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Favorite Christmas Picture Books

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Last year in a post called Read Christmas Books Together, I talked about our tradition of giving each child a beautiful picture book that could become part of a great collection that they could share with their own kids some day . That post was part of a series I did called 25 Days of Christmas Activities to Do With Your Family which you can check out here. And, last year I shared our top ten favorite Christmas Pictures Books.  But the truth is that it was SOOOOOOO hard to pick just ten.  So this year, I am sharing a few more of our Favorite Christmas Picture Books.

Favorite Christmas Picture Books | 15 giftable Christmas books

Our Favorite Christmas Picture Books

Please note:  All links are to Amazon.  We are an Amazon Affiliate.  If you click through and make a purchase, we make the tiniest little commission which does not affect your purchase price.

Last Year’s Picks for Gifts

The two books I picked for purchase last year were both recommended to me by my school’s librarian who is a close friend and who knows my children quite well.

For The Boy, we decided on Little Blue Truck’s Christmas.  This cute little book chronicles the story of the Little Blue Truck’s Christmas deliveries.  Five Christmas trees all must make it to their appropriate homes.  It’s a counting book that is perfect for younger readers.  First we count up and then we count down.  And the book twinkles at the end.  Who doesn’t love a book that light’s up?

For Sunshine, we went with Santa’s Favorite Story.  This is the the story Santa tells the woodland animals that is his favorite Christmas story.  And it is not a story that include him.  Instead, it is the story of the first Christmas.

This Year’s Gift Picks

I sometimes purchase the books that we choose for our gifts a little bit “blind.”  Last year, I went fully on the recommendations from my school’s librarian.  This year, I am purchasing two books that we got from the library last year and loved.

This year, Sunshine will receive The Legend of the Candy Cane.  We both enjoyed this book so much last year when we got it from the library, that this year, we felt certain we owned it already.  I dug through our two bins of Christmas books to no avail.  She dug through our Christmas books, insistent that we already owned it.  We will own it soon.  This is the story of a candy maker who moves into a prairie town and, of course, befriends the children.  Soon, he teaches them about the candy cane and it’s connection to Jesus, his suffering, death and goodness.

One of the qualities I am looking for when I make the purchase of THE Christmas book for each child is beautiful illustrations.  The Christmas Ship which is both written and illustrated by Dean Morrissey does not disappoint.  The story is of Sam, the local toy maker.  It is Christmas Eve and in a very Scrooge-like move, the mayor has just informed Sam that his shop has been condemned.  In his deepest moment of sadness, Sam is visited by Father Christmas who is behind schedule and needs Sam’s help.  In a story that demonstrates the power of thinking of others before yourself, the magic of Christmas ensues.

Other Favorite Christmas Picture Books

The Books of Jan Brett

              

When I created last year’s list of favorite Christmas picture books, I only included one Jan Brett Book, The Night Before Christmas.  But, truthfully, how can a list of favorite Christmas picture books not include multiple books by Jan Brett?  She may be the most amazing illustrator of children’s books out there.  The detail that she includes in the main illustration is truly captivating.  And the foreshadowing that she includes in the side panels is stunning.  If you have never seen a book illustrated by Jan Brett, I COMMAND you to RUN (no walking here) to your library or book store and find one, NOW.

Many of her Christmas stories revolve around trolls and are Scandanavian in origin.  In Who’s that Knocking on Christmas Eve, The Trouble with Trolls and Christmas Trolls, the protagonist outsmarts the nasty trolls and save Christmas for her family.

And Jan Brett’s The Twelve Days of Christmas is also lovely.

Santa and his Sleigh

    

Last year, I mentioned that our children love, love, love Who Will Guide My Sleigh Tonight.  (Thanks, Joyce!)  Because they loved that book so much, I also purchased Jerry Pallota’s Dinosaur Christmas.  In this book Santa tells of the time before there were reindeer when he had to rely on dinosaurs to pull his sleigh.  Sunshine giggles every time we read this book.  Her favorite dinosaur puller is the stegosaurus who are apparently so slow that it takes them days to deliver the gifts.  The calendar page reads December 27.

