Christmas Tree Farm + Christmas Traditions
Hello Friends and Merry Christmas Eve! I simply cannot believe that we are already to the day before Christmas. This Christmas season has flown by, it seems. There is so much excitement going around right now…seeing the joy of Christmas through Madeline’s eyes honestly has brought back so many feelings of excitement that I felt for Christmas when I was little. It’s crazy how that works 🙂 Anyways, I have one last Christmas post for y’all. Here are some photos from our visit to Gay’s Christmas Tree Farm. Visiting the tree farm has become a tradition for us. It’s just so much fun to head out to the farm, see the trees everywhere, smell the amazing scents of the trees and experience the overall festivity of simply being there.
Speaking of traditions, I thought it would be fun to share a few of my favorite family Christmas traditions with y’all:
1. Tea with Santa is a special event that my Mama, Madeline and I will now look forward to from here on out. Prior to this, it had been the tradition of having breakfast with Santa, but due to some change in plans this year, we actually ended up doing a tea with Santa. The funny thing is that we actually ended up enjoying Tea with Santa so much more, so it is now our new tradition that we will most definitely do again next year. It was such a special event! We even got to see snow during our trip for tea with Santa, which was so rare for this time of the year in Georgia. It made it even more special and something we will always remember.
2. As I mentioned above, visiting Gay’s Christmas Tree Farm is a tradition for us, as well. It is something we look forward to each year! We started this when Madeline was a baby, and now it is a must. These past few weeks have been so busy that we almost didn’t make it this year. But we stopped by on our way to dinner last week, and I’m so glad we did!
3. Making gingerbread houses is another new tradition for us! This is the first year that Madeline and I have made a gingerbread house and it most definitely won’t be our last. We had so much fun getting creative with it and look forward to it again next year.
4. We always do a lot of Christmas baking right before Christmas. We did our baking for this year yesterday and had so much fun with it. Each year, we always make Rice Krispie treats, my Mama’s amazing fudge and Reese’s peanut butter cup cookies. This year, we added in a few new ones. We made some sugar cookies, and Madeline insisted on decorating them with snowflake sprinkles so that they would be “Elsa from Frozen” sugar cookies haha. We also made these adorable hot chocolate cup cookies, which turned out to be absolutely adorable and so yummy! They were so fun to make. We also made this holly crackle which was also delicious.
5. A right-before-Christmas visit from Santa is also something that my family does each year. This is a tradition that has been going back for as long as I can remember. It was years before my sister and I found out that it is one of our dear family friends that dresses up as Santa and comes to visit. Now, Madeline gets to enjoy the tradition which makes it even more special. The day he would come for a visit (and we never knew which day it was growing up), and we would sprinkle reindeer food (oats + glitter + sprinkles) outside to see if Santa’s reindeer would spot it and bring Santa in for a visit. So much fun memories with this!
6. Attending the candlelight service at church on Christmas Eve is also tradition that I look forward to each year. There’s something so special about sitting in church with the ones I love on Christmas eve evening with the lights dimmed, singing Christmas hymns and remembering the true reason for the season. There’s simply nothing like it. The words from one of my favorites, “All is calm, all is bright…” are what comes to mind when I think of the Christmas Eve service.
7. Each year on Christmas Eve, my family gets together for a cheese fondue dinner. This is something they have been doing since before I was born. This year marks the thirty-seventh year my family has done this, to be exact. I remember growing up, I always hated cheese fondue, so my grandmother would have bagel bites for the kids to eat haha. Now, I love it and look forward to cheese fondue every single year!
8. Another Christmas Eve tradition that we do each year is listen to my dad read us The Night Before Christmas and the Christmas story from the book of Luke. It is so special hearing him read to us, and I look forward to it each year. After we read, we each get to open one present from under the tree.
9. On Christmas morning, we always have a Christmas brunch! We have a spread of the best breakfast casseroles, and my Mama always makes monkey bread (my favorite!). We take a break from present unwrapping and enjoy Christmas brunch before heading back to finish unwrapping presents.
Me: Bell Sleeve Sweater (similar red) // Faux Fur Vest (on sale!) // Denim // Red Hunter Boots // Monogram Necklace // Earrings // Faux Fur Beanie
I have to say that this year has by far been the most amazing Christmas season yet. Each year is so special, but there’s simply something about this year that will forever hold a special place in my heart. I think it’s because this year is the first that Madeline seems to understand everything that’s going on, and my sentimental mama heart has been soaking up every single second of it. It has been so magical seeing the joy in her eyes and the excitement over Santa’s long awaited visit. Seeing her believe is something so special, and I never want her to grow up.
What has been even more special is teaching her about the true meaning of the Christmas season. Each night before bed, Madeline and I read from her children’s Bible storybook about the Christmas story. She has soaked it all in like a sponge, and hearing her interpretation of it simply melts my heart. I want her to know of the most precious, indescribable gift known to man…Jesus, and that is the very reason we celebrate Christmas. The greatest gift of all!
I truly believe that the joy of knowing Jesus and the traditions that I share with my family are what make the Christmas season such a joyous time for me. I cherish each and every minute that I have with my precious Madeline and what a blessing it is to watch her grow. Seeing the magic of Christmas through her eyes is has made it so very special. There’s so much to be thankful for.
I’d absolutely love to hear about some of y’alls Christmas traditions that you share with your family 🙂 From the bottom of my heart, I wish each and every one of you a blessed Christmas that allows you to cherish memories from past Christmases and create new ones to share with the ones you love. Merry Christmas, friends!
Delightfully Yours,
These pictures are are just so precious! I love learning about your Christmas traditions, they all sound so fun! Hope y’all have the sweetest Christmas!