Christmas Traditions!

Santa...of course!!!

One of our most favorite traditions....our elf!!!!

"Apple" comes and visits and watches Eden throughout the day and then goes back to Santa to report at night. Eden has had fun finding him every morning sitting in a new location.

Paul's ancestors are from the Holland. It is tradition for the little children in the Netherlands to leave their shoes by the hearth and Santa will leave the good little children treats in their shoes. It's custom to do it primarily the first week of December but we extend it until Christmas because Eden loves to wake up and run downstairs to see what was left for her and we love to see her get so excited over the simple little surprises. Paul found these little dutch slippers for Eden just recently while he was in Europe on vacation so it is even more real now with her own little "wooden shoes"!

A much looked forward to tradition....gingerbread houses.

We listen to music...eat candy until our guts ache, and decorate away!!!

Performing the nativity with the cousins.

Eden loved being Mary this year, especially since she got to enter in on a pretend donkey!!!!

A new tradition....taking gifts and blankets to kids at the hospital on Christmas Eve.

Our amazing friends the Gledhills have started this tradition and kindly have invited Paul to participate with them. This was their second year doing this. Both of our families have been touched by the spirit of the sweet children that are up at that special hospital. It is a treasured way for the Gledhills to honor their beautiful angel Gracie by serving the other children that have to be there at Christmas time.

This is cute Max....he is Gracie's awesome big brother.

Having fun with Spiderman!!