Adventures in Advent: The First Decoration

I love the Christmas season and everything that comes with it! Christmas is easily my favorite holiday and the advent season has captured my heart since I was little. This Advent, I'd like to share some of our family traditions with you and why we've chosen to do things our way. Maybe it'll help inspire some Christmas spirit in your home.

The first and most important tradition for me is that the nativity scene is the first decoration to go up for the season (and the last to come down). It's so easy in today's world for our focus during this Advent time to be swayed to the hustle and bustle of buying gifts and baking cookies that I feel it's incredibly important to start the season off right.

The set pictured above was recently handed down to me from my grandmother. This set is older than I am and has intense sentimental value.  I remember helping my grandmother set it up each year and the magical connection that held. I look forward to the day when Alex is old enough (and his hands steady enough) that he can help open each box, name each figure, and decide where each person and animal should go.

It's such a simple thing, but setting up a nativity scene, even if it's just a picture or child's drawing of one can really help to keep your focus on the right things during this holiday season. Every year, millions of people worldwide come together to celebrate the birth of a tiny baby who would fulfill years of prophecy and reconcile a broken creation to its Creator. It's such an amazing story, one that I hope never loses it's power over me or my children.

Have a blessed day and feel free to comment below with one of your Christmas traditions!