I spent Christmas Eve morning wrapping gifts for my children. This year I tried brown packaging paper (only $1 a roll at the Dollar Tree!) and some fun wire ribbon.
I also attempted an idea I found on Pinterest -using wrapping paper to create matching bows- and it worked! I think they all turned out very Christmassy.
Christmas Eve night we opened our yearly Christmas Eve jammies, sent the kiddos to bed, and carefully placed all the gifts under the tree, along with a basket full of Chocolates!
Finally the Big Day arrived! We did our traditional reading of the Christmas story, only this year we included a new tradition: adding baby Jesus to the manger scene as we read about His birth.
The kids opened their gifts (I’m pretty sure they didn’t even notice the festive brown paper packages) and enjoyed some chocolate.
They gave James a crafty homemade present which he rather enjoyed. (Another moment of Pinterest Brilliance!)
Afterwards we headed to our church service where I was overwhelmed with God’s love for us. Christmas morning spent in church makes the birth of the Savior so much more glorious! I was also unexpectedly blessed to see one of my faithful blog readers there! She hugged me, telling me I inspired her to attend! You know who you are! And I praise God for you!
After service we rushed home to begin the festive cooking. Every year we visit a different country for Christmas by preparing dishes specific to that part of the world. Two years ago we went to Italy, last year we tasted China, and this year we experienced Mexico.
Finally everyone arrived: grandparents, aunts, auncles, cousins, 14 in all! Let me tell you, the food was amazing! We ate Carne Asada, Enchaladas, Taco salad, Mexican Casserole, beans & rice (of course), Cinnamon Sugar Chips covered in cool whip and chocolate, Cream Cheese Sopapillas (again, thank you Pinterest! These were amazing!), and one of the favorite dishes- stuffed red peppers!
What’s a trip to Mexico without a piñata? Each kiddo took a few whacks and finally dug into the candy.
We finished the night off with plenty of desserts and a few games of Catch Phrase and Hedbanz.
Well, that’s the gist of our celebration. What traditions do you keep every year? Did you incorporate any new ones this season? Please share with us!
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Brown packaging paper - my favorite! =) Glad to see you back, Stephanie!
ReplyDeleteThanks for visiting, Joy! =)
ReplyDeleteYour Christmas wrapping and bows turned out VERY cute. I'm so glad you found the tutorial and that they worked for you. I love easy crafting. Happy New Year!
ReplyDeleteAwe, thanks Julie. I actually used double sided paper, and it's difficult to see in the pictures, but they turned out pretty neat. Thanks again for the inspiration :) And happy New Year to you and your family.
ReplyDelete