Jenifer's Christmas Spirit Post



This weeks topic is
The Christmas Spirit

and what it means to you.

I would definitely have to say as most of us would that Christmas is much different as an adult than it was a child for sure. Now instead of spending the whole month of December in a euphoric trance waiting for Santa and wondering what will be in sack for you, you spend the whole month of December trying create this same  feeling you experienced as a child for your own children. We go through great lengths to keep the integrity of Santa, Elves, his Reindeer and the whole myth alive for our children. But I cannot say I mind at all I love watching how happy it makes them and seeing my own face in theirs as that joyful much anticipated day draws closer.

We start our Christmas traditions the weekend before Thanksgiving actually. We like to transform the house into Santa land, lol. This is a huge job, lol I think it took us 8 hours this year, lol. We pack away everything in the living room and dinning room and put  out our many Holiday items instead. We even put up 2 trees. The one in the dinning room is reserved to look more elegant and the one in the living room is for all of our modge podge of ornaments we've collected over the years along with all the treasured items the kids have made us over the years in school. We leave the tree in the living room empty with only lights on it and on Thanksgiving day when the whole family is here, we let the kids decorate it.  The kids really enjoy this and the grandparents really appreciate being a part of the kids holiday traditions as they don't get to do this with own children anymore. The kids love all their pretty holiday things out for the month. I love to walk into the living room and see one of them fiddling some of the decor. Never fails whether it be a snow globe they are shaking vigorously or changing the numbers on the how many days til Christmas countdowns we have.

On Christmas Eve the kids and I spend the day cooking and baking away, we make platters and platters of holiday cookies. Oh I can just smell gingerbread men just talking about it. Anyway we put the cookies and milk out for Santa as most people do and the kids wake up the next morning and usually find Santa's ball off the end of his hat lying near the platter of cookies....lol. We always try to think of little details like that to keep the spirit alive.

I hope one day they will have the opportunity to make these kind of memories with their own children and pass down stories of their own favorite holidays and traditions from when they were small. It's not about material things or how many gifts you get but about the lasting memories you make.

This is my take on this week's challenge. It's a layout of me stringing lights on the tree.

I used Riddersholm's I Believe and The Day Before Collections for this page. I misted the doily behind the photo and cut out the center. The sentiment is from Bo Bunny's Father Christmas collection and the flowers are Prima. I used some filler I found from my local craft store, in the holiday section behind the flowers to make them look more dramatic. The cherub is actually just a cheapie Christmas decoration that I was dying to add on a page, lol and this one happened to be perfect!

Don't forget to link your take on this weeks challenge for your opportunity to win Sarinda's handmade necklace she so generously donated as this week's RAK!