*Apparently, you’re not supposed to send two blog posts in a week. Or two days in a row. But guess what, I make the rules. And I wanted this fun post to make it into your lives!*
In my last post, I gave a practical guide of how I like to prepare – and remain flexible – for advent and Christmas. Consider this a get cozy guide for Mum + Kids!
(PSA – if you’re reading this on a phone, I’m sorry. I need the web host to fix a glitch for the format from 9 years ago!)
Most of these items won’t be “you”. They are very much “me”. But what I want to show you, is that you probably have a family culture started and can continue to create as you go and grow. I most likely won’t have the fanciest or most time intensive ideas for you. It doesn’t mean big and expensive are wrong – and small and budget are right! It just means: know the value in your environment and the core value it brings to your home.
One thing that I’ve learnt over the years, is that the greatest things we can give our kids is our presence and our time. And full transparency, this is my biggest pain point in our day-to-day: presence and forgoing a to-do list (being an entrepreneur and putting work on hold). Entering or re-entering our times of connection with peace in my heart is a challenge for me with so many competing priorities of our modern world.
I like November to set the tone. To prepare Him room. December can be rushed and I feel like I need a preamble before Advent commences. I know for my American friends (and my husband) this can feel early, but I need the time to get the engine running so I can coast and enjoy. I love tradition, culture and repetition. They creating safety, belonging and meaning.
The last few years, as I keep hitting the nail on the head, have been hard. I won’t brush over that and I need to continue to walk through it until we get to the other end. Many of us have had very little control – and things we once did – we have not been able to do. Which can steal a sense of identity and meaning. Joy is an inside job and a choice, but sometimes I need external reminders when I’m struggling “on the inside”. And what better time of year to say: “Oh Lord, I am so weary AND I will rejoice! Heaven Come!”
I love this hymn and carol, “O Holy Night”:
O Holy night! The stars are brightly shining
It is the night of our dear Savior’s birth
Long lay the world in sin and error pining
‘Til He appears and the soul felt its worth
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn
Fall on your knees; O hear the Angel voices!
O night divine, O night when Christ was born
O night, O Holy night, O night divine!
Below, is a list of my cozy and rest and cultivation to prepare for Advent. I love to add fun, intention, and rhythm to our already set routines: like waking and evening routines, baking and food prep, quiet time, etc.
- Our evening rhythm is very predictable and an easy area to add tradition.
- There are national and school holidays during this time: Remembrance Day, Parent teacher conferences, American Thanksgiving, etc. I try gauge where we are at and what we can build or remove from these days.
Here are some fun “external” ideas:
PJs – Christmas PJS are just fun. It’s like a Christmas costume. You clothe yourself in cheer before bed. I LOVE that. I often buy the kids “2 sizes up” to last 2 years, and I attempt gender neutral for hand me downs. It’s okay if your kids do match. It’s okay if they don’t. (Did anyone just take sigh of relief!?). You can get some at HannaAnderson, OldNavy, Target, Jcrew, or the Children’s Place. I like PJs I can wear all year long and some years I get fancy ones, but lately H+M or Target is my zone.
Mugs – The kids love hot chocolate and tea (aka honey water in my opinion!). Coming in from the cold, or when we sit to read book, or when they are feeling unwell. We have some Christmas mugs from Oma still in our Christmas boxes in Canada and I like to use the same ones every year, but alas, this year I will get the kids new Christmas mugs. Target, H+M, World Market, Etsy, Anthropolgie – all have fun Christmas mugs. “Nutcracker” Mugs and Nutcracker is our theme this year and I have a few designs up my sleeve.
Music – We have some German Christmas music we listen to, Rolf Zuckowski, we have Rafi and Amy Grant from my childhood, and we love classical music like the Nutcrackers Tchaikovsky. And obvi – we bring in Mariah to spice things up. I don’t like devices or smart tech in general and wish I could throw my phone in a toilet, but alas, the middle ground has been a CD player off Amazon. That way the kids are in control of their tunes and audio books.
Baking – I remember when my mom and her friends would do Christmas baking days. I think I love this so much is because it meant we had a lot of friends and family floating in and out of our home. We haven’t had many friends and family passing through, so the amount of baking required for our home is … small. We definitely bake a lot but for our health’s sake, we can’t eat all the sugar! We build gingerbreads houses that are decor (Ikea has an inexpensive set!), sugar cookies because decorating with mounds of icing is LIFE as kids, and then we tend to try a new recipe from our Christmas Magazines. We also do cinnamon buns and brezeln, but our variety of baking I’ve had to hone in. I love these cookie cutters that act as decoration – the cookies when complete – can hang on a mug!
Coffee and Hot chocolate – This mama needs a variety of tea and coffee in the winter and it also give me something to look forward to! I love getting myself a Christmas tea, even if it has nothing to do with Christmas. I just drink whatever box of Pukka tea I’m drawn to and drink it all season long! I love Feast coffee and keep this on hand, because …. does coffee need a reason?! (I found a Monk fruit hot chocolate at the health food store! We don’t do a ton of fake sugar like Monk Fruit, but I like the option.)
Slippers / Heating Pads – we avoid the microwave so we don’t use bean bag heating pads. We use hot water bottles and I love these covers from Amazon! They are like stuffed animals and I get them ready every night for our beds. We live in an old 1950s home and our feet get COLD. The kids wear “fuzzy slippers socks” they received from their Aunt last year, and so genius because they can be thrown in the washer! I use a pair of Birk knock offs.
Books – I raid the library for Christmas books. Yes – watch out for woke books. These days you never know what you’re going to get. But we all enjoy our Christmas books! I love everything Ruth Simmons Chou provides for advent. (For Kids, The Adventure Action bible has a Christmas series this year, too!) I haven’t decided if I will buy her book this year or not, but I love cultivating, feeding and leading my own heart during Advent.
Self care – I fit moments of rest and quiet throughout my weeks. From day time baths (even a year ago I would have never done this) with worship music on, to shutting the blinds and pouring out my heart aloud to God in songs, tears and prayer, to a charcoal mask while the kids are in the tub, or little pick me ups like the “Jellies” advent calendar. Again, somedays I just need a pick me up like a child!
Lights + Candles – Hanging lights in the bedrooms and around the house bring a winter feel. A cozy feeling of the season. Can candles? Can you truly be hygge without candles? We light them at meals and during reading times. (Our air vents blow from the ceiling and not the floor, so we also watch for sketchy fire situations. Cue, the artificial lights!). Ikea has great resources.
OH! And don’t forget… I want to see you on MONDAY at you HOLIDAY GLOW MAKE UP EVENT. Can’t make it live? No biggie, I’ll send a replay!