Among The Boy’s first book loves were the Gossie and Friends by Olivier Dunrea.  As a result, his very first Christmas gift was was Merry Christmas Ollie!  This little book is for even the youngest of listeners.  It’s all about how hard it is to wait for Father Christmas Goose.  These little goslings are so sweet that it is easy to empathize with the difficulty of waiting.

The True Meaning of Christmas

The Lost Gift was one of Sunshine’s Christmas books a few years back.  The animals of the forest see Santa flying overhead and realize that a gift has dropped from the sleigh.  They realize he won’t becoming back to get it. So, they make it their job to get it the appropriate recipient:  “The Baby at the Farm.”

This book was a gift from my grandmother who was an avid catalogue shopper.  I wish I could remember the name of the company because a number of our favorite books came from this distributor, but The Message of the Birds is a lovely story told by the owl about the message of Christmas that the birds sang at the first Christmas.  But then they stopped because no one was listening.  The story continues on to show that if the birds keep telling the story, eventually people will begin to listen again.

Christmas in the Barn is just that.  It is the story of the birth of the baby Jesus and all his visitors.  And everyone is welcome in that barn. It is simply told in a way that even the youngest of readers can enjoy it.

Our Favorite Christmas Picture Books–Pop-up

Another book we treasure was also a gift is our 12 Days of Christmas pop-up book by Robert Sabuda.  This book came from my first school librarian.  She was already retired by the time I got married and Sunshine was born.  However we are Christmas card friends still, and upon learning the news of Sunshine’s birth, she sent us a care package of books.  (Umm…would you expect anything less from a friend who is also a librarian?!)  In that package was this, most amazing, pop-up book.  This is definitely a must have for your Christmas collection.

Enjoy Reading During this Christmas Season

Christmas Picture Books to Share | Favorite Christmas Picture Books

We love our Christmas realouds.  They are part of how we celebrate Christmas for all of Advent and through Epiphany.  A solid 6 weeks of reading our favorite Christmas Picture Books.  We hope that you too will pick up a few new Christmas books this holiday season that you can pull out year after year.

And maybe, begin a new tradition of buying that “just right” book for your children each year that they can treasure for years to come.  If you want to read more about our tradition, check out my post from last year:  Read Christmas Books.  It explains our family tradition of getting each child a “heirloom” Christmas book.

Oh, and in the comments below, let us know your favorite Christmas picture books.  We would love to know what you are reading this Christmas season.  Who knows maybe you will even influence our future gift purchases!

PS. This post contains affiliate links. When you click the link and make a purchase through the link, we make a little money, this helps to keep The Semiconservative Granola Girl going. Thank you for your support.

 

 

 

Play Games at Dinner

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So here’s a fun idea to try.  Play a game at dinner tonight.  We don’t always do this.  Sometimes there is just not the time it takes to play games at dinner.  But pulling out a board game, or better yet, a card game is a great way to have a little fun and conversation with your family at dinner tonight.

The truth is, most people love to play board games and card games.  It is interactive and competitive and you have to use strategies and tap into the part of your brain that makes predictions and thinks ahead.  It’s just so good, I can’t even begin.

Play Games at Dinner | How and why we play games at dinner & a list of perfect dinner games

Play Games at Dinner

We often play games at dinner.  This is something that Jim and I did even before we had kids.  When we were first married, we played a lot of Cribbage and sometimes we even played Cribbage while we ate dinner.

In fact, it’s a little sad to me when Sunshine says, “Let’s play ….” and I have to say no because of time constraints or because my brain already hurts.

But really, playing games as part of your meal routine can do a lot.  It teaches your kids about turn taking and about strategy and about losing, and about winning.  It adds a structure for conversation.  And, it is fun.  There a lots of great games out there, but here are a few that lend themselves to the meal table.

Oh, and most of these are sized perfectly to fit in a Christmas stocking or an Easter basket.  Many of these games have arrived at our house in just this way.

