Every so often I love to be sign up for Mommy Style Monday — I originally wanted to join in every time, but found that I just couldn’t! But I am going to sign up once a month or so, because it’s so fun to be involved. Mommy Style Mondays was created by Kiana and Madeline to showcase how different mommas have different styles, not only in clothing and fashion, but in the way they parent, create, and just everything! We join together to share and celebrate those differences together, and to get ideas from other moms, as well! If you want to join us, you can sign up on Kiana or Madeline’s blogs (see links at the bottom of the post!).

Today we’re sharing about our Christmas traditions. Over the past 7 Christmases we’ve been trying to cultivate our own traditions as a family. There is always a transition period when you first get married, and I think that transition period can last a long time, depending on what is going on in your life (if you’re students, constantly moving, etc.). This transition comes as you attempt to mesh together 2 families worth of traditions, and also decide on any new traditions to incoporate into your family as well.

A few of the traditions that we’ve been doing for a few years are as follows:

• Put up our Christmas tree and decorations Thanksgiving weekend.
• Make sugar cookies and deliver them to neighbors.
• Read Luke 2 on Christmas Eve.
• Watch It’s A Wonderful Life on Christmas Eve.
• Open one present each on Christmas Eve.
• Watch The Muppet’s Christmas Carol on Christmas Day.
• Watch a variety of all other Christmas movies during December: Elf, Rudolph, Frosty, Christmas Vacation, The Santa Clause, Claymation Christmas, just to name a few.
• Watch the First Presidency Christmas Devotional on the first Sunday of December, and open Christmas jammies that same night.
• Participate in a Giving Tree or other some sort of donation.
• Have a chocolate advent calendar for the kids.
• Look at the lights at Temple Square. (Not something we are able to do every year, but it we are in town and available, we like to.)

A few I am planning on starting next year are:

• Shepherd on The Search.
• Hanging a felt tree on the wall for our kids to play with.

When our kids get older, I also want to start volunteering at a soup kitchen or homeless shelter sometime in November and/or December. I’m sure we will incorporate a few more traditions as our kids get older, too, as we start to stay home and spend Christmas at our own home.

When I was younger I feel like Christmas time was always so magical. There’s just that special Christmas Spirit, you know? Then I got older, and I think I lost some of that Spirit, but I’m trying to get it back again, since it’s dawned on me that I am the mom, and it’s up to me to create that Christmas Spirit in my own home now. Part of this involves getting prepared. This year at the beginning of December I made of things I wanted to do and needed to get done throughout the month and then scheduled them. I was very specific (like I’m going to wrap Christmas presents this night, and go the post office this day, etc.) and it was so helpful for me! I have also been trying to create a little quiet time for myself each day to think and ponder on this time of year. I was able to receive a complimentary copy of Christmas Quiet(aff) to review this year, and I have really been enjoying it. There are 25 days of devotionals, accompanied by a coloring page for each. It’s been so nice to relax, color, and think about Christ.

What traditions do you have this time of year? I’d love to hear them below 🙂 And be sure to check out the fabulous ladies below to learn about what traditions their families have!