Cinnamon Ornaments Recipe
Christmas isn't complete without adorable handmade cinnamon ornaments. Add in adorable little helpers and some cinnamon and you've got a party!
Christmas Eve Traditions
Growing up, Christmas Eve was one of the most special nights of the year. My family would all go to my grandparents house and my grandma would spoil us all rotten with delicious food and amazing company. It was the evening we all looked forward to all year long.I always knew I wanted to carry on my grandmother's holiday traditions with my own family.I wanted them to see when they were so special to all of us growing up and to be able to start a few of our own. One tradition they love is decorating ornaments on Christmas Eve.As a little girl I always knew it was Christmas Eve by the smell of cinnamon. My grandmother's kitchen would be filled with the smell of cinnamon and she baked our ornaments. I don't know if she knew just how much I loved waiting at the table for them to be done. I loved watching her mix the ingredients together, roll out the dough, and then eagerly wait for them to be done.When they cooled we would all take turns decorating them. Parents sat down with their kids and wrestled over the best ones. When they finished, they would write their names and the year on their ornament, and put it on the tree.You could look at any of our Christmas trees and see dozens of ornaments from over the years. They fill our homes with the smell of cinnamon and remind us of how much fun we had making them.
Cinnamon Ornaments Recipe
Ingredients:
1 C Cinnamon1 C ApplesauceString*Optional* Glitter
Directions:
Pre-heat your oven to 250 degrees.Combine the cinnamon and applesauce in a small bowl.When your ingredients are completely mixed together, sprinkle cinnamon on a cutting board and roll out your dough. Your dough should be about 1/2 inch thick.Pick out a few of your favorite cookies cutters and cut out your ornaments. Be sure to poke a hole at the top so you can attach string to it later. Lay down a piece of parchment paper on a cookie sheet and spread out your ornaments.Cook your ornaments for 2-3 hours until they're hard. Or you can leave then out overnight until they dry completely.Now they're ready for decorating!
What is your favorite holiday tradition?
3 Things To Keep In Mind For Christmas With Little Ones
The Worst Part Of Family Vacations
We are officially home!We survived our flight with three little boys and they did great! They love flying and usually don't mind a day at the airport. This trip was a little different because they were so sad to leave my husband's side of the family! It's always the worst part of visiting family... The leaving part.The only way our boys were willing to leave their house was after promising we would Facetime every day. Thank God for technology! It makes it so nice when you miss family that lives far away.They're also extremely excited because we're only home for a few days and then we're off to see my family! Even more cousins, aunts, uncles, and a Harley riding grandpa to spoil them rotten!Since we only have a few days home we thought we'd relax on the couch and do nothing... If only!Now, we're racing around to get ready for baby Luke's 2nd birthday party, dealing with the poor little guy's ear infection, and packing for our next trip! Oh, and how could I forget decorating for Christmas!
Spreading Christmas Cheer!
One of my favorite things to put up this year is our fluffy fake snow! After moving to the Midwest I've developed a strange relationship with the snow. There's just so much here! It's not like the movies! You get snowed in, you do everything in your power to stay inside, and you try to stay under your blanket all day!Luckily my fluffy fake snow is cute and festive without the freezing temperatures!
Passing Down Christmas Traditions
How could I forget my new little nativity scene!Growing up, I counted down the days until my mom would bring out her nativity scene. She would lay down her fluffy snow and set up the whole village. One by one my brother and I would watch her set up each house and then she'd get to the stable. The best part of the whole village! It lit up and reminded us what the whole nativity scene was about.My husband knows how important my mom's nativity scene has always been to my siblings and I, but we've been worried about the kids. Nativity scenes can be pricey and I've never liked to stress about decorations. I'd rather enjoy the season than worry about my kid's touching everything.This is exactly why our tree is filled with felt ornaments, all of our decorations can be played with, and it's all about fun rather than "off limits."Then I found this! I was walking up and down the festive Target aisles, like I would do every day if I could, and found this gem! It's the perfect nativity scene for this stage in our family. The kids can play with it and we can talk about the message rather than telling them they can't play with it.I'd show you the rest of our decorations, but we just got home from vacation and the house is less than impressive!
3 Things To Keep In Mind For Christmas With Little Ones
Having three little boys under 6 has definitely taught me something. Over the years we've figured out a few things that have helped us to enjoy our holidays more!
