This Christmas season when I was getting out the decorations, I found my Christmas Journal. Several years ago, I started a Christmas journal. I am not even sure where I got it... a gift I think. Anyway, I put it away every year with my decorations. This year, as I got it out, I thought..."I want to sit down amidst all these decorations and read this to the boys."... So we all sat down and they let me read it to them. I know this won't last and probably not even till next year. So I thoroughly enjoyed reading and sharing my personal Christmas thoughts with the boys! Actually, I would love to make it a new tradition.
So there we sat, sitting there in a little circle and I started reading. They sat there so quietly, only a question or 2. Most of my journal is trip prep, family interactions, the times we started new traditions, and what we received as gifts... I also have been known to a tiny bit Scrooge-like. So there are bits of what I feel like God has done in my heart over the Christmas season(s)... They endured all of that and seemed somewhat pleased with it.
I noticed that I ended up skipping several years in my journal. I guess I got busy (or Scrooge or Grinch-like) and just didn't do it. But I really want to keep it up...for myself and the boys, O and Tim if he wants ;)
Here's a list of a couple of our favorite newish traditions--we don't have that many, and not all that original as I truly used to 'just get by' at Christmastime. I love the true meaning of Christmas, just not all the trappings.
...I would LOVE have you comment on what yours traditions are, since I could use the ideas
-We fill stockings every year
-We get out the Christmas plates and table decor
(this is big for us, cuz we basically use paper plates)
-We read out of the Christmas journal (new one :)
-Tim usually buys me slippers
-We put up a nativity scene
(in years past this was instead of a tree, one day we hope to add the tree back in)
-the boys always help me decorate
-we have shrimp and snacks on the night before Christmas with Tim's parents
-God usually teaches me something new about the Season and it's Reason :)
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5 comments:
I really like your idea of a Christmas journal. Michael and I don't really have any traditions at this point, since we travel and are with different families on Christmas proper. Until this year, we put up the Christmas tree and nativity the day after Thanksgiving. As far as Christmas with my parents, everyone gets a book from my mom, and and my dad gets all the guys (Michael, my brother, my brother-in-law) a power tool each year. When the kids were all at home, we did everything on Christmas Eve, but that's changed.
We have scrooge tendencies as well, but I think we're getting a little better about that. :-)
I LOVE Christmas and Christmas traditions. :) Let's see...this is just Andrew and my 2nd Christmas as a married couple, and it is kind of hard to establish traditions when you are traveling at Christmas every year. The past 3 years, though, we have made a trip to Omaha (city in NE about an hour from Lincoln) just the two of us around Christmas, to eat dinner, walk around the historic downtown area, exchange gifts, etc. I don't think we're going to get around to it this year, however.
My family has several traditions. We always go to the Christmas Eve evening service at church, come home and eat dinner (usually my mom's lasagna), open presents, and watch It's A Wonderful Life (I am pretty sure I've seen it close to 20 times now). My dad's family (siblings, mom, etc.) come over on Christmas Day and we do presents, play games, watch movies, etc. My mom gives all of us kids an ornament each year, as does one of my aunts. We usually put up the tree sometime after Thanksgiving. This year I am instituting the first annual Christmas breakfast with my family - donuts, fruit salad, eggs, bacon, coffee, hot chocolate - yum.
kt, that is hard with the traveling to establish traditions...every year is different, etc...that has been one of our issues
Bethany, i forgot you were starting that new traditon...let me hear how it goes
Tim's fam always make monkey bread Christmas morning and so we are doing that, too. (Yum! They're even good warmed up later on. ;) )
We get our tree after Nathan's birthday (the 4th).
Growing up, we'd go to the candlelight service and then drive around looking at Christmas lights. (We're doing this tonight since we're visiting my Dad. :) ) Then we'd go home and open the gifts sent to us by far off relatives. :D
You know how we are when it comes to Christmas . . . "whoo hoo!".
My Mom normally reads the story of Lottie Moon to us from the beginning of December to (or around)niht, but we didn't do it this year. My mom did decide we were all going to be elves and deliver fudge to people (mainly neighbors). I dreaded it all day, but ended up not minding it so much . . .
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