Baby Jesus Kindness Christmas Tradition

I am a girl who so LOVES traditions!  

And in our family we have many- especially at Christmas time. 

One of my absolute favorite traditions that we did for many 
years while Madison was growing up involved our nativity scene. 

As we decorated for Christmas I put out the entire nativity scene-

 except for baby Jesus. 

We left His manger empty- until Christmas morning. 

Until that time we had WORK to create a soft bed for him. 

How did we make a soft bed for him? 

Each day we tried to do as many kind deeds for others- 

above and beyond the normal. 

For each of those kind deeds we did, 

we got to place one piece of straw in the manger for baby Jesus.  
It was such a great reminder to all of us (Tony & I included)
to stop and truly think of others during the busy holiday season. 

Each night at dinner we would share our kind acts and get straw 
to add to the manger for baby Jesus. Our goal was to have a super soft, cozy bed
 for him by Christmas morning- built by our kindness to others. 

Christmas Ring and Run

Several years ago I wrote about something super fun we did 

one year for Christmas- Ring and Run!

Ring and Run is based very loosely on the song The 12 Days of Christmas

and is kind of a Christmas random acts of Kindness!

It was so much fun I'm thinking of doing it again this year! 

Here's how it works:

You choose a family to surprise and every day for the 12 days leading up to Christmas 

you leave a little treat on their doorstep along with part of a poem, 

ring their doorbell, and run away!

The year we did it we chose a sweet family with 3 little girls and I cannot tell you how much fun we had buying and delivering little treats for them! 

Although this tradition is supposed to be totally anonymous, 

we altered that rule just a bit and let the parents know what we were up to. 

{Sneaking around in someone's front yard might tend to cause the police to get called and so we wanted them to know that we were not prowlers or burglars & filled them in on what we were doing.}

It was so much fun sneaking up to their front door, leaving a treat, and speeding away!

If you just want a copy of the poem, you can find it HERE.

{Only the first page is listed below but the link is all of the poem!}

I made some fun tags that you can use to print out

to leave with y our gifts- and even included the gift for the night

at the top of each tag.  

You can print out your own tags HERE. 

{Don't try to just save the little images above, they'll be too little and blurry!}

Who can you bless with Christmas Ring and Run?  

My Favorite Christmas Tradition

I am a girl who LOVES traditions.  

And in our family we have many- especially at Christmas time. 

One of my favorite involves our nativity scene. 

As we decorate for Christmas I put out the entire nativity scene-

 except for baby Jesus. 

We leave His manger empty- until Christmas morning. 

Until that time we work to create a soft bed for him. 

To do so, each day we try to do kind deeds for others- 

above and beyond the normal. 

For each of those kind deeds we do, 

we get to place one piece of straw in the manger for baby Jesus.  

This tradition is a great way to remind us to think of others 

as better than ourselves during this super busy 

and sometimes hectic holiday season.   

The Blessing of a Bell

I've always loved traditions and I started a new one the year after my sweet mother died. Although I treasure this tradition, it is very difficult for me talk

about because it's very personal and means so much to me.

The Christmas before my mother died,

I bought her a sterling silver bell necklace.

I found these bell necklaces at a cute little gift store here in my town.

They are created by the Jewelery John Company and are absolutely beautiful with incredible details. There are over 40 bells in the collection and

each one has a different, distinctive, and beautiful ring.

Each bell comes with a card that explains the details on the bell and is just about as important as the bell when giving one as a gift. When I saw these bells, I knew my mother would love them. I purchased one of the first bell necklaces- the Nestled Hearts Bell- which is shaped like a Hershey's kiss.

The card that comes with this bell says:

Let this love bell gently ring to remind you just how much you are

thought of and loved! It's shape is that of a chocolate kiss, with a small heart for the clapper and an open heart for the bail. Let this Nestled Hearts Bell be an expression of my love.

To say that my mother loved the bell is a huge understatement.

She adored it and wore it all of the time.

She wore it every time she went to the hospital for chemo because

each time she heard it chime, she said it was a great reminder of how loved she was.

Once she found out there were many different kinds of bells, she told me

that from then on I could buy her a new bell for Christmas each year.

Before the following Christmas arrived however,

she died after a valiant 10 month battle with lung cancer.

