Ten on Tuesday: Hall Family Holiday Traditions

starting in just a few weeks, our holidays officially begin. i love having {and forming} traditions, and i rely on them to keep me focused in this busy season. when there's so much to do and see and places to go, i know our family's traditions are tried and true. recalling our traditions and digging up photos just remind me of how blessed we are, how thankful i am, and how much i love this time of year.

10 Hall Family Holiday Traditions

1. we take our Christmas card picture on Thanksgiving Day.
2. Christmas decorations go up the week of Thanksgiving, no sooner.

3. we have a neighborhood Thanksgiving dinner.
4. we bake or decorate Christmas cookies with our friends.

5. we fill shoeboxes for children for Operation Christmas Child.
6. we make a Jesse Tree.

7. we walk around Midwestern State U's Fantasy of Lights.

8. my children get handwritten letters from Santa.

9. we eat my mom's homemade spaghetti and garlic bread on Christmas Eve.

10. we celebrate the birth of Jesus.

that's the stuff that makes me look forward to this time of year. what traditions are you looking forward to?

thanks to OhAmanda for hosting Ten on Tuesday!

Christmas Extravaganza: Wreaths

i love front door decor. it all started when we bought our first home, this home. our sweet realtor gave us a wooden "welcome" sign, painted purple and with a big yellow flower. there was already a nail in the entryway bricks just at the right height to hang our new sign, welcoming everyone to our new home.

i have loved door signs ever since, and my collection has grown with different signs for different holidays and seasons, and anything that can hang on that nail and make people smile as they approach my front door.

last year i invested a big pretty Christmas wreath for our front door. it makes me smile, yall, and i can't wait to get it out of the attic, where it's stored safely in it's own plastic wreath storage container.

wreaths have a history, and they weren't born at a craft fair. evergreen wreaths symbolize strength, because evergreens are strong enough plants to endure harsh winters. wreaths made with pine or holly symbolize immortality, and cedar symbolizes healing. they are circular and hung on the front door as a symbol for the never-ending love of Christ. how about that?

this year i'm thinking of hanging a wreath on both sides of the door. i especially like the ones pictured here from Etsy seller AKeepersHouse

what about you? how do you adorn your front door? your entry way? Homemaking Cottage is featuring wreaths at the Christmas Extravaganza this week. check it out and be inspired!