Note:  All links are Amazon Affiliate links.  If you click through and make a purchase, we, here at The Semiconservative Granola Girl, make a tiny little commission which does not affect your purchase price.

Play Games at Dinner:  Suggestions

Uno

This one is a classic.  It’s easy enough for even young players and cards really lend themselves to the dinner table.  I even have an Uno pack that was given to me years ago that is waterproof and on a clip that  I keep in my purse for long waits in restaurants or other places with a flat surface. (Apparently, it is called Uno Splash.) If you can match your colors, Uno is the perfect dinner time game.  This a great game to start to play games at dinner with because it is accessible to even the youngest family members and it doesn’t take a lot of space!

Skip-bo

Skip-bo is from the makers of Uno.  It is a variation on a game that I used to play with regular playing cards when I was a kid.  There are piles in the center that you build from one to twelve while trying to make your own pile of 30 (or 20 or 10 for shorter games) cards go down.  It is a little complicated for littler kids but most kids 7 and up can get a hang of this one.  That being said, it is definitely a strategy game.

The Pigeon Wants a Match

This is a classic matching game except the images are all from Mo Willems Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus Series.  You may know from my post about Chapter Books Series for Young Readers that we are big Mo Willems fans.  This game came in The Boy’s Easter basket a few years ago and it was perfect for working on those memory skills and it looked darn cute sitting in his basket!

Set

Set is an ingenious game of making matches, well, sets really (not just two, but three cards).  But unlike a regular matching game, there are lots of variables involved in making sets.  You can make sets with colors, patterns or shapes.  The catch is that they must be all the same or all different. In other words, they can all be the same shape and same number, but three different patterns.  Or they can all be the same number while being three different patterns and three different shapes.  Initially, this game is a little tricky, but one you get the hang of how to make sets it is lots of fun.  The directions give a suggestion of practicing with only the solid cards, so we sometimes do this when we don’t have as much time to play games at dinner or when The Boy wants to play.  This is another one that I keep in my purse for times that we have to wait.

Quiddler

Quiddler is a fun word game that I was introduced to a long time ago, before I was married and before I had kids.  Each card has a letter and you exchange letters in your hand until you can make a word or words.   The game involves score keeping and each round the players get progressively more cards.  This is not currently one of the games I carry in my purse but this little round version would be the perfect purse addition once The Boy gets better at spelling.

Slamwich

This game is great for turn taking and being quick.  It’s kind of like the card game War, but with more twists and turns.  Each player has a pile of face down cards and the goal is to get all of the cards which you do by laying cards on the game pile and trying to spot a Slamwich.  A Slamwich is

Clue

    
We most often play card games at dinner due to space; however, Clue or more specifically, Harry Potter Clue is an exception when we have more time.  Sunshine got Harry Potter Clue for Christmas last year and there was many a dinner during that holiday break where we were trying to manage our meal around the Clue board.  Of course, Clue is the Whodunit game that takes you around the mansion or around Hogwarts in search of clues to figure out just who is responsible for murder or the curse.

Perfect Stocking Stuffer Games | Play games a dinner

A Basket of Games

Just like we keep piles of books next to our beds and a basket of books filled with Christmas books, we keep a basket of dinner time games in the kitchen near the table.  So when we have a more relaxing night, we can pull out a game.  In fact, we play Uno so often that our cards are a little bit dinner sticky and sit on the lazy-Susan right on the table!

We hope that you will join us in playing games at dinner.  Let us know how it goes when you play games at dinner.  Oh, and let us know which games you like best for dinnertime fun!

And, if you are looking for other fun activities to do with your family this holiday season, check out my series from 2017:  25 Days of Christmas Activities.

PS. This post contains affiliate links. When you click the link and make a purchase through the link, we make a little money, this helps to keep The Semiconservative Granola Girl going. Thank you for your support.

