I've been working on my annual Christmas baggies for the families at church. I'm really getting into the Christmas spirit. So, I've been thinking about traditions and what kinds of things I want my kids to learn during this time.
I've been reading some blogs for inspiration and prodding. One blogger suggested that you pick the top 5 things that you want to do this Christmas and let the rest go.
At Mommy Life, Barbara Curtis' website, I found this. It's a quote from Blest with Sons.
This really struck a chord with me -
"The beauty of tradition is the continuity it gives to life. Like chain-links, traditions connect generation to generation in warmth and familiarity. There are the traditions we share with almost everyone: Christmas trees, presents, the Carols, the Grinch. There are the traditions that are unique to our own families: little jokes, or favorite family stories, or certain must-cook recipes. . . . Perhaps my children will invent traditions of their own that we can embrace (or at least laugh about). . . .
The beauty of tradition is that it’s a chain, not of bondage, but of connection. . . . .
Sometimes we forget that, and become slaves to the chains we have made. How many people do you know who do things at Christmas that they don’t want to do, even say they hate to do, because “that’s the way it’s always been done”? If a tradition is making your Christmas less merry, I humbly suggest that it’s time for a change. . . . Our children should remember the magic of Christmas, not the melt-downs of Mommy. Peace on Earth and Good Will toward men start in the kitchen. The beauty of traditions is not only that they stay the same, but also that they can change."
So, over the past few years we've been trying to define our family traditions while being true to our FAMILY traditions. We're still working on it, but suffice it to say that we are trying to do some special things with just the four of us.
What are your top five traditions?
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4 comments:
1. Christmas pjs for the kids on Christmas Eve.
2. Christmas tree the day afer Thanksgiving as a family and decorate it Friday evening while listening to Christmas music... we talk about each ornament and when/where we got it.
3. Family ornament for the tree each year, personalized.
4. Each child picks their own ornament and we personalize with year and name. (these will be given to each child when they get married to start their own tree)
5. Scrapbooking all the pictures we get from family friends and having those books out for all to see. We are able to reconnect with everyone. Also, we do a yearly letter and pictures as our christmas letter.
See, serious traditions, Suzanne. Have a marvelous season!
We've been trying to combine our traditions and haven't quite figured out which we're keeping for "our" family...
I think this has definitely become more important since we've had kids. Until they came along we just did whatever the traditions were at the home where we were visiting.
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