Christmas traditions are an important way to build a legacy, history and unity
within your family. Years later your children will treasure these memories and
pass them down to their children. These traditions are a great way to honor
Christ and celebrate Him at this time of his birth.
In Last Ounce of Courage, Thomas reminiscences about his Mom’s Christmas
brownies and famous hot chocolate with marshmallows on top. They were obviously
an important part of the Revere’s Christmas traditions. Thomas also looks
forward to the crazy idea his Dad had about building a life-size Nativity scene
for their front yard.
What will your children remember about your Christmas traditions? How do you
remember and celebrate Christ during this season? Any changes you would like to
make? Long after your children have forgotten those Christmas presents it took
so many hours to buy and wrap, they will remember the things you did together at
Christmas.
While everyone celebrates Christmas differently, following are some ideas of
Christmas traditions. We’d love to hear how you celebrate Christmas as well in
your family.
Have a birthday party for Jesus.
Go Christmas caroling in the neighborhood.
Sing Christmas carols at the nursing home.
Invite an exchange student to share Christmas.
Adopt a family for Christmas.
Participate in the angel tree or Christmas shoe box or in other giving
opportunities.
Load the family into the car and look at Christmas lights.
WWe’ve even rented a shuttle bus and taken the neighborhood to look at Christmas
lights.
Participate in a Christmas Eve service.
Make Christmas cookies for friends. We always make the same recipes each year
and have a blast delivering them around to our friends.
Send Christmas cards.
Pray for the families that send you Christmas cards.
Watch the Nutcracker or a Christmas play.
Make Christmas ornaments. Put the date and name on each one so you can remember
who made each one. You can even make extras so that when your children leave
home, they can take the same ornaments with them for their tree.
Go to the lighting of your city’s Christmas tree or have a Christmas tree
decorating party at your house.
Take Christmas presents or goodies to nursery workers at your church or others
that give so much.
Visit family and let cousins play together – hide and seek in the dark, scooter
rides, whatever brings them closer together.
Put on your PJs, grab some hot chocolate and watch a Christmas movie.
For the more unusual traditions, we have a drawing each year where you draw
envelopes and get to keep whatever money is inside. Similarly the children pull
strings from a washing machine and get to keep the toy that is attached.
Host an ornament exchange for your neighborhood or the moms in your children’s
school. One year we even did this at a local restaurant for breakfast and went
there as soon as we dropped the children off at school.
Take care of someone’s children so they can go Christmas shopping alone.
Take a day off work and shop with your spouse for your childrens’ presents.
Have a Christmas party. We’ve had many that included games such as decorating
children as Christmas trees, looking for Santa’s lost reindeer by following
clues around the neighborhood and white elephant gift exchanges.
Read the Christmas story.
Make some of the same dishes each year. We always have a punch that is made with
white grape juice and ginger ale that my children associate with the family
Christmas party. Christmas morning we always have a casserole made with sausage,
egg and cheese.
Take some time during this busy season to reflect on Christ and to spend time
with your family.
|
Please share your holiday
traditions with us. Form to fill in with just first name and state and place to
write traditions. Then we would want to be able to add some of these to the
list.
|