December Traditions

This month I thought it would be fun to share Christmas/holiday traditions that we all have during this time of year. I will be sharing some of our families traditions and I will be sharing other peoples traditions with links to their blogs so you can share the season with other people around the world. If you have anything special please let me know so I can post it and share a link to your blog. I will also be posting ideas and projects.

Every year I like to paint my cards, I paint one painting and then send it out to have cards made. It is a way to personalize the holidays for me and I get to share my artworks with family and friends. I start early, usually October so I have time to get them printed.

In the USA it feels as if Christmas has started to encroach on all the other holidays, I even saw decorations for sale at the end of summer! I know its all about moving the merchandise and not about the meaning of Christmas. So my family decorates for fall, pumpkins and leaves, gourds and sunflowers. We don't allow ourselves to decorate for Christmas until we have finished with the Thanksgiving celebration, remembering the importance and being thankful is the best place to start the whole Christmas celebration.

We usually start to decorate the weekend after Thanksgiving. Filling the house with decorations and a tree. I usually decorate outside too, our yard has a outdoor fireplace and room that is lovely during the holidays.

We fill the fireplace mantles with bows of greeniery and lights. Hang stockings and I love to set up my villages low enough that the grandkids can come in and see them. I have a ice skating rink in the village that has skaters that dance around thanks to a magnetic turning motor underneath. But the kids think they are skating. The fireplaces all have fires and the house is full of Christmas music. I love this time of the year, when all the popular singers are singing Christian music!

So here we go into December, I hope you will check in often to see what new things I have found to share. Send me your links or traditions so we can all share together.