So, {for the sake of doing a seasonal post when I'm not feeling extraordinarily creative when it comes to blogging lately} I'm wondering what your favorite Christmas season tradition is?
Cutting down your tree? A cookie exchange? The Christmas Eve service? Maybe carolling? Is it a tradition from your childhood or your spouse's that you've decided to carry on? Is it one that you and your spouse have started for your family?
I think I've mentioned before that my favorite tradition has become our Christmas Story Advent Calendar. Ethan and Karis love this one, too, and Natalie is growing to enjoy it. Niether Mark or I really did the "Advent thing" growing up, so this is one that we've started for our family. Granted, there are some nights that we forget and have to do two {or even three!} the next day, but I so look forward to hearing the kids take turns reading the verses {minus the times they fight over who's turn it is}. I like that this spreads the Christmas story out over the course of the month because the Christmas story didn't all happen on Christmas Eve...it was centuries in the making. I pray that in the coming years our children will grow to understand {and that I will renew my understanding again and again} that what Christmas gave us isn't a one day a year thing...that Christ came for everyday that we live and breath...and for our eternity.
Well, I'm kind of hoping I'm not just talking to myself with this post...that my "peeps" will humor me and comment...and that you lurkers might come out of the shadows on this one :O).
5 comments:
The tree hunt is my favorite. I don't know why, but it beats out the cookie baking, the photo taking, the story reading, the hot cocoa-in-front-of-the-fire for me. I love freezing my heiny off in a field of trees while we try to make a decision about which one will be the best to decorate. It's one of the things that we did before kids and is all our own as far as traditions between the families go. Every year, something happens that makes Matt wish we had a fake tree, but I don't care. I love the whole thing!
I love the Christmas Eve "routine" that Daddy and I still have even though there are no more "babies" in the house. The burning of the bayberry candle in the east window of the house starting at dusk...handed down from Grandma Biebel...attending the church service and returning home for our buffet...a fire...the reading of the scriptures...and when everyone is in bed...your father and I still use that time to wrap gifts...we keep the fire burning through the night and have Christmas music playing quieting all night long - so as to fill the house with rejoicing...love, Mom.
My favorite is designing our Christmas card each year. It's a way for me to really focus on what we want to share with those in our lives...family and friends, and to give a graphic representation of the incarnation. This years was especially moving for me to design.
I love decorating and making the house beautiful! I love the reminder that this season is special, and of course, we focus on what makes it special - the amazing gift of God's Son!
Laura, I grew up getting a real tree, even cutting it down a few times, and we've gotten real ones for the past five years. This year we cut it down for the first time...mostly since it happened to be a rare 50 degree day in December. I loved it, too! Mom, that's of course, my favorite one growing up...one I've tried to create our own version of here. Danielle, I look forward to seeing your (I'm sure) beautiful card at Mom's when we visit. Karen, I do love how "special" all the decorations make things feel, too!
Post a Comment