Remembering the reason...

Melissa at The Inspired Room wanted us to link to a posting of how we keep Christ in Christmas. When my girls were little it was really important to me to start them off with a Christmas tradition that was special and focused on the birth of Christ. It couldn't be about gifts and it had to center on family time together when we could all slow down and talk and just enjoy the season.
The thing I came up with was our Advent teas. Each Sunday night of Advent, we sit down to a meal very much like a high tea. Little finger foods, special fruits and cheeses and desserts. Hot cocoa or tea. We try to make these things super easy to make because we don't need one more complicated thing to do for Christmas! It has been the most wonderful family time and we spend the time talking about the real reason we celebrate. We have advent readings and prayer, and we just chat about our week too. As the girls got older we each chose a week to plan the celebration so it didn't all fall on one person, and just because it is fun. This has become one of our familys favorite parts of Christmas. We play soft instrumental Christmas music, turn down the lights, light candles and have a relaxing and easy meal. Often we buy some of the fun appetizers from Costco and just warm them up. We make an advent wreath and light each candle in turn. It is beautiful and at the end of each tea we all feel relaxed and ready for another week of all the wild running around that Christmas brings. It's all very easy to do and very relaxed, it would be a wonderful time to have someone over or just be together as a family. I would love to hear what kind of special family celebrations you and your children love too! If you have one to share, run over to The Inspired Room and add your link tomorrow. It's almost time to celebrate, lets share some joy:>)