It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

It's on! That's right, the Christmas music has started here in Chicago, and I must say.... I LOVE it! Josh is a little bit of a Grinch before Thanksgiving, and I see where he is coming from... but I can't stop myself. I love Thanksgiving and think that it is a beautiful holiday as well, focusing my mind on everything that I am so grateful for! To me this is a part of Christmas too. I am so grateful for Jesus coming to this earth as a baby, only to be sent to death on a cross for us!!

I am a sucker for traditions and making memories during each of the holidays. Four years ago, when Josh and I celebrated our first married Christmas together we talked about what family traditions we wanted to start and share with our children. Here are some of our Christmas traditions and "must-dos" (aside from the norm):

1.) Bake a Jesus cake and sing "Happy Birthday" Christmas morning. We have decided Jesus' favorite cake is either Pineapple Upside-Down or Carrot Cake with cream cheese frosting. A new tradition we are starting this year is making Tea Ring for our Jesus cake. Tea Ring is a recipe from my Great Grandma Kuertz. It's like a fancy cinanmon roll before it's sliced. It is WONDERFUL!

2.) Read about Jesus' birth in Luke

3.) Eat a slice of Jesus' cake pre-gift opening for breakfast. This is a birthday tradition that Josh's parents had for him growing up. They always ate a slice of birthday cake for breakfast. What a great excuse for 2 diabetics to get their sugar!

4.) Eating Christmas dinner with both of our families. We are fortunate that not only do our parents live in the same town, but they are friends! With Josh being an only child, and our extended family living out of town this tradition works out perfectly! It's hard to believe it will be our 9th annual Christmas dinner together... wow! Isn't that crazy that we started it when we were just dating in high school??? We all knew Josh and I would get married and this would be a long-lasting tradition!

5.) Participate in Operation Christmas Child http://www.samaritanspurse.org/index.php/OCC/ and/or Feed My Starving Children http://www.fmsc.org/

6.) Go downtown a few weeks before Christmas to see the window displays, Christmas tree at Daley Plaza, and eat brats at http://www.christkindlmarket.com/en/, shop at the stores on State Street, and sip our coffee/ cider while reading books and magazines at Borders. (This is us 2 years ago in Chicago for Christmas!)

7.) Have a baking day! A chance for me to sport a few of my aprons... one handmade by Cindy;-)

8.) Drive around the neighborhood to see the lights!

9.) Enjoy a Christmas production of somesort.

10.) Make a Christmas craft (A few years ago I made the "SNOW" frames)