Monday, November 15, 2010

Nativity Set GIVEAWAY


3-dimensional Metal Nativity set on Wood Plaque

I have really enjoyed reading and sparking up a friendship this year with Elizabeth of Twelve Crafts 'Till Christmas.  Starting today, Elizabeth is spotlighting some very cool CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS.  For the next few weeks, she'll host 15 guest bloggers who will share their family's most treasured Christmas traditions, with "how-to's" so you can easily add their favorite activities to your family's Christmas celebrations this year.

And...(wait for it)...

 I get to kick the whole thing off as her first guest blogger today!

I am posting about my favorite activities from my Christmas Book Crafting Advent that my kids and I did last Christmas.  It's an awesome tradition...You'll love it...I promise!

So head on over there and join in the fun....go now! 
(And then come back to enter this giveaway!)

If you are visiting from Twelve Crafts Till Christmas...

Welcome!  

Feel free to have a look around and make yourself at home!  I love meeting new friends, so please drop me a line!  I am currently working on the special daily Christmas activities that I will do with my kids this year...I am hoping to talk about one of Christ's teachings with my kids every day in December...so stay tuned!

NOW FOR THE GIVEAWAY DETAILS:

I am still running my Santa's Helper Giveaway 

On December 1st someone will win $130 to spend on a family in need this holiday season!  Follow the link above to find out how to enter.

Now here's the update: I have received so many inspirational entries that I have added a few more prizes to the giveaway to help you play "Santa's Helper" for someone this year!

(I know...Awesome, right?)

3-dimensional Metal Nativity set on Wood Plaque

If you have already entered the giveaway for $130 to CSN, you will also be automatically entered to win this 5-piece metal nativity set
(by Huckleberry Lady) 

It is gorgeous and would bring a nice spirit into any home's Christmas display.  
Special thanks to Huckleberry Lady on Etsy for providing this generous giveaway:


HOW TO ENTER:

1. Become a follower.


3. Tell me one of your favorite holiday traditions...or tell me how you keep your family focused on the real reason for the season.


5.  Comment on my guest post over at Twelve Crafts.

How easy is that? 


*Please leave a comment on this post for each entry.

I will announce the winner on December 1st.
GOOD LUCK!

72 comments:

  1. Woohoo! I am a follower, of course.

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  2. And I've entered the Santa's Helper Giveaway. You have some great giveaways. :)

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  3. My family isn't much for traditions, but we always have a Christmas countdown candle. 24 dots painted on a taper candle that we burn every night while we're together as a family -- reading scriptures, eating our Christmastime oranges (and squirting the orange peel juices on the candle flame...), and just hanging out. It's a nice small tradition that always brought the kids (we pyromaniacs) together.

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  4. I visited Huckleberry Lady -- I love all of the nativities!

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  5. And to round out the top 5... I left a comment over at twelve crafts. I am drooling just thinking about all of those books! I can't wait to start reading them with my little family. :)

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  6. I'm a follower. You are fun to follow and helpful too.

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  7. I liked the Give Thanks sign at Huckleberry Lady.

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  8. One of my favorite Christmas traditions is this...I buy an uplifting children's book each year. We read it on Christmas Eve. I also read my family a Christmas story EVERY day in December. It really helps bring the Spirit into our home.

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  9. We struggle with blending 2 different married philosophies. We decided to celebrate the 3 Kings as a gift. Each gift has a different representation of the gold, frankincense, and myrrh. They are gift of wonder, gift of usefulness, and gift of gift of meaning.

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  10. I entered the Santa's Helper giveaway.

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  11. We have so many traditions that I love... but my favorite started when I was in high school. On Christmas morning we divide the gifts by who is giving the gift. So when my turn rolls around I get to pick a gift to GIVE rather than just one out of my pile to open. It's fun to physically hand the person the gift and watch their reaction as they open it... and puts more emphasis on the giving than the receiving.

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  12. I visited Huckleberry Lady... she has some great stuff!