Avoid The Breakables.
As your kids get older you can upgrade your decorations. While they're little, stick to non-breakables when you can. Look for felt ornaments and decorations that won't break if they're dropped or knocked over. It's going to relieve some of your stress and the kids won't have to worry about what they can and can't touch.
How Can The Kids Get Involved?
One of the reasons kids start touching everything is that it's all novel! They don't see these things every day and just want to play and have fun! One thing we've done over the years is get the kid's their own decorations. We have a little box and it's full of their Christmas decorations! They love it because we let them decorate however they choose. They even have their own little tree!Create your own kid's Christmas box this year! Take the kids to the store and let them pick and choose what to put inside. You can add to it each year!
Enjoy The Christmas Season!
Christmas is about so much more than the stress that can come along with it. To quote a very inspirational person..."The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear."Don't put too much on your plate and try to remember to have fun! Take time to just walk around your neighborhood with hot cocoa in hand and look at the Christmas lights. Find simple ways your family can enjoy the holiday season without all the stress.A few of our favorites are holiday movie nights, decorating pre-made sugar cookies, and listening to Christmas music all day!
What's your favorite Christmas tradition with your family?
Christmas Gift Guide
Hear all about our Christmas traditions and see a few of our favorite Christmas gift guides!
This post contains affiliate links, but as always all oppinions are my own.
Our Christmas Traditions
Christmas is just a few short weeks away! It's always been one of my favorite holidays because it's full of good memories. I remember growing up and counting down the days until Christmas Eve. In my family, Christmas Eve was the big day. We would all gather together at my grandma's house, open Christmas pajamas, make cinnamon ornaments, and eat delicious food!What are your Christmas Eve traditions?This year my kids are all old enough to really get into the Christmas spirit. They're even counting down the days to Christmas Eve like I used to!This Christmas is going to be very special for our family. It's our first year hosting! It's intimidating, but so exciting. My husband and I have been going through the menu, activities, Christmas Eve celebrations, decorations, and presents!I feel like I'm more excited about hosting than I am about Christmas day! I guess that means I'm officially an adult now.As we've been planning, I've put together a few lists or our favorite must haves! Check them out and see which ones are your favorite!
Christmas Eve Gifts!
The Nativity Story MovieRudolph The Red Nose Reindeer FigurinesHot Cocoa MugsKid's Nativity SetTrainInflatable SantaSanta Cookies and Milk SetPersonalized OrnamentsChristmas PajamasStockings
Christmas Activity Gifts!
Elf On The ShelfChristmas Edition Of Bean BoozledSpot ItNightmare Before Christmas ClueA Christmas Story Board GameReindeer PopperFelt Christmas TreeChristmas Activity BookGingerbread House SetLetters For Santa
Moana Maui the Demigod's Kakamora Adventure
Moana's Magical Seashell Necklace
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It's Almost Christmas!
Hurry. Hurry. Hurry. Wrap. Wrap. Wrap. Crochet. Crochet. Crochet. That about sums up my week. Things have been so crazy this month with the arrival of our handsome little Lucas that we almost forgot about Christmas preparation. We knew Christmas was coming, but all the preparations kept getting put off. Now we are here, the week of Christmas! Our tree has decorations on the top half, we have a total of three other decorations sitting out, presents are wrapped sitting in our room, and I have one stocking half made.Hey, I'd call that progress!The great thing is that our kids couldn't care less. They are just excited it's almost Christmas!! We have been reading the story of the birth of Jesus every night before bed and having Liam retell it to us. So far he thinks Christmas is about mama who had baby Jesus in her belly, shepherds that fought with sticks, and Christmas lights. I also can't tell if he thinks I had baby Jesus in my belly at one point or if he knows it was Mary...My goal was to make all of us a homemade stocking, but it looks like Lucas may be the only one that has one... It's ironic that he's the only one that doesn't need one!Our first Christmas as a family of five hasn't gone as planned so far, but we are all so excited and are having a great time getting ready! I can't wait to wake up Christmas morning with our kiddos, have hot cinnamon rolls, hot coffee, open presents, listen to our children tell us the story of Jesus' birth, and remember how blessed we all are to have each other! Oh and don't forget the endless sword fights all day because I'm pretty sure Joel just went out and got the kids last minute Ninja Turtle weapons!