New Traditions Begin...

I love traditions.  I love old stuff.  I love really old stuff. 

When I was about 4 years old, my mother made some lovely wee stuffed Christmas ornaments using coloring book pages as patterns.  I ADORE those ornaments.  She passed them down to me a few years ago and they are proudly displayed on a white feather tree on our kitchen island.  The wee tree is topped with the angel that sat atop our family tree the entire time I was a little girl.  Along the way her arms fell off.  Mother was going to throw her away because she was "disabled."  I was  having none of that.  Our wee disabled angel came to live at my house and now guards the feather tree full of those coloring book ornaments. 

Traditions comfort me.  They remind me who I am, what I'm about, and what to expect in the future.

Santa doesn't deliver individual gifts around the tree at our house.  Since the time my baby boys were quite small, our tradition has been for Santa to deliver a big Santa bag for each boy.  Some of my favorite memories are of the boys as they crawled inside those huge bags so that only their feet and little rear ends showed.  My boys are now 20 and 24.  Just a couple years ago, I suggested wrapping the presents like normal families do it.  They were appalled that  I would even suggest such a thing!  Apparently the Santa bag will continue to be the normal for us. 

When I was a girl, we always had Christmas on Christmas Eve.  Daddy would take me out to see the Christmas lights all around the neighborhood and magically Santa had always just left when we returned.  I kept this tradition with my own boys.  Our normal Christmas even since the boys were born is to have supper with my parents, open gifts with them and then come home to have Christmas with just the 4 of us.  That tradition has served us well. 

This year we are making a wee tweak.  Adam got engaged to Bekah last Friday night and so we now have a girl to celebrate with and also additional family schedules to consider. I have asked that our family be able to claim Christmas eve as our special Christmas time. 

Tonight my parents are coming to our house instead of us going to their house.  That way the kids can arrive as they can after working, clean up and let the festivities begin.  Mother is bringing her jambalaya and I'm making a big pot of potato soup.  We have Irish Coffee Pie, Cracker Candy, and Sticky Toffee Pudding for dessert.  The plan is to make this a relaxing evening with no big dishes to prepare or clean up. 

Bekah will be joining our Christmas Eve celebration for the first time since she is now "official."  She will even have her very own stocking and Santa bag.  After 24 years in a house full of boys, we finally get a girl!!!  I'm super excited!  After presents and food, we will pop some popcorn and watch a movie together. 

In the morning my wee engaged boy will go celebrate with his future in-laws and then we will all gather together at Mom Smith's house for our traditional Smith family Christmas. 

I pray that you and your family will take a few minutes to reflect on the tiny King of the universe that arrived so many years ago on that first Christmas.  Whether it was actually in March, August or December, the point is that He came.  He lived.  He died for us and praise God, He is coming again.  Soon. 

May your Christmas traditions bring you joy and may you love those folks God gave you just a wee bit better in the coming year.