Ah, Christmas. We want to soak up the look, feel and taste of it, don’t we? And we want to help our young’uns do the same thing.
Here are a few (easy, simple!) ways to make meaningful Christmas memories on the outside while keeping your Christmas joy on the inside:
Soaking up the look: Each year, I buy a Christmas photo-frame ornament for each kiddo and put their cute mug in it. Since my kids are now 11 and 7, I’ve managed to rack up quite a collection! Each year I cannot wait to bust these babies out of the ornament boxes and drink in the “remember when’s” from Christmases past.
Soaking up the feel: The hard parts of life don’t take a holiday. Sometimes, they seem even more pronounced this time of year. It can seem all the love and joy of the season is MIA from your heart. For me, this more-than-usual busy season tries to crowd out my quiet time and have me neglect meeting with the Birthday Boy…the One we celebrate! Let’s commit to not make this mistake.
Also, giving for Jesus to those who can’t give back is a sure fire way to turbo-boost your Christmas spirit. A good place to start is here, here, or here.
Soaking up the taste: Some of my best mom/kiddo chats happen in the kitchen. Here are a couple of our favorite (and quick!) holiday treats:
Reindeer Cookies
Photo from Taste of Home {tasteofhome.com}
My kids and I have been making these cuties since they were little bitty, and my 11 year olds still ask for them! Click here for the easy (and I mean easy!) recipe. If you don’t want to use a packaged peanut butter cookie mix, feel free to substitute in your own recipe.
Another easy favorite? These little bites of heaven:
Christmas Pretzel Treats
Photo from Family Fun Magazine {familyfun.com}
These come from Family Fun and y’all, treats don’t get any easier than this! You can find the recipe here.
Whatever events you choose to attend, activities you choose to do, or goodies you choose to bake, I pray you keep your heart, soul, mind and strength focused on the Birthday Boy, our Savior Jesus. He is the be all end all of it all this season and always.
*****
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Thank you soooo much for sharing! I am going to use some of your advice,recipes, and tips, and make my families holiday a feast of the senses also!
Oh good, Felicia! We’d love to here your ideas for helping make Christmas more merry, too!