Christmas Traditions
When I think of the Christmas season, what instantly floods my mind are all of the traditions we’ve established through the years. I am so thankful to have replaced what used to be an empty space with the beauty of memories shared with my own family through the years. As a child who grew up in a difficult family situation that lacked a lot of tradition and childhood magic, I knew that creating those memories through tradition would be very important to me when I had children of my own. Traditions are what we remember most. Traditional smells, sights, places all trigger warm thoughts (and sometimes sad) because we associate them with something or someone we love. Family traditions and Family culture are a portion of what defines a family. The culture (the way your family does things) anchors adult children to come home for Christmas year after year for just a portion of what they know and expect to be a part of for the special season. It’s those special things that one day our kids will carry into their future families as they become Moms and Dads.
Traditions don’t have to be grandiose, but they do have to be meaningful to your family in some way. They can be small gestures, family outings, or certain foods served at the Christmas meal table. Tradition shouldn’t be a burden; making those memories each year should be a joy-filled experience. If you feel burdened by the number of traditions you’re trying to maintain in your family, ask yourself what is really important. Then, focus your family's time and energy on those things.
Some Christmas season traditions we have enjoyed in our family for years are:
Decorating our home together as a family
Following the something you want, wear, need, read, make, gift giving system.
Listening to Christmas music from Nov.1 on
Making Christmas cookie baskets for our neighbors
Driving through our local Christmas light show in our pjs with treats
Making our traditional white chocolate peppermint popcorn in extreme quantities and gifting it
Having a nice homemade
Christmas dinner at our home, just our family unit.
We visit with extended family at different points.
Wrapping each of our kids' gifts in one kind of wrapping paper and not revealing that to them until Christmas morning
Cinnamon rolls for breakfast every Christmas morning
Candlelight Christmas Eve service.
Reading some type of advent study every year as we approach
Christmas Day to prepare our hearts for celebrating our Savior's birth
Packing and sending shoe boxes through Operation Christmas Child
Serving our local community in some way, there are so many wonderful ways to give at Christmas time, especially
Our kids serving through singing or acting in the church Christmas choir or children’s Christmas play
Reading through an entire basket of Christmas books we’ve collected through the years. Yes, teens still enjoy picture books from their little years
Watching Christmas movies every family movie night leading up to
Christmas from October on
Secret sibling gift exchange
Christmas time is the most wonderful time of year because we celebrate the birth of our Savior. We celebrate him coming to this Earth in the form of a baby. We celebrate the miracle that this is. May we never lose the awe and wonder that this season stirs up. And may you enjoy the traditions you’ve built or new ones you’re adding into your rotation. Family Traditions experienced together may be one of the greatest gifts of this miraculous season after all. He gives us a reason to feel joy. He is worthy of our celebration. He has given us the very ability it requires to experience pleasure through meaningful moments or delicious tasting meals. I know our heavenly father rejoices as he sees us gather with our loved ones, serve those in need in his name, and just treasure those sweet babies we’ve been gifted.
Thank you, God, for the gift that is our family. Thank you for the ability to feel and experience joy and tradition. Thank you that our celebration isn't void of true depth and significance. Thank you, that new traditions can be made at any moment.Thank you for the gift that is family.
This post was created based on an article I wrote for the Learning Well Journals.