As that first Christmas approached, I was so very sad and wasn't sure how I was going to get through the holidays without my precious mother. She LOVED Christmas and I couldn't imagine celebrating without her. As I did my Christmas shopping I thought of the bell that I would not be able to buy for her that year and it just about broke my heart.

After many tears and talks with God I decided that I would buy a bell for my mother- I would just give it to someone else. I decided that each year I would buy a bell necklace for someone that I considered a fabulous mother and give it to them in honor of my fabulous mother.

And so each year, I purchase a new bell and give it to someone who is a blessing to me and is an example of a wonderful mother. Each year when I go to the gift store to pick out the bell I shed many tears- (along with the store owner who knows what I am doing and why) but always feel like God leads me to the perfect bell for the perfect person. I love seeing the ladies I have given these bells to wearing them- and it blesses me every single time.

My sweetest friend Dory wears hers every day and I love that so much.

This past weekend I was at a local craft show and was

so shocked to see a display of the bell necklaces.

I literally ran over to them and starting looking at all of the different bells.

I started talking to the man behind the counter and quickly realized that it was

the creator and owner of the company-

Mr. Jewelry John himself.

I could NOT believe it!

I told him the story of my mother's bell

(that I was wearing that day- isn't that awesome?)

and he was so very kind.

I explained how much I loved his bells and

how very much they had blessed me. He told me the story behind many of the bells and we chatted for quite awhile. As I was about to move on-

he told me thank you for stopping by and that meeting me and

hearing my story had been a blessing to him.

He gave me a catalog which I put in my purse and

didn't think of again until I got home later that afternoon.

I pulled out the catalog to show Madison as I was telling her

the story of meeting John, and as I was looking

at it I noticed a handwritten note on the back.

While we had been chatting he wrote the note before handing it to me.

What a precious blessing!

First Day of School Tradition

I'm a girl that loves, loves, loves traditions. I think it's because my mother was HUGE tradition girl and instilled that love in me.

The one that I love the most and that Maddie can NOT stand is the one that we started back when she was in Kindergarten. Each year I take her picture holding a sign that says "Madison's First Day of ______" along with the date.

Sometimes we take it at home, sometimes at school but we ALWAYS take it. And Maddie fusses every year. And every year I remind her that we will do it every year until she graduates and that if she fusses too much I'll come to college and take her picture in front of her dorm. I can't wait till the day when she has her own kids and is carrying on this tradition and I get to watch them gripe about it like she did! :)

Here are her pictures from the last three years. It's amazing to see how much she has changed and grown!

And are some pictures from today. (A huge thanks to my sweet friend Erin who edited these pics for me. Thank you so much Erin!)

How did my baby get into the 8th grade?

She loves to remind me.......

"Next year I'll be in high school. Only 2 more years until I can drive Mom."

Seriously?

That makes me want to cry.

Big tears.

Big, big, big tears.

Easter Deal or NO Deal?

Since she is an only child, Easter egg hunts at our house have not been much fun for Madison. Hunting for eggs by yourself is just not super exciting.

So several years ago I came up with a new fun way for her to giver her the chance to play on Easter afternoon- and it's one the whole family enjoys. Plus it's easy and fun!

Instead of hunting for eggs, we play an Easter version of the Deal or No Deal game

Here's how it works:

I took 30 eggs and with a black sharpie, labeled them 1-30.

On slips of paper I wrote money amounts- from 25 cents to $20.00 and placed one in each egg.

I set the plastic eggs out on the floor in numerical order and we play the game much like they do on TV.

Madison chooses an egg and holds it- but does NOT open it.

She then chooses 4 more eggs which are opened one at a time.

We keep a running total of the amount and after 4 eggs are opened- the banker (aka Tony on his cell phone in our bedroom) calls and makes her an offer.

She can either take the offer, or continue playing (which she always does).

We continue playing- decreasing the number of eggs she must open each time and continuing to get offers from the banker.

This year I'm adding a few extra things to the eggs- instead of just money she will also find some treats listed on slips in some of the eggs- like a new magazine, a trip to Coldstone, and a few other fun things.