Chapter Book Series for Early Readers

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We are readers in our house.  We all read a lot.  Everyone reads before bedtime.  We often do our read alouds as a whole family, all snuggled together in Mommy and Daddy’s bed.  And, lately, we’ve been totally into audio books in the car and while we are doing chores.  One of the things that I have found is that great chapter book series have really kept our kids looking for more.  We often read the first one together and then Sunshine is off and running. So this week I thought I would share our favorite chapter book series for early readers.

These books are probably most appropriate for 6-9 year olds and they vary in difficulty.  My favorite series are actually the ones where the difficulty progresses as the kids work through the series.  The Magic Tree House series is a perfect example.  This series starts out at a first or second grade reading level but then progressively become more difficult as the readers get into the upper numbers of the series.

Awesome Chapter Book Series for Early Readers | 7 awesome series suggestions

Note:  All links are Amazon Affiliate links.  If you click through and make a purchase, we, here at The Semiconservative Granola Girl, make a tiny little commission which does not affect your purchase price.

Awesome Chapter Book Series for Early Readers

The Magic Tree House

This is series about a brother and sister, Jack and Annie. They stumble upon a magic tree house in the woods near their Pennsylvania home.  The tree house, which doubles as a library, takes them back in time to solve mysteries.  And of course, they are always aided by books from the tree house library.  They must learn about the time period in which they land in order to get home again.

There is a little something for everyone too:  dinosaurs, knights, pirates, ninjas, mummies and the Wild West.  The Magic Tree House  series by Mary Pope Osborne delights both Sunshine and The Boy (who started listening to these at around age 4). Often my high school students will ask what we are reading at home. And when it is The Magic Tree House, they always speak fondly of having read them when they were younger.  I remember having a conversation about them with a group of seniors. One gleefully exclaimed, “Oh have you gotten to the Morgan books yet?!”

The Boxcar Children

This series came recommended to us by a friend (hi Joyce!). She is a retired teacher who told us that these books were enjoyed by her as a child and then in their rerelease by her own children.  Sunshine loves The Boxcar Children books by Gertrude Chandler Warner.  There is a simple charm about these books; a charm of a more peaceful time when kids could be left alone to fend for themselves with only intermittent adult involvement.

In the fist book, four siblings have been orphaned, but fear their grandfather will reject them because he had disowned their parents.  (He didn’t approve of their marriage.)  The children who range in age from 5 to about 12 eventually find themselves living in an abandoned boxcar (hence the title).  And before too long, they are reunited with their grandfather.  We read the first two books together, then Sunshine started bringing them home from the school library to read on her own.  Her school’s librarian was happy to see them go out because it had been awhile since they had received the kind of attention they were getting from Sunshine.

The Chicken Squad

Imagine my delight when I discovered that one of our favorite picture book authors, Doreen Cronin (of Click, Clack, Moo fame) wrote a series of chapter books called The Chicken Squad.  And we also love the companion series about J.J. Tully, the search and rescue dog who watches over the Chicken Squad.  Oh, and they are so clever.  Four chicks named Sugar, Boo, Dirt and Sweetie have misadventures in the farm yard. These range from helping a “Weird Blue Chicken” (known to most as a blue jay) recover her home from a pesky squirrel and figuring out what is in the mysterious box in the yard.  It’s a perfect series for new readers and read alouds too.  There is plenty of irony and humor to keep adults engaged too.

Kung Pow Chicken

As long as we are talking about chickens, we might as well add another favorite chapter book series for early readers:  Kung Pow Chicken by Cyndi Marko.  This is probably The Boy’s favorite series on the list because who doesn’t love a super hero chicken named Kung Pow Chicken.  And his sidekick is his brother, Egg Drop, who of course, is an egg.  And in the tradition of many superheroes, Kung Pow Chicken gets his powers from a science lab mishap.  He and Egg Drop are supported by their super scientist uncle who makes just the right inventions to help them on their adventures in saving Fowladelphia from fowl criminals.

These books might actually be in the graphic novel genre.  They are filled with humorous comic book style illustrations which are perfect for young readers. Oh and, the chicken puns abound for the adults.  We already read the first four and hoping book 5 will come out in time for Christmas.

