It’s that time of the year again, where lights fill the streets spreading so much cheer…It’s a time of giving, togetherness, family, worship, and Christmas songs on every station. It’s the most beautiful time of the year! So, let it snow, let it snow, let it snow…

My two youngest kids always have the longest Christmas list. This year we took advantage of the Penless app. In this app, there is an icon titled “wishlist.” Here you can make a list of what you want from friends and family. You can also add your size, color preference, and any other specifics. I make my kids use the “idea board” icon in the app because here is where you can gather all the items you like and then pick which ones you want to add to your wishlist. Anyone of your choosing can see which items you add to your wishlist. Besides all the gift buying, cooking, and Christmas films, our family loves to sing!

Starting December 1st, not only is it time to decorate and deck the halls with boughs of holly, but it means Christmas toons start to play in our car so we can jingle all the way to our next destination. The first song we play on the first of the month is my kids all time favorite: Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeeer . Although my oldest son Carson is not a fan of that song, he still has a good attitude and sings along with the family. This tradition makes my kids hyper early in the day but it is always makes for a silent night, holy night, and all is calm.

Carson decided to do some research about the history of Christmas carols. Turns out that Christmas songs originated in Europe. Although they were primarily sung in Latin, that later changed when other people could not understand the language and threatened to not celebrate Christmas all together, well back then it was more like a winter solstice. One year, back in the 1600’s, caroling was not allowed and the celebration of Christmas was banned. But obviously that soon changed. Today everyone can have a holly jolly Christmas.

Caroling has been a tradition for a while and it lives on even though Carson is in college. It brings cheer and joy to all the faces in our neighborhood. Sam is my youngest son who is 9, and Gabby is my daughter, she is 11 years old. They love to sing all the jingles that this holiday has to offer.

Have yourself a Merry Little Christmas!