We are ready for December!

Advent and Christmas at our house is a true mix of traditions from 2 countries.
I have fully embraced the American style of Christmas lights and tons of decorations, the Christmas tree that's up for all of December, candy canes and hot cider.
I love to relive my childhood memories of St. Nikolaus (whom we celebrate on December 6), baking the traditional Swiss Christmas cookies, and we LOVE our countdown to Christmas calendars. Well, I should say, the kids really like them, and I love doing it for them.
Several years ago I had this picture in my head on how I wanted them to look like. So I sketched one for Mike's Grandpa, who built me the tree-looking stands for the three older kids. I sewed the little bags that hold a little surprise for every day in December, up to Christmas. Well, Elia was born, and my parents came to visit. My Dad made the stand for Elia, and my Mom made the little bags. Now we added Nina to the clan, and Mike's Dad and Nico made the stand this time around, while Big-Anja sewed the bags. There is such a mix of people who love our kids, and their Advent Calendars are a beautiful reflection of that. Mike's Grandpa is no longer with us, but every Advent Season he is here in a special way, and the same goes for my parents who live thousands of miles, and continents away.
The kids were so excited this morning to open their first surprise, and Nina caught on VERY quickly :-))) (AND got into a huge fight with Nico when he prevented her from opening a second sack right away)