This year Ayden is 2 & definitely more aware of all the Christmas fun compared to last year! Ayla, my 4 year old is completely obsessed with Elf on the Shelf, Christmas movies & singing Christmas carols! It makes the season all the more fun seeing their excitement! I know sometimes the holiday season can get busy & crammed with just running from here to there, so I try to take one or two days to make it a fun, adventurous time for the girls! These are the best times to create holiday traditions that I hope will be passed down generations to come. Today I wanted to share my favorite family tradition(s) & a few fun gift options this year!
My FAVORITE family tradition this time of year is seeing the ornament my grandma (Oma) has made for me & the girls. This started many years ago, 30 to be exact, when I received a very special baby in a bouncer ornament. Since then, I’ve received hand-made, straight from the heart ornaments that mean more than any gift under the tree! I love unwrapping these ornaments this time each year & remembering why or thinking how did she make this. 😉 
Another fun tradition that I started 2 years ago with the girls is picking out some fun (not breakable) ornaments & decorating presents with them. I love how a simple, small ornament can make a wrapped present look so elegant. This year I chose a woodland themed paper & let the girls color on it. This makes them feel super helpful & really proud of the presents under our tree. A few other things that we have done & will do this season include:
- Cut down a Christmas tree @ Evening Star Pines, they have a hot coco station with cookies & Santa was even there this year. We took a sleigh ride out to the tree lot & Nate even got to cut down the tree! The girls loved it…now I just have to keep it alive for 20 more days! 😉
- Visit Santa @ Bass Pro and bring him our letters! Ayden didn’t cry this year, so it was more enjoyable! They have the cutest crafts for the kiddos & you get a free photo as well with a really nice wood frame. Your Santa photo comes with a free kids meal at their restaurant. We usually eat after the Santa photo every year…& they do have wine on the drink menu!:)
- Union Station is magical this time of year! My girls love riding the train & also looking at all the train exhibits! We are also going to The Polar Express with a group of friends in a couple weeks, which will be super fun and very reasonably priced! (Perfect for when the kiddos are out on break OR if you need to get out of the house with your littles).
- Baking sugar cookies! We like to get together with a few of our friends & watch the kids decorate sugar cookies. You’d be surprised how many different designs they can come up with. LOL
- Singing Christmas carols by the fire-pit. We love to use our fire-pit this time of year, and the girls love s’mores & singing SOOO we combine the two & keep it going every year!
- Viewing the Plaza Christmas lights & eating at the Cheesecake Factory! We also do a little shopping on this outing too!
- Sending out Christmas cards to family & friends! This year I used Vistaprint & they did an amazing job!
- A few quick gift options that have been HOME RUNS include pieces from Stella&Dot, & my hubby’s all time favorite gift EVER from JORDwatches! These are one of a kind, exceptionally hand-crafted watches made right here in the good USA! Here’s a discount code to help save you some major $$$ on an awesome gift!
Watch Gift Ideas 
Enjoy this time of year & all the fun things this season brings! As always, thanks so much for stopping by!
-xox, Karlie
Thanks Oma! Love ya! 🙂