Christmas goals, 2011

This will be our fourth Christmas as a family, and also our fourth Christmas away from home. I'm trying to be better about planning this year than I have been in the past. Last year I still had lots to do a few days before Christmas, and then Kevin got croup and we were just happy the house got clean before Christmas! Here are some of the things I want to do this year:

• Tell the kids a story about the Savior every day using the Gospel Art Book (a tradition we started last year).
• Act out the nativity with a group (I wanted to this last year, but I didn't plan it soon enough, and like I said, Kevin got croup)
• Make a cheeseball
• Have a family testimony meeting--either on Christmas Eve or before opening presents (a new tradition I want to start).
• Finish buying Christmas presents.
• Make stockings for Ryan, Kevin, and Heidi (also a project that didn't work out last year).
• Make a headband for Heidi out of one of my old shirts (a Shopko purchase that fell apart after two washes).

We probably won't get a Christmas tree this year. I love Christmas trees, but I just don't think I can handle the stress of constantly keeping Kevin from messing with the ornaments and trying to knock it over. To decorate, I've set up the nativity sets, put out my porcelain dolls, and set a lot of the Christmas ornaments on my wall shelves.