Traditions

Several years and a couple of kids ago, we picked up a tradition from a friend.

Each of the children makes each of their family members a handmade gift.

Each of the children is assigned a "giving day" during the month of December where they have the privilege of giving their gifts.  As they give their gifts, each person tells us something they love about the "giver".  We write down the things that were said and keep them in a special Christmas scrapbook.

It is a very nice tradition.  We have really loved it. It has helped my kids catch the joy of giving.

But we have more kids now, and bigger kids with bigger ideas.

6 kids times 6 big ideas equals a very busy December for mom.

I want them to be able to feel the joy of making something beautiful that they imagined themselves, but these are skills that require instruction and somebody sitting there watching and helping.

It was hard this year, and we ran out of days.  Instead of having a day for each child, we just did a big gift exchange this evening.

I think I liked it better this way.

It was very exciting for everyone.  We worked on projects all day long, and the kids scrambled to get the house clean before dad got home.

Dad helped Brandon finish his gift for Mom while Nathan and Mom made dinner.
Mom and Nathan finished his last project while Brandon quickly ate dinner.
Mom ate quickly so she could help Brandon with his projects while the rest of the family ate.

It was fun to feel the anticipation and excitement in the air.
"How many more minutes do you think you'll be, Mom?" asks Nathan (the family manager) outside the sewing room door.
"Just about ten, I think."


We drew names from a cup to see whose turn it was to wear the Santa hat.

It was wonderful to see the excitement as a name was drawn.

Brandon went first.
He had practiced sewing on the serger as well as the machine to make the blankets--one for Sarajoy and one for me!  Sarajoy insisted on snuggling in her new blankie each time she nursed during the evening.
He had noticed that Ruby kept wanting to wear the Santa hats she had made for the boys last year, so he decided to make her one.  We made her a skirt to go with it.
He learned to use a knitting loom while making a hat for Nathan.
He filled a backpack with items from Simon's favorite show: Diego.  He's a little boy who rescues animals.  It had a little flashlight, a rope, a map, and a little laptop that Brandon made from the pop-up lid of a baby wipes package.  Simon was enthralled, and couldn't figure out why Daisy wasn't ready to run off and play Diego right then.
For Daisy, he made a Naughty/Nice list so she could practice reading names.  He made it very authentic looking by using brown paper bag and decorating it beautifully.  ( I was so thankful that he did this one all on his own!)
Dad got a framed drawing of the mountains since Brandon is so good at drawing and Dallin loves to hike.

Simon got to help me make the family's ornaments for the year.  I like to give each of the kids an ornament with their picture on it.  This year I made wire stars at relief society.  I slipped pictures inside while Simon threaded the ribbon through the loop in the top.  He was very excited to help me wrap and was surprisingly good at placing the tape in just the right place.  He carried the gifts around in a sack for awhile, pretending to be Santa.

Daisy and I dipped pretzels and peanuts in melted chocolate today while the kids were outside in the snow.  She was a little disappointed that they came in before we were done so it wasn't a surprise.
Her disappointment disappeared when I suggested she hide her goody bags around the room and make the kids find them.  Fun for everyone!  The best part is that after everyone had found a bag, Daisy remembered that she had made one for herself, but she couldn't remember where she'd hid all of the bags or which ones had been found.  Everybody searched until the last bag was discovered. 

Ruby was overjoyed to pull her own name from the mug.
She developed some good computer skills by making some documents with pictures and text--A counting book for Simon with all of his favorite characters, and a coloring book with things that Daisy likes.
Simon even stopped his Diego adventure for several minutes to study his little book.
She caught on quickly to finger-knitting and made Brandon a colorful scarf.
Nathan had mentioned once that he wanted a chef's hat.  It turned out a lot more poofy than we expected, but we all had a good laugh about it.
Sarajoy got a wooden-clothespin-baby Jesus doll, wrapped in a blanket.  Ruby made a little pillow and we glued raffia on it to look like straw.  It fits snugly in a tiny square tin that is just the right size to keep in our Sunday bag.  Little Jesus was immediately taken from the tin and snuggled against baby sister's cheek.
Dad got a hankie with a felt heart sewn on and a letter "D".
Mom got a very pretty home made paper ornament with tin foil glued on and then colored with permanent marker.  Brandon helped her with that one to keep it a surprise.  

Nathan's turn finally came.
He learned crochet at the last minute when he realized Brandon would not be done with the hat loom in time.
It is a hard thing to learn when you are in a hurry, but he toughed it out.  By today, he wasn't needing my help at all.
He made Daisy a Santa hat and skirt like Ruby's.
He made Sarajoy a little pillow to match the blanket from Brandon.  It is adorable.  It only has a couple of layers of batting in it so it won't be too puffy.  Just right for a baby.  She was thrilled to have her own pillow, and giggled all the way to bed because she was so excited to sleep on it.
Ruby got a fleece scarf that is a nice accessory to her Santa outfit.
And, I really cheated on Simon's gift from Nathan.  I had actually made it all by myself the day before with a friend.  I thought too late that I should have had one of the kids help me. 
It was still fun to let Nathan have the joy of giving it to him.  Simon was totally thrilled!  It is double sided, and my friend had the great idea to not make it associated with a character.  So one side has a big "S" with an arrow behind it so he can be "Super Simon", and the other side is bright lime green with a black lightning bolt on it.

Sarajoy gave loves to everyone, and Daddy passed out treats he had gotten at work.

I think Christmas morning will be a little anticlimactic for me after this. 

I almost collapsed when, at 9pm, it dawned on me that the kids have school tomorrow!  The boys and Dad had all just left for basketball practice. Somewhere I found the strength to pull 4 lunches together and help two tired, emotional girls figure out what they're wearing.
My little boy cheerfully sang himself to sleep while looking at his new map.

This  house is full of the Christmas spirit. Full!

That's what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown!

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