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  13. One of my favorite Christmas traditions started when my husband and I were first married. We were poor, as most newlyweds, and didn't have much money to decorate for the holidays. So we cut out paper snowflakes and hung them from the ceiling with fishing line. We still have the same origonal snowflakes and hang them -and new ones- every year.

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  14. I finally wrote my Santa Helper email. Yes after I stretched my budget to the last pennies.

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  15. I don't know if we have any huge tradition since my kids are young and we usually travel every holiday season. Probably the biggest one is singing Christmas carols from the hymn book. We have already started singing them every night before scripture time. I think music is a great way to learn about the Savior.

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  16. I like the nativity plaque at Huckleberry Lady. I am actually going to direct my mother-in-law there since we requested more 'Jesus' for the home. Actually we are just wanting more visual reminders since most of the art we have is of building or family photos.

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  17. Hands down my favorite Christmas tradition is our Christmas Eve scripture reading. We read in Bible and Book of Mormon about Christ's birth, breaking to sing appropriate hymns and songs ("We three kings" after reading about the wise men, "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" after the angel announces Christ's birth to the shepards, etc.). Oh how I love it:) I was apprehensive on getting married and spending every other Christmas away from my family because I didn't want to miss out on Christmas Eve. As tender mercies would have it, my husbands family does the exact same thing! Songs, too, though a bit varied. Christmas is one of my favorite times of year because it is so full of tradition.

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  18. Visited the etsy site. Laughed at the "no whining" sign:) I think I'll make something with the same slogan to display in my house!

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  19. Every year on Christmas Eve, we usually spend the day with my side of the family. Late in the afternoon we give the kids their first present, which is always new pajamas and then, together as a family we take the scenic ride home and find all the amazing houses with Christmas lights. After we get home, we set out their cookies that they have decorated for Santa, with a carrot or two for the reindeer. We then read about the Birth of Christ to end the night the right way. I love it and look forward to it every year!

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  20. The Huckleberry Lady has some GREAT stuff! I love the "Santa, Define Nice" sign. My big girls had that on some sweatshirts when they were little, and on the back it said "But I can explain!" So I would so have to get that sign! And I love the one that says "Together is our Favorite place to be"

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  21. I commented on your post over at Twelve Crafts!

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  22. I just looked at Huckleberry Lady's Etsy shop and will be back to buy some nativity items (they are amazing). Thanks for featuring her.

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  23. I emailed you with my "Santa's Helper Giveaway". Thanks!

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  24. Each year, our family picks children in need who are close to our children's ages. We go shopping to get what is on their list and it is fun to pick out gifts for someone their own age. Last year, we also made up some bags of groceries and took them to the school where our oldest two go. We left them for the Janitorial staff to help them prepare some great meals for Christmas. They are not usually high on the holiday gift list for the students.

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  25. What a great nativity! Would love to win. I'm a new follower!

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  26. We read 'The Advent Book' by Jack and Kathy Stockman which reveals a bit of the Christmas story one day at a time. We always start at the beginning and add the next door each day. It's a fun way to teach our kids about the real meaning of Christmas. I'll be posting about this book next month on my own blog. We seem to have a common love of books.

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  27. Visited Huckleberry Lady's etsy shop. Oh, my I'd like to get one of everything!

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  28. commented at 12 crafts! That's how I found you:-)

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  29. Favorite tradition is reading Christmas stories to my kids...I'll go into more detail on my blog later.

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  30. Visited Huckleberry Lady, love the nativities!

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  31. You are too much! That guest blog is one of the neatest Christmas craft/advent/remembrance combo I've ever seen. I wish my kids were little so I could do it with them.

    But I will be telling my DIL about this.

    =)

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  32. I entered Santa's Helper giveaway.

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  33. Favorite Holiday Tradition: choose one? We kick off Christmas season with putting up the tree, then we bake a gingerbread house and decorate it for FHE. I LOVE THIS ONE. I taught a lesson last week on TRADITIONS at Relief Society Mtg. I learned so much, I hope the other sisters did too.

