The great joy and peace that the Advent and Christmas seasons bring were eagerly anticipated more than ever after this rather difficult 2020 year! Yes, I started playing Christmas music in early October because it makes me happy and we needed happy!!! Since we were in quarantine the week of Thanksgiving, the kids and I took that opportunity put up all the Christmas decor, except the living room tree, we waited for Daddy to get all better and be a part of that which was such a great joy! We enjoyed some of our favorite traditions like cookie baking day and gingerbread house making. We were thrilled Samuel still had his opportunity be in the Christmas Nativity Play at school. Sadly, we weren't able to enjoy Christmas parties with others, Caroling parties, and holiday get together with friends and relatives. But, as a result, it was a much less busy season and filled with much more relaxing quality time together at home as a family. We grew in faith together with our Journey to Bethlehem, Jesse Tree reflections and other special Advent prayer traditions. And God smiled down on us when he sent great big snowflakes falling from the sky on Christmas Eve as we walked out of the Nativity Mass!! It was just flurries for 15 minutes, but that was such a special beautiful treat!!! Merry Christmas!
Shawn gifted me this lovely flocked tree for our dining room and for the first time ever I got to decorate a tree just how I liked....oh so beautiful and fun!! I filled it with most of Juliana's angel ornaments that she has collected through the years (St. Nick brings her 1 each year in her stocking), along with other religious and pretty gold and silver ornaments
Always fun getting out the ornament box!
We also got a new tree for the living room this year...I finally caved in and we got an artificial tree instead of a real one.
I set up Grandma's village in our bedroom this year, and spruced it up with a backdrop and some elevation changes in town :-)
Samuel was John the Baptist for the school nativity play. I made his costume...it looks like camel's hair tied with a rope (I think) and there's even a locust included :-)
On stage near Zechariah and Elizabeth
This year each child got to decorate their own gingerbread house...all unique and lovely...and even with names!
Cookie Baking Day has arrived!
Just some of the decor this year
Our friend Nicole usually hosts a Birthday Party for Jesus each year in her home...well this year it was virtual via Zoom and still with the nativity play they always do...it was different but still very sweet! Henry is the donkey, Grace an angel, Sam a shepherd and Nicholas an innkeeper.
Happy Birthday Jesus!
Found these on our bed from Henry and Sam a couple days before Christmas...apparently they were concerned they might be on the naughty list so felt the need to do some good deeds :-)
Our Jesse Tree all full at the end of Advent!
All ready for Christmas Eve mass
Christmas Eve dinner...our tradition...cheese soup, ham, biscuits and salad
Another Christmas Eve tradition...Nicholas reading Twas the Night Before Christmas to all of us
Then Grace read the story of Christ's birth from Gospel of Luke, and then we sang Away in a Manger while each child took turns placing the baby Jesus in the mangers throughout the house.
Of course toasting your toes by the fire is a must as well!
We played a few games in front of the fire before putting cookies out for Santa and heading to bed.
Christmas Morning!!! (a new swing)
A Scout backpacking pack
New yard tools
On Henry's Christmas list to Santa, he asked Santa to bring him a Ryobi Weed Eater so that he could wake up really early and sneak down and put "To Dad from Henry" on it.....I think Santa realized how sweet it was of Henry to use 1 of his 3 gift request for something for his Dad...and what do you know, he got it!!!!
Grace asked for a microscope
Fun new swing rom Santa....and all new shirts from Grandma
Part of Shawn and I's gift to the kids was tickets, for New Year's Eve, to a drive through lights display at White Water called Lights of Illumination, and we also went to Lights of Life at Life University. This was the second time this year we all packed in the car with hot chocolate and candy canes and went driving around looking at Christmas lights..the other time we drove to different homes around Roswell...it was a great Covid safe thing to do and was so fun, we think this may make it a tradition yearly.
After the lights, on New Year's Eve, we came home and played board games and had fun snacks and treats.
Toasting with sparkling cider
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