Deck the Halls With This Year’s Hottest Christmas Finds!

I love, love, LOVE Christmastime! Last year we started some new traditions including adding in St. Nicholas Day traditions. We celebrate through all of Advent and right on through to Epiphany (3 Kings Day).

A few years ago I also started to purchase one or two new items each Christmas season to enhance the season – decor, toys, books, etc.

Today I wanted to share with you some of the new things I’m adding into our home this year for the Christmas season.

Department 56 National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation Christmas Village Set

Last year I stumbled upon a huge set of Department 56 Dickens Village pieces at a yard sale.

I wasn’t sure if I should get it or not, but then my husband told me a story about how much he loved when his Mom got out the Christmas village every year because it was like a kick-off to the Christmas season.

That settled it for me. I purchased the set and everyone here LOVED it! The kids delighted in setting it up and everyone was sad when it was time to pack it away.

We all enjoyed it so much that I decided I wanted to expand our Christmas Village decor this year.

Department 56 is THE place to go for all things Christmas Village and they have so many options to choose from. (SO many that I want!) They have licenced sets for holiday favorites like the Grinch, Peanuts, a Christmas Story, and more, plus more generic village sets.

It was SO hard to decide which set I wanted next until I saw the National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation Set.

The movie holds a special place in my heart because Orin and I watched it together the first Christmas we were married. It was an old VHS tape I had and it was his very first time seeing the movie. I remember him laughing and laughing the entire way through.

Over the years I’ve gotten him a few Christmas Vacation ornaments for our tree and knew we had to have this set. Check out this post to read about my Department 56 National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation set.

I can’t wait to set it up year after year and add to my National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation set with additional pieces from the line.

Buy the Griswold family home and lots of other great pieces HERE. Make sure you check out all of their other Christmas village sets too. They have so many great ones!

Bellabu Bear Vintage Holiday Bamboo Blanket

We’ve got 7 kids so we tend to need a lot of throw blankets. Two years ago I started slowly adding Christmas-themed blankets that we only get out during this time.

This year I’m adding the Vintage Holiday Bamboo Blanket from Bellabu Bear. It is SO soft and I love the print on it. My kids love how soft this blanket is too!

Get your own blanket from Bellabu Bear HERE. They have a couple of different holiday-themed blankets to choose from.

Step2 My First Advent Calendar

I set our new Step2 My First Advent Calendar up a few days ago and my kids are SO excited to use it this year! I am all about creating traditions so I love that we can reuse this advent calendar again and again and again.

Just like you’d expect from Step2, this calendar is made from sturdy plastic. It took me about 30 minutes to assemble it (including adding the decals). Huge tip if you get one – the first step has you pushing in these plastic black connectors (the look like screws but aren’t really screws). I could NOT get them to push into the holes so I used our drill to make the holes a little bit bigger and then they went right in.

My kids asked me what I was going to put in the small cups. Of course, I told them they would have to wait and see, but I will likely put things like stickers, small candies, and sometimes even just a piece of paper that gives a clue about where I’ve hidden that day’s Advent surprise or something special we will do that day for Advent.

You can purchase this Advent calendar HERE.

Old World Christmas

The Old World Christmas store is just FULL of great Christmas items! We usually shop there every year and add a few new items from their incredible lineup of Christmas items.

This year we’re adding one of their lanterns (the snowman one, it’s so cute!) to our holiday decor and gifting this adorable gnome snow globe to our neighbors (they love gnome decor).

They supply our family with free, fresh eggs throughout the year so we like to get them a little something each Christmas to show them how much we appreciate them.

Old World Christmas also has a new line of scented holiday candles. We have the Fresh Balsam Fir candle and it makes our entire home smell so good!

My kids are also each getting a new Old World Christmas ornament on St. Nicholas Day. I wrote a whole post about it if you’d like to see the ornaments we’re giving our kids for St. Nicholas Day.

Rudolph is a favorite at our house, especially for my younger boys. When I saw this Rudolph Advent Calendar from Old World Christmas, I couldn’t pass it up!

I think this set is adorable! I love that it comes with both characters from the iconic movie and also other general Christmas-themed ornaments.

This pieces are made of flexible resin so they are perfect for someone with little kids like me.

I know I’ve already shared a few items from Old World Christmas but, what can I say, they have so many great Christmas items!