The Princess in Black

Another hero chapter book series for early readers is The Princess in Black by Shannon Hale.  Who wants to be boring Princess Magnolia when you can be the monster fighting hero, The Princess in Black.  The princess meets up with monsters and scary hordes of bunnies and has play dates that go awry.  This is another series that Sunshine and I began together as a read aloud. However, she quickly moved on to reading them independently so that she could get through them faster.  Oh, and now that Sunshine is a little older she loves another Shannon Hale trilogy called The Princess Academy.

The Cobble Street Cousins

We tend toward series that seem to be of a simpler time.  A time before the interwebs. And a time when people relied on people.  The Cobble Street Cousins Series by Cynthia Rylant fits the bill.  These stories are about three cousins who live with their aunt because their parents are traveling performers.  Their aunt runs a flower shop in a small town.  The girls are permitted and encouraged to do nice things for their neighbors.  The first novel starts with the girls planning a cookie company In Aunt Lucy’s Kitchen to earn money for their summer vacation.  As a result, they meet many of their neighbors who show up in the future books.  When we worked our way through this series, it was just right for first grade Sunshine.  We took turns reading a chapter each.  And although the main characters are girls, The Boy listened right along.

Piper Green and the Fairy Tree

And yet one more chapter book series for early readers that brags a simple and uncomplicated environment.  Piper Green lives on an island off the coast of Maine.  She doesn’t take a school bus to school.  Instead, she hops on a lobster boat that takes her to the neighboring island for school.  In the first book, she discovers a Fairy Tree in her neighborhood.  She leaves a gift for the fairies and in return they leave gifts for her.  Is it really magic?  Does Piper actually suffer from too much good luck?  Piper is smart and funny and has great little adventures in her island world.

One More Suggestion

The Story of Diva and Flea

This book is not a series.  But, I sure wish it was.  The Story of Diva and Flea is the first (and only, to date) chapter book by Mo Willems of Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus and Elephant and Piggy fame.  We so love Willems books and illustrations.  Diva and Flea, is about a prim and proper little dog called Diva and a street smart stray cat named Flea. It was the first chapter book that really and truly held The Boy’s attention. (He had only just turned four the year he got it for Christmas). No one can resist a story about a cat and dog friends from two different worlds.  It has a sort of Lady and the Tramp air to it.  How can I beg Mo Willems to write more chapter books?

7 Awesome Chapter Book Series for Early Readers

We are Readers

So, as I said in the introduction to this post, we are readers here at The Semiconservative Granola Girl.  It is just one of the many ways that my attentions are stretched.  And it so much fun to discover great chapter book series for early readers which help to peak their interests and keep them reading.  I hope you will take the time to discover some new chapter book series to love with your early readers and that you find this list useful.

Oh, and we would love to know what series you and your early readers have read together (or independently).  The Boy is really still an emergent reader, so there is still time for us to find new and great chapter book series for young readers.  Leave your ideas in the comments below.

Looking for the perfect Christmas Picture books, check out my post on our top picks for Christmas reads.

PS. This post may contain affiliate links. When you click the link and make a purchase through the link, we make a little money, this helps to keep The Semiconservative Granola Girl going. Thank you for your support.

Essential Tools for the Electric Smoker Chef

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Hey Friends, I am here with some Essential Tools for the Electric Smoker Chef in your world.  And this post is aptly timed because the first seven are perfect stocking stuffers just in time for Christmas.  However, these tools are perfect gifts all year round.  Or heck, buy them for yourself if you are the Electric Smoker Chef!  If you’re looking for WHAT to smoke in your electric smoker, check out 10 Foods to Smoker in Your Electric Smoker and 10 MORE Foods to Smoke in Your Electric Smoker.

And, if you are looking for a smoker to give as a gift, let us recommend Masterbuilt.  We love our Masterbuilt electric smoker so much that we have two!

Note:  All links are Amazon Affiliate links.  If you click through and make a purchase, we, here at The Semiconservative Granola Girl, make a tiny little commission which does not affect your purchase price.

