I know, I know.  I should give Thanksgiving the week it deserves before I starting pushing Christmas into the lime light.  So before I do that….Happy Thanksgiving.  I am blessed to have lots and lots of wonderful people to share Thanksgiving with.  We have celebrated  Thanksgiving three times throughout the week.  All with different groups of family and friends.  I have so much to be thankful for.  Here is a picture of one of our celebrations- 44 people I am thankful for – and a special shout out to Grandpa Schafer, who claims this mess of people as his own.  He has taught us all how to be thankful, grateful, and loving to one another.  And because of this we all find ourselves around this Thanksgiving table year after year.

But now, onto the Christmas Box.  What is the Christmas Box?  It’s amazing.  The Christmas Box is how I tell my children something amazing is about to start.  And then it does.  That amazing thing is the Christmas season.

Every year during the week after Thanksgiving, I have had a small box of goodies for my children to open.  It is nothing expensive or extravegant, but it is a box of everything we might need to prepare ourselves for the holiday season.

The Christmas Box has rules.  As it should.  1.  There will always be Christmas PJS.  Always.  2.  It all MUST be Christmas related.  3.  It has to have something we can do as a family.

Why do I do this?  Well, every year I see kids get Christmas books and pjs and all these wonderful Christmas themed toys as gifts.  But the next day, Christmas is over.  What a bummer.  So I figured they should get a Christmas present early, to help us prepare for the big day.

What’s in this year’s Christmas box?  I am happy to tell you – because my children do not read this blog.  They are 3 and 5.  They do not read anything.  This year we have a perfect set of Christmas pjs (as always), Home Alone the movie, Christmas lacing cards, Snoopy and Mickey Mouse Magic Ink Books, chocolate advent calendars, A Bruce the Bear Christmas book, hot chocolate, marshmallows, popcorn.  So pretty much all the basics for an amazing Christmas Kick Off party.  Right?

In the past we have put in a Little People Nativity Set, Christmas kiddie travel mugs, Christmas plates, Christmas movies, Christmas books, and a Playmobile Christmas Farm set.  We keep all of our Christmas books, movies, toys, and dishes in a bin in our storage room.  We will pull out this bin the same day the boys open their Christmas Box.  And it is essentially like a whole new house full of Christmas wonderfulness.

What fun traditions is your family doing to prepare for Christmas?  I want to hear about them!