We love Advent and Christmas in our home! We try hard to grow in our faith during this time of preparation and celebration. Our family nightly prayers during Advent incorporate all sorts of special parts, including Jesse tree readings and ornaments, Advent calendar, Advent action box, Psalms Lectio Divina, family meditations, and reading nightly chapters of Destination Bethlehem. We adopted a family, gave gifts from the SPC Angel tree, donated to food and clothing drives and the kids each donated a toy to a sibling or a child in need. We decorate the home inside and out to bring beauty and cheer. We spent Christmas itself at home this year, no traveling or guests, but it was quiet, peaceful and joy filled!
Our living room tree, full of family memory ornaments
My "fancy" dining room tree
The music boxes from Great Grandma
The Christmas Village, also from Great Grandma. This year, I had each of the kids write a story about what they imagine in this village and shared them with her :-)
Love our outdoor nativity thanks to Dad!
Added lights around the front door this year
Went to mass 4pm Christmas Eve
After Christmas Eve mass, our traditions become to have cheer soup and ham and biscuits. Then Nicholas recites Twas the Night Before Christmas....
Henry gave us all a slide show about the true meaning of Christmas....
Grace read from the Gospel of Luke, the story of the first Christmas.
And Sam played Jingle Bells for us, that he just learned with Grace's help.
Then we sing a Christmas Carol while the baby Jesus' are placed in all the Nativity scenes around the house. They put out milk and cookies for Santa and then these crazy kiddos are off to bed....
Christmas morning.....lots of fun and exciting gifts!
Grace painted these for Sam and Nicholas
And she made this cool sign for Henry's door
Nicholas used his money to buy thoughtful gifts for all his siblings
Great reads from the Gray Family
Heirloom German mugs from Nana
Merry Christmas!!!!
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