Essential Tools for the Electric Smoker Chef | gift giving idea

Essential Tools for the Electric Smoker Chef

ONE:  Meat Thermometer

A good digital read meat thermometer is a must.  We like this one from Taylor.  It’s fairly in expensive and gives a quick and clear readout.

TWO:  Tongs

Of course, anytime you are cooking with meat, whether in the kitchen, at the grill or in the electric smoker, you will need a good set of tongs.  As loyal SCGG readers will know, I love all kitchen tools Oxo.  They often cost a little more but as Sunshine pointed out after we purchased cheap “dress boots” which she wore once and the zipper split, “sometimes you get what you pay for.”  The quality of Oxo products is excellent for the price point.

So, we like the Oxo 12-inch ones.  They have locking mechanism for easy storage.  We have the ones with the stainless steel ends, but I am sure the silicone heads would be a nice addition.  They also come in a 16-inch length and a 9-inch length.

THREE:  A Basting Brush

Many of our recipes start by slathering the meat with yellow mustard.  And, if you are going to slather, you will need a good basting brush.  Again, I recommend this Oxo silicone brush.  It hold the slather well and it’s easy to clean.  And dishwasher safe, which in my busy mom world is always key.

FOUR:  Dry Rubs

I don’t even know where to begin when it comes to dry rubs.  We have a few commercially produced rubs that we like, but for the most part, we make our own like Semiconservative Granola Girl Dry Rub and Everything Bagel Dry Rub.

Generally, we are looking for a dry rub that is less spicy (kid palates) with a few exceptions.  Our Seasoned Smoked Almonds use Montreal Steak Seasoning which does have a bit of a peppery kick. We have found A1 Dry Rub (I think it must have been the Sweet Mesquite, but it might have been Bold Original) to be less spicy.  Our Dill Pickle Brined Chicken Thighs use Weber Herb and Garlic which is an herb mixture, so it is not spicy at all. Really, dry rubs are all about your taste, so buy a few and experiment.

FIVE:  Ingredients for Dry Rubs

Last year, I loaded my husband’s Christmas stocking with the ingredients to make dry rubs:  minced garlic, minced onions, dried parsley, coarse black pepper, mustard seeds, dry mustard, paprika and chili powder.  And don’t froget coarse Kosher Salt (although this box might not fit in the stocking!). Then we used all of those herbs and spices to play with new rubs that fit our tastes.  And to make Everything Bagel Dry Rub, don’t forget the sesame seeds and poppy seeds!

SIX:  Shaker Lids

When we make our own dry rubs, we love to store them in glass canning jars (usually pint jars, but sometimes we use a 12 oz jar) and use these Ball Shaker Lids.  They have large holes which is perfect for shaking out a chunky dry rub.  We use these all the time for our dry rubs and other mixtures.  This is definitely one of our essential tools for the electric smoker chef!

Seven:  Meat Injector

When we smoke a roast (pork or venison) we inject juice (usually apple juice) right into the meat to help keep it moist and delicious.  To do this, we use a meat injector like this one from DIMESHY.  It’s a useful tool and gets the juice right into the center of the meat.  It’s easy to clean and we usually just take it apart and run it through the dishwasher.

Make a Gift Basket of Essential Tools for the Electric Smoker Chef

So let’s say your looking for gift ideas for the electric smoker chef in your world, but you are not looking to fill their Christmas stocking, a gift basket might be the way to go.  In that case, I would add a couple of the following items:

Smoking Medium (ie. Wood Chips)

Of course, if you are using an electric smoker for an length of time, you will need to have a good supply of wood chips.  We most often use hickory because it gives the strongest smoke flavor, but a nice variety pack is also a super idea:  hickory, apple, cherry and mesquite.  We use them all.

The Perfect Cookbook

Our favorite cookbook for the electric smoker is hands down, Smoke like a Pit Master with your Electric Smoker by Wendy O’Neal.  Her cookbook is perfect for the beginner and the experienced electric smoker chef alike.  She has recipes for appetizers, pork, chicken, beef, seafood and even desserts.  We have tried multiple recipes and they are all super.

