Home for the Holidays: Courtney from A Thoughtful Place

Get excited, readers! Today Courtney from A Thoughtful Place is sharing some adorable traditions she has in her too-cute-for-words family.  Courtney is among the sweetest women I've met in blogland and to be honest, I totally look up to her.  Her home is beautiful and I can just tell how much she loves being a wife and mama! Her kiddo's are so blessed!


I am so excited to be here at Michaela’s blog today! She is such a sweetheart and I was so honored when she invited me to be a part of her holiday tradition posts. I may or may not have a problem making a decision, {ok, I do!}  so I have chosen to write about two family traditions today! The first is one is something that we started with our children and it has become one of the most meaningful parts of our Christmas.

        A Letter From Santa Clause to the Children

Under the tree, each year, the children find a letter that Santa left for them. The reason I love this tradition so much is because the letter really serves to recap the whole entire year and gives a reason for why they received their gifts. Santa always knows what activities they have done, what special milestones they reached, how they have treated their siblings!, and even things they can work on for next year. It really makes the morning so special and the children love hearing all about what Santa knows. When he writes about the special things they have done in the year or the good deeds they have performed, he explains how they are being rewarded with their gift. I have a special book that keeps the letter form Santa, a copy of our Christmas card, and a couple pictures form Christmas morning. It’s always fun to pull out each year and look through.

If you are not up for writing your own letter, you can go here and the site will generate a letter for you with the information you provide!

                                        {image: hotcrossmum.blogspot.com}

             Decorating Gingerbread Houses!

The second tradition is one that my parents started and that is gathering all the adults and children together to make gingerbread houses. It is so much fun sitting around the table with Christmas music playing and sneaking the candy as we decorate our houses. The fun part is seeing how they all turn out. My mom then puts them on pedestal dishes like the ones below and uses them as part of the centerpiece. I plan to always do this with our children.

     

Here is a shot of my daughter decorating her gingerbread house last year! So focused!! :)

Thanks for having me, Michaela!!! Merry Christmas to you all! Hope you are enjoying all of your holiday traditions!

Thanks, Courtney (:  Make sure to stop by A Thoughtful Place to get caught up on Courtney's Holiday Haven series.  You're sure to find tips and tricks to stay relaxed over the Holiday Season.


Love and Home for the Holidays,