The person that gets all starry-eyed and ready for Christmas festivities in November. And I'm talking about the 'Before Thanksgiving November,' not the socially-accepted 'After Thanksgiving November.'
Now, I don't put up the tree, my family doesn't set up the Christmas village, or start playing Christmas music yet. I still feel that these should be savored and are more enjoyable if I wait. But I start thinking of gifts for family. And charity donations. And planning holiday traditions.
Last year, rather than candy in the advent calendar, we had activities, books and crafts to do as a family. Each day of the Christmas season we made time to do something special together as a family. I loved that new tradition, which can only be accomplished with November planning.
One holiday tradition I love is holiday books. Little Tomato always gets a book on Christmas, but we also usually add a book to our holiday book collection during December. Last year the book was "Advent Storybook: 24 Stories to Share Before Christmas."
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| Advent Storybook: 24 Stories to Share Before Christmas by Antonie Schneider |
The Advent Storybook is about little Benjamin Bear whose mother weaves him a tale every night of December in preparation for Christmas. Each night, she tells a thread of the story about another little bear who is on a journey to Bethlehem. The little bear is led by a shining star on his long journey, and his path is crossed by many fellow travelers and creatures. Each story has a lesson on kindness, selflessness, bravery, faith and love. The little bear's journey brings him closer to Jesus both literally, on his journey to Bethlehem, and figuratively, through his understanding of what Jesus represents. It is a wonderful book to read before bed each night of December.
Happy Holidays!
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