So the title is misleading, I said a few but once I started typing I realized we have lots of traditions that we try to do in our house at Christmas time. We of course do advent readings and really try to keep the focus on the birth of Jesus and not as much on receiving presents and Santa, though we do Santa.

A few years ago my husband surprised me with a snowman piece of pottery from my favorite local pottery shop, Bybee Pottery. So each year he or my father in law would get me a new piece. You can see the pieces in the pictures below. I just got them out for our youth party tomorrow night.This will be the first year I have gotten to use them all!

I love how the top one says “I’ve got my love to keep me warm”.

We also have cup and plate sets for each of the kids. They eat breakfast out of them on Christmas morning.

We have also been collecting the Willow Tree Nativity set for a few years and my mother in law finished off the set for us lat year! I think it is beautiful (minus the big clock on the wall behind it, I couldn’t lift it off the wall).

We started collecting Hallmark Ornaments when we got married  so majority of our tree is Hallmark Ornaments. We always take the kids out one night and get hot chocolates and we each get to pick out a new ornament. You can barely see the tree skirt in this pic but a few years ago we did coordinating tree skirt and stockings from Pottery Barn. I LOVE them!! They were worth every penny!!!

Another thing we started a few years ago was we let our little boy get his own mini Christmas tree and he could decorate it any way he wants. This started because I wanted to keep the main tree with a theme but wanted him to have a place to display his homemade ornaments too. I did a tree in my room for my ornaments when I was little as well. After he did his we said that once each kid is three they get their own.

Each year after we go to my father in law’s house we put the kids in pjs, get hot chocolates and drive threw a big park by his house. It is so neat, businesses or individuals sponsor areas throughout the park and they decorate it. Some even do very elaborate decorations. I have to admit I love it as much as the kids!

One of my favorite traditions is the my Mom makes each child grandchild their own stocking at her house. Aren’t these beautiful??

Lastly, this is our advent train which has seen better days, hence the missing wheel that I keep meaning to glue back on. My son LOVES trains and the movie The Polar Express so he picked out this train. I put two pieces of candy in the doors for each day or change.