Christmas with Kids

It’s Thanksgiving week and for many of us that also means it’s the week to do a little outdoor decorating. We also put our tree up during the Thanksgiving week, typically the Saturday after Turkey Day.
Today, the kids and I got out the reindeer that go in the yard and put them together. We still [...]

Any kind of holiday or occasion involving food is a high alert time for food allergies. Near and dear to my heart is the issue of food allergies. Our daughter and my brother have life-threatening food allergies that require planning, research, and prevention. The key to success in not having an emergency room visit, or [...]

Handmade wish lists have a certain charm and appeal that you won’t see anywhere else, so hang on to these! Make copies before you mail them to Santa!
Great advances have been made in online wish lists. There is something for everyone!
The Amazon Wish List is our top pick. Our favorite feature is that you can’t [...]

We’ve started a Mommy-Daughter date night in our family once a week after choir rehearsal. I pickup my daughter from choir and we have dinner together with lots of talking, then we go to a bookstore, then home. This has been a really wonderful thing for us as she gets older (9) and needs to [...]

What’s on top of your Christmas tree? Star or angel? Tell us what you have on your tree by voting in the poll in the sidebar of this page.
If you have a specific reason for one or the other, post it in a comment. I’m curious to know how people make this decision.
I’ve gone through [...]

I asked my sister about her favorite Christmas tradition and she replied very quickly:
“My favorite tradition is caroling (Are you surprised?). I have done it every year with the kids and other friends on the Sunday before Christmas. We take the guitar, jingle bells, any other instruments on hand, and friends who can harmonize – [...]

My friend Michelle sent me a note with her favorite Christmas memory filled with traditions:
“Absolutely, hands down….
Family dinner, followed by the opening of one gift, then Midnight service at church, ending with ‘Silent Night’ by candlelight and coming home and making ‘reindeer food’ with my nieces and nephews.  They’re grown now and we all are [...]

Rhonda, a fellow elf, sent in a favorite family tradition:
“Every year on Christmas eve, we bake a birthday cake for Jesus.  We light some candles and sing Happy Birthday.  We have decided his favorite cake is probably chocolate cake with chocolate frosting.”
My daughter thinks this is a great idea! Kids love birthday parties and it’s [...]

The Christmas season is a wonderful time to find a church home if you don’t already have one. You can do better than showing up at Christmas and Easter. Find a church family that feels right and dive in! Get involved.

If you aren’t already reading books at bedtime, this is a great tradition to start. It’s great for your infants, toddlers, pre-readers, young readers, advanced readers, and tweens! Here are some great Christmas titles for the season:

The Night Before Christmas: The Heirloom Edition
Christmas in the Manger Board Book
The Polar Express
Gingerbread Friends
How the Grinch Stole Christmas!
Olivia [...]