My friend, Jenna, has started a discussion on Christmas Traditions and Santa Claus. Most of the discussion so far has centered around to do or not to do Santa Claus. She asked us to share our traditions - but since my response about Santa was so long, and I wanted to ask some of you what traditions you have in your homes to keep Christmas Christ - centered - I decided to do my own post on it.
Traditions in our household include:
The lighting of the Advent Candle Wreath.
Unwrapping a "present" which is a book related to Christmas every night preceding Christmas. We read the story to the kids and will talk about the book as much as they want. Some of the books are the story of Christ birth, some are legends about Santa Claus, some tell the truth about Santa, and some are just about how different families celebrate Christmas.
We give each kid three gifts to represent the gifts the three wise men brought Jesus.
Reading of the Christmas story before opening any presents.
This year we are going to try something new. We have been working on memorizing passages of scripture as a family. I have been meaning to post on this subject for several months. But starting after Thanksgiving, we will start reading the Christmas story from the Bible every night at dinner. My hopes are that Clay, Micah, and I will memorize most of it by Christmas and that Gabriella will be familiar with it. I will have to share the key that I have found to getting Micah (and me) to memorize scripture with y'all soon.
I also started this last year: I either have everything cooked by Christmas Eve or we eat a pop in the oven pizza for lunch on Christmas Day. I know it sounds silly - and even makes me sound lazy. But if I don't do this - I will spend the whole day stressing on making a big production on a meal. I then miss out on sitting still and giving thanks for the wonder of the birth of Christ and reflecting on Him. Secondly, I miss out on creating special family time with the family. It is kinda like making time stop - by not having to deal with all the normal duties - and savoring the day of Christmas.
Traditions we wish to start this year or as the kids get older.
A night of Christmas Caroling with good friends and hot chocolate.
The telling of the Christmas story on the felt board. I really need to get busy making all those pieces because I want to start this year.
Making a soft bed for baby Jesus (I have been wanting to do this with my kids for over 10 years - when I first read about someone else doing this with their family.). You set up an empty manger somewhere in the house for baby Jesus. You tell the kids that baby Jesus will need a soft place to lay when He comes on Christmas Eve. Then you all draw names of those in your family. Everyone has to secretly do kind things for that person for a week - or how ever long you decide, before you draw different names. But for every kind deed done, the person who does the deed gets to put a single piece of straw in the manager. The hope is that by Christmas it will be filled with hay for the baby that you will lay in the manager on Christmas Eve night.
The reenactment of the Christmas story - complete with makeshift costumes and stuffed animals.
What are your family traditions?
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5 comments:
Great post. I like the wrapping of Christmas books - where did we hear of that idea?
I also like the manger idea... we'll have to get the boys working on constructing one of those. I'll hold my breath until that happens.
oh, and this year especially I have been wanting to take the kids Christmas caroling to nursing homes and maybe to the hospitals, depending on time and schedules. I know how much older people love to see babies/kids.
Last year we went and rang tone chimes (with my parents & sisters). I'm all for singing too.
I LOVE the idea of giving your children three presents a piece. For one- to have the symbolism of the gifts given to our savior- but also so that we are not tempted to just go nuts- and spoil our children and draw their attention away from Christ. Thats really encouraging. Thank you so much for sharing that.
Yeah, we have not and do not plan on bringing Santa in on the holiday- I could write for a year on the reasons why. LOL! So far we don't really have any holiday traditions. This will be the first year that we are not rushing out the door to different family homes. So I am really excited to start spending the holidays the way that we would like to...and have our own family traditions! :)
I think that is great that you are still teaching the girls about Santa Clause (as a fun, fictional person based on a real person, but not someone who actually comes down your chimney). I remember asking my parents if Santa was real when I was very young, four or five, and my parents didn't lie to me. They told me "no" . I really appreciated their honesty with me, even as a child, I felt like their word could be trusted. That is so important to establish with your children! I hope you have a blessed Thanksgiving and Christmas with your sweet family.
Jenna,
I heard someone in our ABF class talking about doing the books a few years back. I think I shared it with the MOPS group last year that we were starting that. The boys have a little time to construct a manger. The earliest we should need them is next year. I've thought about Christmas caroling in the nursing homes. Did you take Colby last year? If so, how did he do with that?
Sarah, you will love spending that time at home and not running from extend family members houses all day. We even draw out the present time by each of us opening one present every hour. Then we go play with the kids playing with their new present. It helps us treasure the time more.
Lauren, I agree things might be different with us on the whole Santa issue had my questions been answered more loving and truthful. But I really think every kid will handle that different and that the best bet on knowing if its okay to do within a family or not is through prayer because only God knows how our kids will take things. My siblings do not have the same feelings as I do. But I have always been one who sees things more black and white too - and that is just my personality. I see that in Micah and I think that she could really struggle when she got older if we choose to do the whole Satan coming to our house thing.
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