Traditions.

This is technically mine and Landon's third Christmas together, but I feel like it's the first year where we've actually been able to establish some of our own little traditions.

I just love the holidays and love family traditions. It's what makes your family unique and they create the best memories. It's also something you get to look forward to every year :)

So after making a successful gingerbread house from scratch, we decided we are going to make this a yearly tradition. It was a lot of hard work, but it was totally worth it! It was good ole fashioned quality time if you ask me :)

Our second yearly tradition is an elf named Christopher. My mom heard that Landon grew up with elves and wanted us to have our very own elf too. He started out on our mantel and then we woke up one morning to find him like this:

It's always fun to wake up every morning and see what Christopher has been up to :)

Landon told me that the elves that he grew up with would leave little notes (I didn't know this detail...woops!) so I guess Christopher was a little shy this year...but I have a feeling he'll be leaving notes and maybe even getting a little more mischievous next year.

Some other traditions we've established are putting up the tree the day after Thanksgiving, making homemade fudge, blasting Christmas music all day, and watching a Christmas movie every night.

But... we want to establish more traditions based on the true meaning of Christmas, like visiting live nativity scenes and reading the account of Christ's birth from Luke. It's so easy to get caught into the "santa" side of Christmas and all the hype of presents and spending money... and I don't want our family to lose sight of what Christmas is really all about. What a wonderful blessing that our Heavenly Father loves us so much that he was willing to send His own son so that we can return home again.

I love that Landon and I are establishing our own family with our own little traditions. I know there are some "Miller" traditions that I may have to put up a fight for when kids are introduced to the picture *cough, stockings at the end of your bed on Christmas morning, cough, cough*

Oh, I just love Christmas more than anything. It brings family together and helps us remember what matters most - family & the gospel. It truly is the most wonderful time of the year!