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  34. I visited Huckleberry Lady's Etsy shop.

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  35. I commented on your guest post!

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  36. Im a subscriber. Thanks, mamatkins@hotmail.com

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  37. I visited the etsy shop and they have a lot of neat stuff!

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  38. I commented on your blog post over at 12 crafts till Christmas.

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  39. Me and my husband are still trying to put together some holiday traditions so I am going to share something that my family did growing up.

    One year a family that my dad use to Home Teach for was having a hard time financially and we decided to buy things that they needed. They needed simple things like gloves, blankets, one of the boys wanted a basketball. We went to the store as a family and bought everything. When we got home we wrapped everything up and put everything into large garbage bags. We then "secretly" dropped off the goodies at there door.

    It was a great chance for us to learn about service and that Christmas isn't about getting it's about giving.

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  40. ...and I visited the HuckleberryLady shop (beautiful things, by the way)...

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  41. ...and I just commented on your 12 Crafts Till Christmas post (awesome ideas)...

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  42. ...and now for the Christmas tradition! ;) A few years ago I made a little 8x8 scrapbook that has a page for each day in December. Starting on Dec. 1, every night before bed (in addition to our regular family prayer) we sing one Christmas hymn (either from the standard hymnbook or the LDS Children's Songbook) and we read one scripture that talks about the Savior's birth/life/atonement. It is such a pleasant way to end our day, especially those days filled with the hustle and bustle of the holiday season. It just brings a nice spirit into our home and helps us take a few mintues each day to remember why we're celebrating at all. ;)

    Thanks for the great giveaway! Your blog is one of my very favorites!!

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  43. I visited Huckleberry Lady site and LOVE all of the nativities!! I've been looking for one I love to buy this year and I think I just found a lot to chose from. So glad you did this post!

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  44. I commented on your post. Great ideas!!

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  45. Favorite Tradition- We have a "stocking for Jesus". All month in December we fill it with notes of gratitude, acts of service we've done, and notes of love... all the things that are "gifts" to our Savior. Our goal is to have it overflowing by Christmas. On Chirstmas morning we wake up and read about Christ's birth in the Bible then we read all of the notes in "Jesus's stocking". It is the PERFECT way to start our Christmas morning.
    THanks for the giveaway. I hope I win!!!!!

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  46. I entered the Santa's Helper Giveaway.

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  47. My favorite tradition: Every Christmas morning, after opening all our presents from Santa and from each other, we go to my Grandma's (this year it will be my Mom's since G-ma passed away in August) for WAFFLES AND ICE CREAM!! There are also a ton of breakfast casseroles. We plop a big scoop of ice cream on our waffles, top it with hot, sugared strawberries and delight in this once a year treat! If this tradition ever died, I just might go with it. It's part of what makes it feel like Christmas for me!

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  48. Visited Huckleberry's. Cute, cute stuff!

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  49. Jocelyn, I'm happy to be a follower!!

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  50. Our family is entered in your Santa Helpers Giveaway! I love Santa too!!

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  51. When we hang our Christmas stockings at the beginning of December who also hang a stocking for Jesus. The idea came from the old Cary Grant movie "The Bishops Wife". When all the children were still home we would each pick the name of someone in the family, and through the month we would do secret little acts of kindness for that person, make their bed, put something special on their dinner plate, do a chore for them, etc. These were the things that figuratively went in the stocking for Jesus. On Christmas Eve we would have people guess who was their "secret elf". It was great tradition. It just doesn't work well with only three of us home now. :( But, we still hang the stocking for Jesus to help us remember the true meaning of Christmas.

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  52. I love the ornaments on your Twelve Days of Christmas post and I made a comment there.

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  53. I visited Huckleberry's I think I will have to go back again. :)

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  54. We love to re-enact the Nativity as a family on Christmas Eve.

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