A Cover

If you live in a place where there is weather (like we do) a cover for your electric smoker is a must.  We do keep our electric smoker in the garage during the winter months, but our cover has worked well so far.

Shopping for Essential Tools for the Electric Smoker Chef

Stocking Stuffers for Electric Smoker Chefs | Essential Tools for Electric Smoker Chefs

We hope you find this tool guide useful.  Let us know what tools you think are essential for the electric smoker.  We would love to try them and update our list.  Good luck in your gift giving.

And, don’t forget to check our our Electric Smoker Page.  It has links to recipes and lots of ideas of foods to smoke in your electric smoker!

PS. This post may contain affiliate links. When you click the link and make a purchase through the link, we make a little money, this helps to keep The Semiconservative Granola Girl going. Thank you for your support.

Day 25: Go to Church with Your Family

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Today is day 25 of the 25 days of Christmas Activities to Do with Your Family. Ummm for real, Christmas is only five days away. When I started this project at the end of last month, I wasn’t quite sure I was going to make it, but here I am on day 25.  And, day 25 is go to church with your family on Christmas Eve (or Christmas day).

Go to Church with Your Family

There is something so beautiful about a church on Christmas Eve. The candles. The soft Christmas hymns. The joy of the Baby Jesus. And the true purpose of Christmas.

Most years, we go to church with my family at the church I grew up in.  This year, however will be different.  We have been given an early Christmas present to go to the matinee of Lion King the Musical.  Our tickets are for Christmas Eve, so we will be going to church at our own parish for the first time in several years.  I am looking forward to a different pace this year.  And I hope that you will enjoy a Christmas church service this weekend too.

25 Days of Christmas Activities

So I hope that you have enjoyed my blog series about the 25 Days of Christmas Activities to do with Your Family.  I hope that you have you’ve tried one or two or that maybe you’ve pinned them for next year. Thank you for joining us in this little adventure and have a truly blessed and merry Christmas.

Be sure to sign up for our mailing list so that you will not miss a post in 2018.

PS. This post may contain affiliate links. When you click the link and make a purchase through the link, we make a little money, this helps to keep The Semiconservative Granola Girl going. Thank you for your support.

Day 24: Christmas Pajamas

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Oh my gosh friends today is day 24 of the 25 days of Christmas Activities to Do with Your Family! This one may not be so much of an activity, but it is one of our family traditions. Christmas pajamas.

Day 24_ Christmas Pajamas

Christmas Pajamas

My husband and I started the new pajamas for Christmas tradition the very first year we were married. That Christmas, my sister was staying with us for the holidays because my parents had gone to visit our other sister in Las Vegas. And even she got a new pair of Christmas pajamas to wear on Christmas morning.  We got home late on Christmas Eve from a family visit, but I ushered the three of us to the tree lit living room where we each opened a new pair of pajamas to wear that night.

We don’t bother with the whole matching thing. Each person just gets a pair of pajamas to suit his or her personality.  We’re sort of a woodsy family, so we often stick to bears and moose.  Last year, Sunshine got Yeti pajamas.  No matter what, everyone loves to get the new jammies to wear on Christmas morning.

One of my favorite brands is Lazy One because they have high quality, cute, woodsy themed Christmas pajamas. Who doesn’t want a pair of mooseltoe pjs with buffalo plaid pants?  (Admittedly, those were my pajamas last year, so I am kind of biased.  In fact, I am wearing them right now.  I wore them to school today for holiday pajama dress-up day!)

25 Days of Christmas Activities

So here’s another fun Christmas tradition that we hope you will join us in doing this year.

Be sure to stop back tomorrow to find another great tradition to share with your family during the 25 Days of Christmas Activities.  And don’t forget to check out the first 23 days too.

Don’t Miss a Day of 25 Days of Christmas Activities to Do with Your Family–Join our Email List today!

PS. This post may contain affiliate links. When you click the link and make a purchase through the link, we make a little money, this helps to keep The Semiconservative Granola Girl going. Thank you for your support.

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