One more thing from them that I love is this Snow Family Lantern! I am so eager for the day after Thanksgiving to arrive so I can break it out of the box and display it on our living room bookshelf!

It has an LED light plus a blower so keep the snow inside moving around.

RockFlowerPaper

I just discovered RockFlowerPaper a few weeks ago and immediately fell in love with their products. I’m sure you will find a lot of festive items are their site you’re sure to love.

Cardinal Round Tray – 15 Inch

My grandmother loved birds and her favorite bird was the cardinal. Anytime I see something with a cardinal on it I think of her. When I saw this beautiful round tray from RockFlowerPaper, I knew I had to have it!

It’s made of poly ceramic and heat safe up to 225F. It also has handles on the side. I plan to use it on our table throughout the holiday and winter season as a place to hold our stack of napkins and the salt and pepper shaker I received from my other grandmother.

Although both of my grandmothers have passed away, incorporating things like this into our holidays helps to keep their memories alive in our home.

You can purchase this tray HERE.

Holiday in the Park Blue Kitchen Tea Towel

Every year I try to get a new Christmas Tea Towel for our kitchen and this year the Holiday in the Park blu kitchen towel from RockFlowerPaper caught my eye.

Isn’t it pretty?! I love that it’s also not too overly Christmasy so I can use it all winter long.

They’re made from post-consumer plastics and each towel recycles the equivalent of 5 single-use plastic bottles! It has a textured weave to help it absorb water and dry quickly.

RockFlowerPaper has quite a few tea towels to choose from and you will love them all! So many great prints to choose from! Check them out here.

eat2explore Kits

Eat2explore were created as an experiential way to teach her children world cultures and cooking skills. Maggie has really been enjoying flexing her culinary skills in the kitchen lately. She’s always looking for a new recipe to try.

My ancestors are from Germany and so I’ve been trying to learn more about the culture the past few years and incorporate things from it into our home. Last year for Christmas we tried a German recipe for roast and another German recipe for potatoes.

I was excited to see that eat2explore has a Germany kit that teaches you how to make 3 different German cookies.

Every year we dedicate a solid day to cookie making. My mother-in-law and sister-in-law come over and we watch Christmas movies and bake all day. This year I’m excited to include these German cookies in our lineup!

Eat2explore has a ton of neat boxes for countries all over the world. Check them all out here.

Christmas Books

I love to add new Christmas books to our library every year. This year I’m adding these books.

Merry Christmas, Spot

Spot has always been a favorite for my toddlers and preschoolers. This book has lift-the-flap pages. Your little one will try to guess which present is under each flap, based on the shape of the wrapped gift.

Because it’s a board book and the flaps are actually made of the same sturdy material, it should last through many readings!

It’s a really fun read that my young boys have really enjoyed! Buy it HERE.

The Little Engine That Could Save Christmas

The Little Engine That Could is so excited to celebrate Christmas with all her friends! But on the night of Christmas Eve, one of Santa’s elves pays a visit to Little Engine asking for her help. Santa Claus got a case of the Frosty Frittens, and he needs The Little Engine to deliver all the presents before Christmas morning!

Can The Little Engine deliver all the presents on time? We think she can! This story includes a pop-up Christmas tree!

My little train-loving boys have really been enjoying this book! Buy it HERE.

I am the Grinch Board Book

Gideon has loved the Grinch for YEARS. It’s always one of his top Christmas movies, so I knew I had to grab this new Grinch-themed board book for our family.

Join the Grinch in this simple, sturdy board book as he shares some of the silly things he DOESN’T like—including games, showers, flowers, and canned Who-Hash—before revealing the ONE thing he likes very much: spending time with a friend and growing his heart! Written in rhymed verse, it’s the perfect choice for babies and toddlers. Now everyone in the family can get to know (and love) the Grinch!

You can buy this book HERE.

There’s a Little Snowman in Your Book: A Push, Pull, and Slide Book (Who’s In Your Book?)

I couldn’t say no to this adorable snowman book, especially since I love snow globes!

Monster and Elf have built a little snowman in YOUR book! Tap, slide, and jiggle the pages to see him come to life in this interactive board book from the creator of There’s a Monster in Your Book.

My two youngest boys (ages 2 and 4) love this fun book!

You can purchase it here.