It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas

We're just a couple weeks away from Christmas. The tree is up, a wreath is on our door, Will has his own stocking on the fireplace, and we have a new Advent calendar on the wall. I realized two things recently: first, we probably won't be able to have a big tree next year for fear that Will might pull it down as a curious toddler; second, I really love Advent. The anticipation of Christmas, buying things for the people that we love that we hope they enjoy, and making our home feel a little more cheerful. When I was a little girl, my Grama and Grampa used to buy Advent calendars for us. Each night Colleen and I would excitedly pluck our tiny piece of chocolate from behind its paper door, counting down the days till Christmas.

I decided I want to do something special for Will to celebrate Advent for years to come, and I saw a wonderful idea on another blog recently!

I'll be creating a Christmas Book Advent Calendar for our family that celebrates our love of reading and will provide an opportunity for togetherness each evening- hopefully it's a tradition that will last many years.

We'll have 25 Christmas books wrapped and tagged for the days of Advent. Perhaps they'll live on the fireplace mantle, maybe under the tree, and each night Will (and future siblings??) can unwrap the book of the day, and we'll read it together with our other bedtime stories. Year after year, we'll reuse the same books, and I'm already excited to see which Will ends up choosing as his favorites.

Time to shop for some Christmas books, right? Right now, we have 4- not a bad start. One is very special to me, and I can't wait to share it with Will. When I was a child, my Grampa gave me a copy of The Nicest Gift about a little boy, Carlitos, who loses his dog in the mercado just before Christmas. It has always been a favorite of mine, and I'm happy that year after year, as I read it to my son, I'll do so with a smile on my face thinking about my Grampa.