My mom and dad did a great job surrounding us kids with traditions that made life one big happy memory. Christmas memories are a treasure to me because of all the times decorating the tree together and those special candle-lit pizza dinners on Christmas Eve. And this year when I carved a jack-o-lantern "with" Luke, it reminded me of all five of us kids lined up at the kitchen counter carving pumpkins. (I specifically remember one year when we were also watching "Rescue 911" - Daniel and Janelle will appreciate that.)
Although Luke is only 16 months old right now, Chris and I are thinking about what traditions we can start this Thanksgiving and Christmas. I want traditions that are Christ-centered and some that really create special memories. So, leave a comment and let me know what traditions you enjoyed as a kid, or a tradition you know of.
For those of you who don't comment because you don't have a Blogger username (ie. my family!!!), give it a whirl. You don't have to actually start your own blog. You just have to create a username and password. Be brave. You can do it.
7 comments:
Katie,
On Christmas Eve, we always had a service at church. After that, we would then drive around town for a little while playing a game we kids called "CHRISTMAS LIGHTS!" (i wrote that in CAPS b/c the point of the game was to see who could see the house with Christmas lights first and then squeal out "christmas lights, christmas lights!" What can I say! We were easy to please!!
We would eventually arrive at home and my mom would turn off all of the lights in the house and light candles everywhere. We would read through the Story of Jesus' birth and then we would sing together as a family. It is a really sweet memory of mine. Then, we would open our stockings, kiss my mom good night and then race upstairs to bed - (the faster we slept - the quicker 5 am came to open presents!!). So, that's what we did when I was growing up. Hope you get more posts! These are fun to read! We have dinner with Chris tonight! We are looking forward to it!
Katie,
I've been hesitating to comment because I don't have any Christian traditions to contribute. Our family has always celebrate holidays with special food, lots of presents, and packer games. I do think there is something memorable though about always having a special food treat for a specific holiday. Matt's mom used to make homeade pumpkin empanadas around Thanksgiving (a tradition I'm continuing although it involved much labor in the kitchen). When waking up on Christmas Day, my mom always made monkey bread. We weren't allowed to start opening gifts until my mom's coffee was made. :) Also, have you ever celebrated St. Nick's Eve? I think it's just a Wisconsin thing . . . the morning of December 6th we awoke to stockings full of little gifts. Sort of a teaser for Christmas I guess. Let me know what you all decide to initiate for traditions . . . we'll be trying to start our own next year too.
Love ya,
Alicia
Katie,
I don't know if you remember me, but we were at NBBC around the same time. I came across your blog w/ the Alumni letter awhile ago & check out your blog every once in awhile. Anyways, one of my favorite traditions for Christmas was when my parents took our stockings (stuffed with little trinkets & candy) and hid them on Christmas Eve. On Christmas morning, after reading the Christmas story together on my parents bed in our pajamas, we would hunt for our own stocking. Even my parents hid each other's stockings. I loved that & now even Geoff & I hide each other's stockings.
I know what you mean about starting traditions. We're just trying to meld both of our families' traditions into our own style. :) Pamela (Lewis) Smith
Thank you Shyla, Al and Pam for your comments! (I'm still waiting for some family members to give their two cents - ahem.)
Shyla - I love your Christmas Lights game! It's something I would love to do, as an adult. :) Our church never had a Christmas Eve service, so - maybe unfortunately - it makes me just want to stay at home and be with family. But, a Christ-centered worship time at church would be wonderful. Who knows, maybe that will become one of our family's traditions in the future.
Alicia - Don't fret! I ALSO wanted "just for fun" traditions. I think there is something priceless about traditions that just help to create an amazing memory. And, what is St. Nick's Eve? I'm proudly from WI, but I guess that one never made it far enough North. :)
Pam - Of course I remember you Pam Lewis!! :) Weren't you Christina Tally's roommate? Anyways, I'm looking forward to looking at your blog. I just glanced at it. My mom always filled our stockings late Christmas Eve night (one year she forgot and made us get back in bed in the mornig so she could fill them!), but she didn't hide them - they just hang on the mantle. Thanks for the idea!
Jared,
I think that's one of the best traditions. My mom kind of did the same for us. The great thing is, when you grow up and leave home and have your own Christmas tree, you'll have a whole box of ornaments. I'm trying to do the same for Luke - especially making the ornament relevant to something about him that year (ie: ninja turtles). This year, I'm going to try to find a ornament that says Louisville or something, since this is probably the last Christmas we'll live in Louisville.
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