For as long as I can remember, Christmas has been my favorite holiday. I love the decorations, the lights, the happy smiles, the greeting cards, the last minute shopping, and most importantly the celebration of Christ’s birth. Even as a little girl I found myself caught up in the beauty and magic that is this holiday season. Over the years, those feelings have not diminished. If anything, they flourish – especially now that we can share the Christmas magic with our little fellows.
These past few weeks I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about ways that we can make the Christmas holiday special for our boys. For me, this has a lot to do with traditions (both old and new). Here are some traditions that we have at our house:
The Christmas Tree – We decorate ours the weekend after Thanksgiving. We use colored lights and ornaments from years gone by (both hand-made and store-bought). There is no real theme, and nothing “matches”. Hubby and I both had amassed large amounts of ornaments before we met, and we’ve continued to collect them – so every year we put a different assortment on the branches of our tree. We top it with a beautiful angel, which of course reminds us of the message given to the shepherds so long ago...
The Greeting Cards – I love, LOVE Christmas cards. I love sending them. I love receiving them. I love hanging them around our living room on strings that I attach to the corners each Christmas. I love reading the corny letters (and writing them as well). I love seeing all the wonderful family pictures, and catching up with friends and family I don’t usually see. The cards represent fellowship to me. They are a real reminder of those we love, both near and far. Now that we live in the age of Facebook, some might think the Christmas card is outdated. I would disagree...
The Stockings – Hung by the fireplace with care (and a lot of heavy duty twine or else our stocking holders topple off the fireplace mantle), the stockings are filled with little bits of this and that. Smallish gifts, candy canes, little books etc. Each item reminds us that we should be thankful for all of our blessings – even the little ones…
The Magic – I love reading “Yes Virginia, There is a Santa Claus” every year. I think it perfectly captures the magic of the season. I love turning out all the lights (except for those on the tree) and sit on our sofa, snugly wrapped in a warm quilt – hot tea in hand. I stare at the twinkling lights and imagine the Shepherds in the field and how they must have felt when the sky lit with a host of singing Angels…
The Presents – I love receiving presents as much as the next person, but nothing matches the way it feels to give a gift that comes from the heart. Whether I spent hours searching the internet for the perfect gift on-line, or if I had an idea I could make myself – the result is always the same. Any time I can give a gift that I think the recipient will love, my heart does a little dance…
The Story – When I was growing up, before even one present could be opened – one of my parents would read aloud the Nativity Story (via Luke 2). The story of Christ’s birth reminds us why we are exchanging gifts to begin with. It offers us a time to reflect on all the blessings we have in our lives and gives us an opportunity to pause before bows and bags and wrapping paper start to fly…
The Memories – Every ornament on our tree reminds me of a person or a time which I hold dear. Every holiday I spend with my family is a time when we can compare stories from holidays long past, and remember the loved ones who once celebrated with us….
I hope that we are able to convey the importance of each of these things to our boys. I want them to cherish this time of year as much as I do, and pass to their own children that same love of this season, when we celebrate the birth of our Savior.
Merry Christmas to you and yours!!!
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