Sweet Traditions

The older the kids get, the more fun it is to make our own Christmas traditions.  Here are a few of the "sweet" ones:

Countdown Kisses: I got this idea two years ago.  All you need is saran wrap, curling ribbon, and kisses (we, I mean I, decided on the mint Hershey's kisses this year...more on that further down).  We take three kisses (one for each kid) tie it off on both ends to make a little pouch and continue on down 24 more times.  Then we hang it up in our living room and each day the kids take turn cutting a pouch off...a sweet reminder of what is coming up.  This year, the last two days (for Christmas Eve and Christmas) we put six kisses in each pouch to share with cousins we will be spending time with in Michigan!

Christmas Cookie:  We love baking rolled sugar cookies and a few other festive cookies around this time of year.  We have already make and decorated cookies in the shapes of stars, Christmas trees, and gingerbread men.  In years past, we have also made peanut butter blossoms...but with my guilty obsession this year with the mint kisses I decided to incorporate those instead of the regular chocolate kisses.  This time I used a sugar cookie type dough, baked that, and then pressed the mint kiss in to each cookie.  I think next time, I will use a chocolate cookie dough for the ultimate guilty pleasure!

Lifesaver Christmas Story Book: Every single one of my childhood Christmas memories includes a Lifesaver Christmas Story Book...and I have passed down the tradition to my kids.  I don't know what it is about them...maybe purely just because I had one in my stocking every year as a kid...but they are very special to me...and my kids will get one every year.  This year, thanks to my parents, one will be waiting in their stockings Christmas morning at Gammy and Poppy's house!