I love Christmas!! I actually love all holidays, well most of them. 🙂 But, the holiday season from November through the beginning of January is absolutely my favorite time of year!! I love the music. I love the decorations. I love the traditions. I love the meaning behind the season. I love celebrating the birth of my Savior. I love worship, especially this time of year. I love being reminded of the gift and sacrifice of the Son of God.
I have several nativities, this one below is on our piano and it is my favorite. I love the stable and all the hand-painted characters that we received as a wedding gift. I also love our children’s nativities. There is something about watching my children play with them and acting out the greatest story ever told.
Our Advent wreath is another vital part of our Christmas celebration. Traditionally, one new candle is lit each week of Advent until all candles, including the center Christ candle is lit on Christmas Day. I love spending time lighting the candles, singing Christmas carols, praying together and the focus this gives our family during December.
The Jesse Tree is probably my favorite addition to our Advent traditions. We have done the Jesse Tree for several years now, you can read more about resources we use here. Every year it has looked a little different, but the meaning is the same. I have used several different devotion books, but the basic idea of the Jesse Tree is like a “family tree” of Jesus. The devotions start at the beginning of the Bible (creation, Adam and Eve, the first sin, etc.) and they move towards Jesus birth at the end of December. Each devotion tells another part of His story…and His lineage. I love spending this month focusing on Jesus and how all of creation points to Him, even from the very beginning.
Merry Christmas season, friends!! I hope you have enjoyed this little tour of our Advent decorations and traditions from this year!
(More Advent links and resources can be found here.)
At Christmastime I change out the colors on the rosettes to Christmas colors! 🙂
Candace- I am so excited about the Jesse tree! I was going to do it with my kids at home, but then it hit me that I needed to do it with my Jr. High Sunday school class. We will try to condense it a bit, but I am going to try to do seven days worth each Sunday. Please pray that it will touch these kids’ lives.
Okay – I must know where you got your nativity set. Why? I have one JUST like it! My mom made it in 1983 when she was big in to ceramics. It’s the same set! (Just different colors.) LOL
Too funny! I’ve never seen another one like my mom’s. I was so excited to see yours! 😉 I’ll be taking photos of mine soon. Still waiting for a quiet moment to decorate my house. 😉
I love your kid friendly tree…they’re my favorite kind!
I love your decorations. I love the plates! They are perfect! And your tree just screams Christmas to me.
Thank you for sharing.
Blessings,
Terrific! We have a very family friendly tree, too!
Very nice – thanks for sharing 🙂