Tradition-Making

This year Brett and I are making an effort to establish a few special Christmas traditions for our family. We want our boys (and any other Braly babes who may come along in the future) to look back on their childhood and remember the holidays as a magical time spent with family anxiously awaiting Christ's coming.

One tradition we've started this year is the Elf on the Shelf. I'd seen this on a handful of blogs and decided it would be fun for the kiddos. This cute pixie elf arrives a few weeks before Christmas, and his job is to watch children's behavior and report to Santa Claus every night whether they've been naughty or nice. Upon returning to the house each morning, he finds a different spot to rest.

We read The Elf on the Shelf to Kaiser on Saturday night and introduced him to our new friend/visitor. You're supposed to name him right off the bat, but our boy doesn't really seem to want to assign him one, so he may just be called "Cwissmas Elf" until next year. :)

Although Kaiser is definitely excited about the season, can tell you that Christmas is Jesus's birthday, loves playing with his nativity set, recognizes Christmas trees and Santa, etc., he is still a bit young to "get" a lot of things, including the idea that Santa brings him gifts. So instead of viewing the elf as a "watchman" for Santa, it's more about the thrill of trying to find him each morning when our boy comes downstairs for breakfast. Here are some of the places that Mr. Christmas Elf has been spotted this past week:

Though this is pretty much a given and may not necessarily qualify as a real "tradition", per se, my boys and I have thoroughly enjoyed Christmas music lately -- specifically, LifeChurch.tv-Edmond Christmas worship from 2006. There's nothing quite like listening to our friend Marcy Jackson belt out my very favorite Christmas song, "O Holy Night". In addition to listening to the CD, we all love watching the DVD. Kaiser has started requesting to "watch the drums" and likes to point out all the instruments and the familiar faces playing them.

Completely enthralled.

Kaiser has also taken to dancing to some of the songs. One of his favorites is "Angels We Have Heard on High". 

Fixin' to bust a move.

Here is some footage of him doing his signature "spin". I get so tickled when, out of nowhere, he starts saying, "Dis is fun!"

Of course, Porter enjoys Christmas music, as well. His favorite song is probably "Jingle Bells". He even tolerates Mommy's less-than-stellar voice singing it to him. :)

I've tried to have a couple of crafty Christmas activities up my sleeve for Kaiser to work on in the evenings, after he finishes dinner but before bath and bedtime. They're nothing special at all (most purchased at Michaels or Joann Fabrics), and some have been more successful than others, but here's what we've done so far.

Coloring wooden Christmas ornaments.

He loved using the markers instead of crayons.

Painting Christmas pictures with watercolors.

Admiring his work.

Sorting beads to make a "melty" reindeer ornament.

The end result!

What it looked like the next day, when Kaiser decided to take it off the tree and rip off its antlers and ear. :(

Foam snow figurines.

Okay, Mommy ended up doing most of the work on these!

Giving the polar bear a kiss.

We also have a handful of Christmas books that Kaiser adores. Last year, YaYa gave him a recordable storybook of The Night Before Christmas with her voice reading it to him, and he enjoys listening to that. Every night before bed, Daddy reads him a book about the very first Christmas. If Porter is finished nursing, we come next door to join them. Yesterday morning I was reading another first Christmas book to Porter, and Kaiser decided he wanted to hear it, too.

Good listeners.

Sweet brothers.

Taking a closer look.

We have a couple of other fun Christmas activities planned over the next couple of weeks, including going to Hartwood Acres to see the lights (hopefully this will be more successful this year than last), taking a trolley ride with Santa, and baking a birthday cake for Jesus. I hope to be more on top of things next year like my friend Ilena and have an Advent calendar with a special activity for each day. For now, though, Christmas 2010 is turning out to be a wonderful one for the Bralys!