Today’s Giveaway Includes:
- The ADVENTure of Christmas by Lisa Welchel
- Wildflowers from Winter by Katie Ganshert
- God of all Comfort by Donna Pyle
- A Bride Opens Shop in El Dorado, California by Keli Gwyn
- Lethal Remedy by Richard Mabry
- Central Park Rendezvous by Kim Vogel Sawyer, Ronie Kendig, Dineen Miller, and MaryLu Tyndall
If you’ve ever felt that Jesus gets lost in the middle of the craziness of Christmas, then this book by Lisa Welchel is just for you! For each of the twenty-four days preceding Christmas, The ADVENTure of Christmas not only helps you keep your children’s focus on Jesus, it invites you to join them in the wonder of the celebration. The book is a fun and handy guide that describes the significance behind all the popular traditions–hanging lights, wrapping gifts, decorating the tree, the jolly fat man in a red suit, and so much more!
It’s my first year going through it with Brogan and it’s already making for a magical season. I’ve been posting pictures of the crafts/activities we’ve been doing each day on my Facebook Page.
Without further ado, let’s head to Peaks and see what Bethany and Robin have to say about holiday traditions.
First, I asked Bethany, the main character of Wildflowers from Winter, to talk about a favorite Christmas tradition from her childhood. This is what she said:
Every Christmas Eve, my mom, who is no better at baking than I am, would go to the local Piggly Wiggly and purchase one of those cookie dough logs. The kind with Santa or a candy cane stamped in the center. She’d play Christmas music on Grandpa Dan’s old phonograph and bake cookies while Dan read Luke chapter two out loud and David and I shook our presents under the tree.
As a kid, I remember thinking that Christmas Eves were magical. Something about the smell of those cookies and Grandpa Dan’s voice, and the crackling of that record player made me feel like the whole world was waiting for something incredible.
I asked Robin, the main character of Wishing on Willows, the same thing:
On Christmas night, Mom, Dad, and I would change into our pajamas, get in the car, and drive around town looking at all the beautiful lights. Then when we got home, we’d snuggle up together on the couch with hot chocolate, a snack, and a Christmas movie.
I used to get more excited about Christmas nights than all those presents on Christmas morning. Proof that in a kid’s mind, toys really aren’t everything.
To be entered in today’s giveaway, all you have to do is tell us about one of your favorite traditions.
You will have until nine p.m. central time on Thursday to leave a comment. At which time, all names will be written on a scrap of paper and my husband will draw the winner. The winner will be announced on Friday.
To be entered to win the grand prize giveaway, you have to answer all four of the “What does Christmas Mean to You?” questions (you can find the first one here). To see the complete list of items included in the grand prize, please click on the link.
Your Turn: Tell us about one of your Christmas traditions!
If you’d like to sample Wildflowers from Winter, you can read the first three chapters.
I love sending out those welcome packets! You can sign up by clicking on the Welcome Packet button at the top and bottom of this page.
One of ours is we give the kiddos their new set of jammies on Christmas Eve night and their stockings.
[…] have to answer every “What Does Christmas Mean to You?” question. (Check out the first, second, and third.) To see the complete list of items included in the grand prize, please click on the […]
My favorite Christmas tradition involves my sister. We are the only 2 grandchildren on our mom’s side of the family. Each year at our family Christmas dinner my sister and I sort the presents. It may seem like a silly tradition, but we still do this every year – even as adults!
My late husband and I had a tradition of filling our stockings, then jumping into bed to open them. My live-at-home daughter now continue the tradition
We have always gone out to dinner then to Christmas Eve church services. By the time we got home, Santa hd already been there–well, he has to start early to get everywhere on time!. We’d open presents Christmas Eve–smart parents, no early wake up time on Christmas morning!
Singing in the Christmas Cantata every year at churchand celebrating Christ’s birth. Having my family all together for a special meal. Making my grandmothers graham cracker cake.
We go on a date as a family just before Christmas. We start out with a service project of some kind, have lunch out together, do some kind of fun activity as a family, gawk at light displays on our way home, and watch of opportunities to do nice things for others the whole time. It’s so relaxing to have a whole day away from the wrapping/baking/gifting extravaganza, and I love that the kids get so excited about helping others.
Again, I’m too late, but I’ll answer anyways 😉 A tradition our family has always had is we go to the Christmas Eve service at church, and then in the morning, bake cookies, read the Christmas story, and then open gifts.
