It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

As mentioned before I am so excited about this fall weather. It really makes me in a better mood. But with the chill in the air it of course makes me begin to anticipate Christmas!! Christmas is my favorite time of the year. I can't wait to dress the house for this special time. But until then I am planning and thinking of the advent season with a child's heart in mind.

I have begun to re-read Noel Piper's Treasuring God in our Traditions (if you are being thrifty right now you can read online here).  It is such a quick read - and you can always trust a slow reader with that - and is such an inspiration.  She stresses the importance of creating traditions to show our children and/or the world pictures of our God.

I love family traditions and I love that she takes the time to discuss this important topic.


As we approach the holiday season, my desire is to make this time evoke a sense of wonder and excitement as we celebrate God coming to earth in the form of man, to make us holy. There are so many things that I remember doing as a child during the holiday season.  Some were just fun traditions that made the season special, others brought us to the foot of the cross.

I am being inspired by my own family traditions as well as some clever things that the Piper family does as well.

One thing that Noel does is uses nativity scenes in much of her decor to remind everyone what we are really celebrating.  What a wonderful idea.  In our culture that is an easy thing to loose.  I have a few already, but they are all to be seen and not touched.  Noel talked about having one for her children - I think theirs was wooden - to play with, and so I have been keeping my eye out for one for Sterling.  I found one at Target.  Fisher-Price's Little People makes a nativity set.  After looking on their website I discovered that they have multiple sets to go with it. 

I want to begin our own family traditions with Sterling this year that he, and any other children the Lord chooses to bless us with, will come to treasure in their hearts.  I have so many thoughts and ideas that of what I want to do, but I would love to hear your ideas too.

What are Christmas or Thanksgiving traditions that you do as a family?  Or what things to you remember doing as a child to celebrate the holiday season that were meaningful to you?