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Christmas Traditions
Posted on Nov. 3, 2006 at 11:29 AM
in Holidays and Celebrations
Our Christmas Traditions
~ Each year a few days after Thanksgiving we start our Christmas devotions. We choose a new candle each year and burn it each night. My husband reads a small portion of Scripture each night slowly reading our way through the Christmas stories in both Luke and Matthew. We sing a few hymns and pray. This is followed by the taking down of the day marker for our count down to Christmas. We have a framed cross-stitch calendar with little pictures tied to each day. It has a picture of a nativity scene at the top and each of the day pictures have something related to the Christmas story.
~ Christmas morning – the first thing we do (sometimes before and sometimes after getting dressed for the day) is to read the Christmas story in Matthew or Luke, sing songs and thank the Lord for coming to Earth as a baby to bring us salvation.
~ We collect Nativities. We have all kinds … metal, glass, wood, clay, cloth, porcelain, paper mache and even a some made of plastic. We put them throughout the house. We have so many that we can no longer put out the wise men in the sets for lack of room!
~ We love to listen to Christian Christmas music starting Thanksgiving night. We have a small collection of cds and try to add a few more each year.
~ We do have a Christmas tree but, other than colored bulbs and lights, we try to have the ornaments represent the Lord or something He made. We have many nativity ornaments and put a wooden nativity (one that includes the stable, all one piece) in the lower branches of our tree each year.
~ We rarely put presents under our tree and those are only ones that come in the mail or are dropped off by my mom (and we try to put those in a closet instead). I do not care to have Christmas be about gifts and prefer to not have my daughters dreaming about what may be hiding behind paper under the tree. Besides if we put presents under the tree … where would the cats lay?? :)
~ Gifts. We do give gifts to our children for Christmas but do it a little different than most people we know. We have never had our children make a wish list or even asked the girls what they want. I give a lot of thought to what to get the girls and pay attention to their interests during the year. I try to buy them useful, quality items that will bless them and stimulate their mind or give health to their body. Many of the gifts we give are group gifts. We have four categories of gifts that we give: books, crafts, games and the other category.
Books - we usually have a small stack of good books and/or field guides. Often we buy books from Keepers of the Faith. This category and the Crafts one below are wonderful for helping supply things needed in our homeschool. :)
Crafts – somehow this has become a tradition! Paper (white & colored copy weight paper and white & colored card stock), envelopes (for making their own cards), colored pencils, erasers, crayons, regular pencils, decorative and regular scissors, punches, stickers, tape, glue sticks, chalk, ect…
Games – we usually buy at least one game for the family game collection.
Other – this is the fun category for me. This is the gift area that is handpicked to interest or just for fun. For my older girls: one year scooters, one year roller blades, one year a mass of scrapbook stuff and last year the fillings for a sewing box (that was really fun!). The younger girls usually get something different and I am drawing a blank other than last year … a Playmobil dollhouse complete with the furnishings and dolls.
~ Since we do not put the gifts under our tree … what do we do with them. Create a treasure hunt of course! We hide each category of gifts in a different place in the house and I write a series of clues (in rhyming fashion) that the girls have to figure out to find them. When they find the gifts they bring them to where we (my sweet husband I) are to open them. This is soo fun.
~ Wrapping of gifts. We rarely use wrapping paper. Instead we use gift bags (with Nativities on them. :) ) and big bags I made out of material. The bags are like pillowcases and wonderful for wrapping oddly shaped things or many things in one (like the craft supplies … it all usually goes in one bag).
With all these traditions it may surprise some to know that I have studied Christmas, it’s origins and traditions in depth. At one time I was ready and willing to give up any participation in Christmas in any way, shape or form. So you understand the hugeness of this willingness I must tell that Christmas has always been my most favorite holiday. I have loved the Christmas season since I was little. My studying caused me feel sooo guilty being a part of such a holiday and I thought it must be displeasing to my Lord. I practically begged my husband to let us stop taking part. He, my sweet husband who loves the Lord, said “no”. He did not feel it was sinful or wrong. We have never done the Santa tradition and already had some of our traditions in place (such as Christmas morning worship). So I rested in my husband’s decision and chose to make the Christmas season, Christmas Eve and Day focused on Jesus and His coming to earth as a child to bring us salvation. I try to bring Him into our celebration in every way I can.
