Advent Stockings

One Christmas tradition in our house has always been the advent calendar. When I was a child, it was delicious German chocolates in a little cardboard house. My brother and I eagerly awaited our turns to open the tiny perforated doors that held the chocolatey treasures. When I established the tradition in my own home after our first daughter was born, I twisted it a bit ...

We have twenty-four stockings that each hold a special treat! I made these stockings from infant socks and decorated them with ribbon, buttons, beads, pom-pons, and jingle bells. It was really easy and a lot of fun to get to be creative with each one. We've used them for about 8 years now, and the kids look forward to bringing them out every year.

This year the kids are excited to be able to rotate every third day, since they have a new little sister. The big kids get candy cane flavored Hershey kisses and Hershey kisses with caramel centers. The ten-month old gets little plastic-wrapped bundles of Gerber Graduates Puffs. We all get a special treat every day in the form of a few verses from Scripture about the advent of Christ.