We always have the boys set up the Christmas train around the base of the tree. We even have two different trains running at the same time in different directions!
AS a child we always opened one gift on Christmas Eve, but then waited until Christmas morning for everything from Santa. 🙂 I still do the same thing with my kids.
[…] four of the “What Does Christmas Mean to You?” questions (here’s the first, and the second). To see the complete list of items included in the grand prize, please click on the […]
The anticipation of Christmas is more than half the fun for sure! When I was a kid Christmas Eve was my favorite night of the year. My mom, dad, sister, two brothers, and I would go to church and then to my Nana and Poppop’s for our family gathering. (I have a huge family so that is always chaotically fun!) Afterwards when we got home, we kids would change into our pajamas and exchange presents with each other and give gifts to our parents. Then it was time to get out our stockings and Santa hats and we’d take all kinds of silly pictures! After that we’d watch How the Grinch Stole Christmas (the cartoon with Boris Karloff voice), my mom would read A Visit from St. Nicholas, and the last line was our signal that it was time to go to bed. We four kids would all sleep in the same room, usually my brothers’ since they shared, though of course we’d hardly sleep at all and usually spent the night talking and giggling and wondering if Santa had come yet!! Best night ever. Christmas Eves during my childhood are some of my favorite, fondest memories!
We had one apple tree in our garden when I was a kid and my mom would make the best apple sauce ever from those apples. We’d always save the last batch of apple sauce for Christmas. It’s a small thing perhaps, but as a kid it really meant something to me ’cause I loved that apple sauce!
My dad reads the Christmas story before we open our stockings or gifts.
[…] to all who shared your favorite Christmas tradition on Wednesday and Thursday. They were lots ‘o fun to […]
Dairy Milk bars were on sale. I bought NINE!!!
One of our tradtions is wishing the nursing home and taking em small gifts and homemade candy…it really brightens there day too
We go to the Christmas Eve service and then open presents. My mom and I watch a ton of Christmas movies starting in November!
Years ago made an wall CHristmas tree advent calander…the kids put up an ornament on the tree each day-most are like a Bible, Star, Manger, fish…Christian symbols that they tell what it means when they snap it on.
Our one and only Christmas tradtion is putting up our Christmas cross. It’s made from a faux tree shaped in a cross with holly and a few lights. Quite festive. Blessings and thank you for this wonderful blog and the generous giveaway.
Love reading all of these!
My mom, dad and brother and I used to decorate around mid December. We would celebrate together with a big Christmas Day dinner of homemade cornbread dressing, turkey, green beans, sweet potatoes, etc. and cakes. My dad always bought oranges, apples, nuts, candies as his contribution to Christmas. Those were my favorite memories. They have all passed away now, but photos of them are on my tree. I don’t have a family of my own. Just me and my cat, Rascal. But on Christmas Eve I light candles to each of my beloved family who have passed away (and all have gone)remembering the sweetest memories of years passed.
Our Christmas tree has hundreds of lights on it–probably 7 or 8 strings. Some years I don’t add any ornaments–but just enjoy the lights. This year we hope to start a new tradition by making ice globes to line the entryway and sidewalk of our house.
We cook a big Christmas breakfast filled with everything after opening our presents! Best meal of the year!
When I was a child my favorite memory of what we always did each year was when us kids would wake up early (like 4 or 5 a.m.), go out to the living room, plug up the lights. Then we would just lie down on the floor looking at the presents and the tree. We always had so much fun doing that, had to wait until Mom and Dad woke up, sometimes we got to empty our stockings during that time.
When I was older and we all had children we would always go Christmas Eve to the service, then go home and eat soup, different kinds, and snacks and play lots of games.
My favorite Christmas tradition is the stockings. I’ve always loved packing them full of unexpected items. I did one for my parents the last years of their lives, and now have my stepdad and mother in love to do.
When my children were young we always made Jesus a birthday cake. I wanted them to know what the season was about besides all the gifts we shared.
We would get our children in their pjs with their pillows and little blankets, pile in the van and stop by the ice cream shop for a cone and then head out all over the City to look at Christmas lights. Miss those days!
I always bake and have appetizers on Christmas eve. We never have. a big meal, just snacks. Also, we pick out an ornament to give each other.
Lots of good Christmas traditions, but one of my favorites is going through the Christmas ornaments and thinking about where we got each one, or who gave a particular ornament to us…..lots of cherised memories in that box of ornaments!