I learned a couple of things during that time in my life:
- That a wife should be very careful when she begins to read and study other people’s writings and opinions. That she should not allow convincing writing styles, or those writings that cause feelings of guilt, to sway her beliefs or opinions without much prayer and discussion with her husband. She should not embrace other’s ways in her heart until she knows that those things are the way the Lord is leading her family through her husband.
- Since the husband is the leader of the Christian family the Lord is perfectly able to tell him when it is time to make radical changes to how the family lives and celebrates.
- That choosing to adopt the ways and opinions of other people without the blessing of your husband, even if only in your heart, is a recipe for heartbreak. It can also possibly cause you to look down on your husband as less spiritual than you or just make you wonder why and how he does not see, understand and want to act on what you do.
- Do not be afraid to follow your husband’s lead. He is the one the Lord set up as the leader of the family. There is nothing wrong with discussing new ideas with your husband but if he does not agree … rest in his decisions. If the Lord would have your family change it’s ways He is surely able to tell your husband in His own time.
Christmas … still my favorite holiday of the year! :)
Ten ways to prepare for the season
- Remember the reason we celebrate – Jesus!
- Make lists
- Delegate
- Relax
- Enjoy
Untitled Comment
Posted by wadeboysmom on Nov. 3, 2006 at 12:32 PM - Link
Awesome! I love your words of wisdom on what you learned from your study of Christmas and it's origins. I am more of a reader than my dh so it's easy for me to get sidetracked from his leadership - thinking that this new 'something' I read about would be sooo beneficial to our family - uh, that's not my job! Thanks for the reminder!
Whoa...
Posted by oratiomom on Nov. 3, 2006 at 2:40 PM - Link
You really did well on your assignment. I am going to read yours for inspiration. Great Job!
Our cat wants me to tell you that she prefers to be up in the tree herself!
oratiomom/Jan
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Posted by Victorious on Nov. 3, 2006 at 4:47 PM - Link
WONDERFUL post! I don't have time for a long comment, but I could relate to much of it!
Blessings ~ Diane
Hi!
Posted by Bobbi on Nov. 3, 2006 at 8:48 PM - Link
What a beautiful testament of honoring your husband! I love the way GOD continued to give you the desire of your heart...your love for Christmas...through your husband's decision! Thank you for sharing. Also, thanks for stopping by my blog. :)
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Posted by Leigharev2 on Nov. 4, 2006 at 10:56 AM - Link
Glad to help with the puzzle idea. It really is a favorite memory of mine. :)
What a blessing....
your blog is and so encouraging!
We have many of the same traditions that you do :)
Thanks so much for sharing so much on your blog....it is inspiring!
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Posted by timbuck2mom on Nov. 11, 2006 at 11:37 AM - Link
We've done treasure hunts before, but only for the main gift and we do the hot/cold way. (You're getting hot, uh oh, now you're only warm.) The kids really do like this. I'm glad you reminded me this year. Last year forgot about doing it and the kids had to remind me of how much they had enjoyed it.
Christmas is also questionable to me because of its origins. But I think if we try to remember what the true meaning is, that is what's important.
No Santa Clause at my house either, timbuck2mom
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Posted by RienzoFamily on Nov. 11, 2006 at 12:00 PM - Link
Love your blog - just popping in to say "Hey!"
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Posted by DanielleW on Nov. 11, 2006 at 1:15 PM - Link
I'm really glad to hear that I'm not the only mother that doesn't have her child make a wish list for Christmas. I think, especially at his age, he would pick anything that flashed, blinked or whistled. LOL I do make a wish list for him that I give a lot of thought and give that out to grandparents and extended family if they ask what to get him for Christmas.
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Posted by Janne on Nov. 14, 2006 at 2:31 PM - Link
I always love to read about the Christmas traditions of others.
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