Christmas books

Here's a tip to help you stay in the holiday spirit for the next few weeks, not that you could avoid it if you wanted to...

Gather up all your children's holiday books and put them in a central location (basket, shelf, whatever). During your reading time, encourage your child to choose a book from this location. It will help you to have discussions about what Christmas is really all about for you as well as continue to build your child's excitement until the big day (not that they need any help!). I also use this time to talk about expectations on Christmas day, like saying "thank you" for gifts, even if they are socks, books are great discussion-boards! This is one of the only times a day when my kids are truly attentive (and still) so it is great to have some quick talks. We read our holiday books all year long but to have them all in one place for just a few weeks makes them seem a little more special. My kids tend to pick the Rudolph and Frosty books most often but I also like to read the ones that explain Jesus' birthday, the manger and all that good stuff, this just makes it easier. I think the same would work if you have an extensive DVD collection. We don't have a lot but I made sure the ones we have are moved to the front of the pile for easy selection.

Have fun!