It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

This year James and I wanted to start some new Christmas traditions with our little family. It has been quite a lot of fun and I have loved seeing the excitement from the kids each day. Along with doing our Christmas advent nativity that we bought in New Zealand a few years ago, this year I made some Christmas tree advent calendars. 

Mum and Dad gave me an advent calendar chart a few years ago and I have only hung it up as a decoration, we'd never used it. Last year James and I brainstormed what we could do with it and I brought it to life. We decided to make a felt Christmas tree for each of the kids doors and then make a decoration for each day. Each night before bed the kids go to bed they pull of the decoration of the day and put it on their own tree. They get so excited doing it each night. I just love the joy they get from it! Here are some photos from the first night they did it.

Most days Daniel has moved around his decorations, which is great! That's part of the idea. Their trees are each unique and they can play with the decorations as much as they want.

The other tradition we have started is a Christmas book countdown. I had a bundle of Christmas books from teaching which were just sitting in the cupboard, never really being read. I had an idea that because the kids love reading books, we would read a Christmas book as a family each day of December in the lead up to Christmas. I went onto Book Depository and bought the rest of the books to make 24 in total. I then wrapped each book and wrote which Day it would be opened. Daniel really enjoys reading the books. There has only been one book that he hasn't shown much interest in but it was a book aimed at older kids. Eliza is still a little bit young for it. She has listened to maybe half the books, the other ones she's up and down like a yo-yo but I think that in a few years she will get into it. Alexander has been there for a couple of books too.
I love watching Daniel's face when he unwraps the book. Each time there is such joy and excitement at which book it is. I really need to try and video him opening a book. Here are some photos of us doing the first book.

This year we decided to buy our Christmas tree from Oxfam. It was a bit more expensive but it is supporting those who are living in poverty which we like the idea of. It was delivered to us in the first week of December so we get to enjoy it for most of December. The night after it arrived I enjoyed decorating it. I know I should probably have the kids help me but it has been a busy few weeks/weekends so I decided to do it this year. 

I love that the Howies completed our kids tree decorations too. They gave us Alexander's 1st Christmas ornament which I popped onto the tree.

All 3 look great on the tree!