eyes when you light up his Christmas tree.
Our family opens gifts on Christmas Eve — it all started back when we were a military family — and we open stockings on Christmas Day. The kiddos love the stockings and now that they are grown up, they get into the stocking stuffing too! Some years we even do themed stockings: cooking or camping or wilderness survival (the year my husband broke his knee hiking).
Merry Christmas, Katie!
Thanks to all of you for having this giveaway! Christmas is a magical time of year, especially for the little ones!
Beautiful! I love seeing your little guy enjoying Christmas at your house. And I’m praying for Salima too. May she be able to come home soon. Love and prayers. Carrie
Such sweet memories, Katie!
I do miss that childlike anticipation in my boys, but God blessed me with Rachel who will always be childlike in her faith and excitement.
Thanks for sharing your precious moments and this awesome giveaway.