Hi y’all! I hope everyone is having a great week. A cold front arrived, and I couldn’t be more excited for chilly weather again! I am snuggling up at home today with Christmas music and my two little guys!
December is here and moving just as quickly as November did! I have been adding to my gift guides this week. I hope they have been helpful! You can check them out here. If you find anything that needs to be on my list, please share! ;). Let’s make everyone’s shopping days less stressful and easier by sharing all the good finds and ideas! I’ve been working on a stocking stuffer gift guide for kids. Click here for that one. What is your favorite stocking stuffer for kids?
Today, I wanted to share one Christmas tradition that we started with our boys a few years ago. This tradition has been so fun and as the boys get older they are understanding more and enjoy celebrating all things Christmas. They have even enjoyed the Christmas music that is on 24/7 in our house! 😉
I was searching Pinterest one day as a new mom. Bryson may have been 2 or 3 years old. I came upon a cute idea to wrap 24 Christmas books to open and read during the month of December. Now I know what you are thinking….wrap 24 more things than I need to! NO WAY!! ;).
Well, for my little ones opening a present is sooooo fun, so I thought I would give this idea a try. It promotes reading and at the same time you have the opportunity to enjoy Christmas stories new and old. Some can even teach life lessons, and focus on the real meaning of Christmas.
Items needed- 24 Christmas/Holiday books to suite your child. (wrapped or unwrapped)
To start I shopped around at discount book stores and my local grocery stores to find 24 different Christmas books. I then wrapped them all and put them in a cute holiday bucket. On December 1st, my little ones get to choose one of the wrapped books and open it. Once it’s opened, that is the Christmas book we read that evening before bed. We do this every night from Dec. 1st-24th. On the 24th, we always read T’was the Night Before Christmas. ( I usually set this wrapped book aside until the last night, so it doesn’t get picked)
My boys have fun taking turns choosing a book from the bucket. Even if you decide not to wrap them, which I have done before. It is still fun to choose a new book from the bucket.
As my boys get older, we have donated some of the “baby” books and I replace them with different books.
This is such a fun tradition in our house hold. Especially when the boys are out of school and we have extra time to snuggle, sip hot chocolate and enjoy our time together before Christmas. You also don’t have to start December 1st. You can start at any time and make this tradition your own. Again, wrapping or not wrapping them is equally as fun.
This tradition also can be a helpful tool when teaching your kids about Christmas. We love the book Happy Birthday Jesus by Nell Navillus and The First Night by B. G. Hennessy.
Another good one, that I received at a stocking stuffer party is The Berenstain Bears and the Joy of Giving. This one is such a good one for teaching children about giving.
You won’t believe how many books there are out there to choose from! We love all the traditional ones, but have also found some fun ones like Santa on the Loose! A seek and solve mystery book.
If you are looking for an inexpensive, fun tradition this one is perfect! My boys love all the books and enjoying picking a new one each evening. Now that my oldest is reading, it will be fun to listen to him read some of the books too!
Do you have any traditions with your kids that you love? I would love to hear them!
XO, Ja’Net
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