Our family tradition is to go home to Illinois to visit with family. My husband was in the Navy and we lived in Virginia with our two daughters for his whole tour so every year we would make sure we went home to be with family for Christmas. Since my husband has retired and the kids are grown now and have families of their own we still make sure we travel to Illinois to spend it with our families. Even my daughters and their families travel to Illinois with us.
Our Christmas tradition is going out to see the Christmas lights on Christmas Eve and then coming home and making steamed shrimp, YUMMY!
Reading the Christmas story from Luke 2 before opening the gifts and then having cookies and eggnog.
We get together as a family, cook Chili and soup, decorate and just spend the day and evening together and enjoy being together, my son is in the Air Force and this summer his family had to move to Alaska so this year will be the first when we will not all be together so we will try to skype.
When I was little, our family always went to the Christmas Eve service at church, then came home, where my dad would sit in his rocker, get out the Bible, and read us the Christmas story . Then one by one, the three of us children would take turns opening gifts, expressing our thanks and oohs and ahhs. THEN the fun continued, my mom had prepared special snacks that we had not had all year and as we ate them , we would play our favourite board games, with Christmas carols playing in the background. Oh, to go back to the simple days.
Sharing love, fun, food and laughter with family and friends makes Christmas special every year!
mpiela@comcast.net
Blessings!!!
We ALWAYS read the Christmas story from the Bible before gift opening time. We emphasize to our children that Christ is our greatest gift, and HE is the reason for the season–not getting things!!
One of my favorite traditions is snuggling together with the kids and reading a short Christmas story (novella) over several nights before Christmas, with candles glowing of course.
We would go to see the christmas light. Tradition started with my mom and grandmother and great grandmother. Did it with my kids and hope to do it with the grandkids. For a few years we were 5 generation in the car.
I make dinner for my family on Christmas Eve.
One of my favorite Christmas traditions is fairly new. It’s putting out my nativity set made by Willow Tree that I purchased over the past 4-5 years. It’s such a beautiful set.
I love Christmas Eve services! Love the candlelight, the carols…and how the church I grew up in would always give out an apple and a candy bar. I have no idea why or if there was any symbolism behind an apple and a candy bar…but I loved it…and love it still. 🙂
My favorite Christmas tradition is having a big breakfast Christmas morning and then exchanging gifts.
We decorate our stockings each year. This year we are decorating our stockings with glitter.
my most favourite christmas tradition is going to mass on christmas eve…and spending christmas day w/ family & friends.
Growing up we used to make these gooey Christmas wreaths as a family. Corn flakes. Green food dye and lots of melted marshmallows. Good times.
With my family now we do an advent scavenger hunt every day of Dec. leading up to Christmas.
My favorite tradition is our sunrise church service. It’s incredibly peaceful and uplifting. Then we have a gathering at the in laws house that includes the entire family. We live quite a distance so it’s a great time and great food to celebrate His birth.
the making of pastacelli’s (our family’s Italian Christmas cookies). Although the recipe that has been passed along for generations now includes a crumpled up TAstykake, which I’m pretty sure wasn’t in my great-great-great gramma’s cookies.
My favorite Christmas tradition is making won-tons with my family. My great-grandmother is Chinese, and so we always make the fillings for won-ton ahead of time–then all the cousins sit down and we roll won-ton for our big meal. Especially now that my great-grandmother has passed away, it is an especially sweet memory.
We make a birthday cake for Jesus every year. I love it!
We do the Christmas Eve service, and like I said, I want to cry all through Silent Night. Then we come home and have what we Majors call “family feast”. WHATEVER we want, we get, make or steal (kidding) and enjoy a late dinner. I make crab rangoons and wontons, we eat shrimp, wings, finger foods, cookies and chips and dip until even the sweats are too tight. Then each kid opens ONE present. We always have a great time.
My family enjoys the Candlelight Christmas Eve service. There’s nothing quite like the hush that falls over those assembled as the lights are dimmed and the candles lit while we join in singing “Silent Night.”
Keli, I bite the living daylights out of my lip so I don’t cry like a sugared up toddler when we hold our candles and sing Silent Night. To me, that is the most perfect moment of the year.
One of our traditions is to make new homemade ornaments nearly every year for our tree and then of course the fun of decorating the tree with the old favorites from years past.
Jasmine A.
montanamade(at)gmail(dot)com