What Christmas Means to Me and a Balsam Hill Giveaway

This post is sponsored by Balsam Hill. All words and ideas are my own.

What Christmas Means to Me and a Balsam Hill Giveaway

Christmas is… a joyful time of the year to savor family tradtions.

Growing up, I always thought that along with being a celebration of the birth of Christ– Christmas was also “my time” to celebrate. I was supposed to be born on Christmas– as a matter of fact, my parents named me “Mary Christmas.” My first name, Malia,  is the Hawaiian translation of Mary, and my middle name is Noelle. Each time someone said “Merry Christmas” I KNEW it was meant for me!

Every day leading to my birthday felt special. But it was the traditions of the season that were most important to me.

We had many holiday traditions growing up. One was that we’d always have roast beef with mint jelly for dinner on Christmas. Another was that we’d each open one present on Christmas Eve. But my all-time favorite tradition is that we had an advent calendar, and my little brother and I would take turns opening a new door each day and finding a treat!

Sadly, that family advent calendar was lost when my parents sold my childhood home and moved.  But this year, I received a gorgeous new advent calendar from Balsam Hill that’s sure to become a family treasure.

This Nativity Advent Calendar has rich vibrant colors and lovely figures to show the story of Jesus’s birth. You can see the angels above the manger, the wise men, the manger and animals and of course Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus.

Behind each door is spot to put a treat… or two… or more! This beautiful calendar will be cherished by my family for generations to come. Balsam Hill wants to make your Christmas special too. That’s why they are giving away twenty five $100 gift cards!

Balsam Hill Countdown to Christmas Giveaway

Be sure to enter the Balsam Hill Countdown to Christmas Giveaway! You have a chance to win a $100 gift card and the odds are great– there will be 25 winners chosen.

Good Luck!

Countdown to Christmas

You won’t want to miss all the fabulous bloggers participating in Balsam Hill’s Countdown to Christmas event.

 December 19th: Cottage at the Crossroads

December 21st: Knick of Time

You can find a complete list of all the bloggers here.

What’s your favorite Christmas tradition? Let me know in the comments.