This post is sponsored by Academy Sports + Outdoors. All opinions are my own.

It’s very easy during the holidays to get caught up in our to-do lists, to spend our time at festivities and parties, and to busy ourselves with social engagements and shopping for gifts.  ‘Tis the season to do all the things and it is easiest of all to forget that one of the most important things we could be doing is spending time with our family and focusing on family traditions.  I want to be sure that I really focus on building family traditions now that we have Emma in our lives and being sure to prioritize connecting with my family over the things we enjoy  and that make us happy.

Craig and I have a few things we’ve always loved to do together, so it will be fun to introduce Emma to those things and have her with us to make them even sweeter.  For us, some of our favorite traditions around the holidays are decorating the house and putting up the Christmas lights, relaxing around the fire pit under blankets with hot cocoa, and of course cheering for the Panthers on game day!  Academy Sports + Outdoors is a one stop shop to enhance all of our favorite activities and allows us to spend more time together enjoying one another.  Academy has all the gear and apparel we need as well as all the gifts we want to give.

Our Family Traditions

Putting Up Christmas Decorations

Putting up Christmas decorations both inside the house and outside is something we do to kick off the Christmas season every year.  Craig and I love to put white lights all over the place and seeing Emma’s little face light up when she sees them is the best thing ever.  It’s so special!   I have been wearing this fleece so much and it kept me warm while stringing up the lights.  It’s super cozy and I love the fit.  Make yourself a mental note…it would make a GREAT gift!!  Craig’s plaid jacket is a new favorite of his and he loves that it has a hood.  Again, this would make a great gift idea for any men in your life!

Our front porch decor is usually predominantly black and white, but these red buffalo plaid fleece blankets added a perfect amount of festive red.  I think it makes the porch and our rocking chairs even more inviting!

my fleece jacket // my sneakers // Craig’s plaid jacket // red plaid blankets

Hot Cocoa Around the Fire Pit

Nothing says cozy like hot cocoa around the fire pit, especially after a day of putting up Christmas decorations!  We like to use these tumblers to keep our cocoa hot even when the air outside is cold.  We keep ourselves warm by snuggling under these festive blankets next to our fire pit!!  The fire pit is such an integral fixture in our winter days.  We love it so much and enjoy so many laughs and making memories around it.  Maverick loves it too!  We especially love the quality of this one for the price…which is what we have come to expect from Academy products.  We love it.

fire pit // tumblers // my fleece // my leggings // my boots

Cheering for the Panthers

Craig and I have been Panthers fans for a long time since both of us are born and raised in North Carolina, but living in Charlotte took our fandom to the next level!  We always try to make it to games in person, but it’s a little harder with a baby these days!  We look forward to taking her eventually but even if we don’t go in person, we are always decked out in our Panthers gear from Academy.  Emma rotates these team outfits each week!

I have been wanting a Panthers jersey for a long time now and finally pulled the trigger on this Christian McCaffrey jersey from Academy.  This would be an amazing gift that any Panthers fan would love!!  If you cheer for another team, no worries (I won’t hold it against you) because Academy has the NFL fan shop here so you can deck yourself out in your favorite team gear.

Craig’s beanie // Christian McCaffrey jersey // Emma’s onesies // Craig’s shirt // My beanie (similar)

What are some of your favorite holiday traditions?  Remember you can find all the gear you need to enhance those traditions as well as great gift ideas at Academy.

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xo,

Bess