Ring and Run

I'm a girl who loves traditions and when I read about this tradition last year I filed it away praying I would remember it this Christmas. It sounded like so much fun and something we would absolutely have a ball doing. Thankfully I did remember it and this year we began the tradition of Ring and Run.

Ring and Run is based very loosely on the song The 12 Days of Christmas. Here's how it works. You choose a family to surprise and every day for the 12 days leading up to Christmas you leave a little treat on their doorstep along with part of a poem, ring their doorbell, and run away!

We chose a sweet family with 3 little girls and I cannot tell you how much fun we have had buying and delivering little treats for them! Although this tradition is supposed to be totally anonymous, we altered that rule just a bit and let the parents know what we were up to. Sneaking around in someone's front yard might tend to cause the police to get called and so we wanted them to know that we were not prowlers or burglars and filled them in on what we were doing. The girls still have no idea who we are- and we are definitely trying to keep it that way.

Below are the gifts we have given so far- along with the corresponding poem. I won't post the remaining gifts until after we have delivered them but if you would like a copy of the entire poem in Word- just email me (slmfar@msn.com) and I'll be happy to send it to you!

This glad Christmas season is so full of fun.

We’re happy to share with your family, then run.

How grateful we are that you’re playing our game.

You’ll now find that Christmas won’t be the same.

The song that we sing twelve days in a row

Won’t get tiresome with treats from friends you know.

But to keep up the mystery and the fun,

You won’t know who we are until we’re all done!

Each night we’ll bring something

Please don’t watch for us coming.

If you catch us too soon,

It will spoil the fun that’s coming!

Tonight calls for a partridge for your pear tree,

But partridges are tough catches, you see.

So, how about some canned pears, instead of a birds.

And a pair of Christmas books full of words.

(canned pears and 2 Christmas books)

Tonight we have turtles & doves coming your way.

Eat all the chocolate you may.

Because in your family you have quite a few,

We’ve left on your doorstep more than just two.

(Dove candy and turtle bathtub toys)

Hens are chickens

If they are French or not!

Here is chicken soup

To heat in a pot.

(little individual chicken noodle soup cans and chicken shaped crackers from Target)



Four calling birds, we can’t pay the fare,

For all we have is a purse full of air.

As Christmas approaches, and calls you must make,

Don’t use these gold coins or the phone you may break.

(gold covered chocolate coins)

On the fifth day of Christmas with things rather tight,

It’s important to us that we all travel light.

Gold rings are too heavy (and so are gold buckles),

So please be content with sweet rings on your knuckles.

(ring pops)

Six geese-a-laying– an interesting sight.

One of them squawked and they all took flight.

What they left in their nest, you’ll just have to look,

But with these you won’t want to cook.

(Silly Putty eggs)

The 7th day of Christmas and we are half way done,

Remember no peeking or you’ll spoil the fun.

On this day of Christmas, how nice it would be,

If seven swans a swimming your family could see.

The pond was quite empty since the swans have gone south,

We only found goldfish to put in your mouth.

(a big box of Christmas goldfish)

On the eighth day of Christmas, we’re busy as a bee.

Eight maids-a-milking, no where do we see.

But there in the barn we spy a tasty sweet,

Milk Maid caramels, what a treat.

(Milk Maid caramels)

Nine ladies dancing would be too big a crowd,

Besides their music is way too loud.

We have for you Christmas songs,

That you can listen to all season long.

(a kids Christmas CD)

A Bed of Kindness

One of my very favorite Christmas traditions in our home starts today and I am so excited!

In our home we do not put out baby Jesus in our nativity scene until Christmas morning. As we prepare for Christmas our goal is to prepare a manger for him that is warm and cozy.

So, Beginning on December 1st we each strive to do kind things for people that we encounter. Each evening at dinner we each list the kind things that we have done that are above and beyond and are ways that we have shown kindness to others. For each kind act that we perform, we lay a piece of straw in the manger for baby Jesus.

Our goal is to have as much straw as possible by Christmas morning so that Jesus has a nice warm place to lay his sweet head.

This tradition has been such a blessing to our family. It's wonderful to hear what Maddie and Honey have done during the day for others and it really helps to make each of us aware of those around us who need help. It also helps to keep us focused on the needs of others instead of on ourselves. And I don't know about you, but I sure need that reminder some days!