I have been doing 1 thing every day with the kids for Christmas. We went to look at Christmas lights tonight, a few days ago we took some things to our local pregnancy center after we talked about baby Jesus, tomorrow we are making Christmas candy and cookies. I hope we are making memories that my kids will always remember. More than that, I hope they will always remember what Christmas is really about - Jesus choosing to leave Heaven, and come to earth. Leaving everything good, to be born into nothing. All so He could grow up and one day die on the cross to save us from sin.
I didn't decorate much at all this year. The reason is that I just haven't felt like it. I have a lot going on, and just can't get into the mood to decorate. But... I think I am ok with that. We are doing things together every day. A few of the activities are traditional, like tonight - looking at Christmas lights. Most of the activities I have tried to focus on teaching them the true meaning of Christmas, and also to teach them to love others like Christ loved us, and we are working on learning the lesson of giving instead of always receiving :)
I love Christmas, and I always like to hear what traditions other people have or maybe special Christmas memories from when you were little. So if you want to, please share that with me. I want new ideas to share with my family. And I think it is nice to hear how God has blessed other people too.
Some of my favorite Christmas memories are: My mom's candy cane shaped almond cookies. Christmas Eve at my gradmother's house. Being wrapped up in a warm blanket and carried quickly from the car to the house because it was so cold. All of my family together in one place. Waking up to find toys set up all in the living room. My dad playing with us and our new toys. And lots more...
3 comments:
I have so many good memories of Christmas when I was younger. One of the things I really liked for some reason is my parents would bring us one by one into their room on Chr Eve and let us pick which present we were going to give each other. My mom had a big box of bows that we got to pick out too...it was fun to wait your turn then have this secret you couldn't tell the others (though I often did) One of the traditions we have now as a family that I really like was inspired by my mother in law. Every year I get the girls a new ornament and try to make it have some kind of meaning. On Christmas Eve I let them open theirs and hang it on the tree. Since we got married, my mother in law has given us an ornament and I look forward to it every year. She is always really thoughtful in what she chooses and it always has something to do with what happened that year. We have a wedding one, a house one for our first house and this year we have a house again with our new address on it. So now when we look at the tree it's like a memory tree and we always start talking about the ornaments and what happened that year. Another thing we like to do is make a gingerbread house...we've done that every year I think since having kids except the first Christmas. Something I am going to do this year is make a cookie tree using a kit I bought (a Wilton kit) years ago that I came across when we unpacked
I like the idea of the ornaments too! I may have to start that this year. We have a tree that I put ornaments the kids have made in the years past, and some of them have pictures of the kids. That is neat - to see the kids as they have grown up over the years. But I would like to start adding the ornaments too.
Ditto on the memory ornaments-- Anthony almost dreads decorating the tree with me because every one has a story that must be told. Even this year as young as Ella is, I told her the stories. Well, as many as can be told with a tree only decorated 1/3 of the way down! LOL I am NOT a glutton for punishment-- visions of saying "not for Ella" 14,000 times a day did NOT appeal.
We always watched a movie together as a family on Christmas Eve-- like A Christmas Carol or It's a Wonderful Life. We still do that. :)
Mom and Dad always took us to church for The Lord's Supper and candlelight prayer. Is there anything more beautiful than a church on Christmas Eve?
We always went on a Christmas tree hunt and it never mattered how ugly the tree was. :)
When decorating the house, we ALWAYS started with the Nativity scene. I still do that. :)
I love to see that I am already repeating my childhood traditions with Ella. It broke Dad's heart last year to not have all of us at his house on Christmas morning (they were all here and will be again this year). I told him that he had done his job too well and made this season so important and special to us that we were doing the same for our children. :)
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