Christmas Traditions

"So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter."  2 Thessalonians 2:15

Each family has their own holiday traditions.  Personally ours are rooted in our Christian belief.  As young parents we are trying to instill traditions in our son, Wyatt.  Our plan is for Wyatt to grow up knowing that we celebrate Christmas for the birth of our Saviour Jesus Christ, not for presents or Santa.  Now that does not mean we don't give Wyatt presents or forbid him from asking Santa for things however we try to constantly remind him the reasons we celebrate. 

We began our family Christmas traditions the first year we were married. To kick off the Christmas season we go out and search for a tree to decorate together.  Now this tree isn't bought from a lot or a tree farm.  It is one that we find on our adventures feeding cows.  Some years it takes weeks of feeding cows for me to find the "right" tree.  This year however I was limited to one day.  We searched the field high and low and finally found a tree I thought would work. 

Now that our tree is up it is much more "Charlie Brown" than I wished for but we will love it just the same because we trekked through the fields, rain and cold to find a tree together as a family.  Wyatt was able to help pick the tree and pull it to the truck and even help secure them.  A wonderful Sunday afternoon.  The tradition doesn't end with the cutting of the tree.  We haul the tree home and get all the decorations out and then bake homemade cookies.  We put the cookies on a Disney Christmas plate given to me by a former student.  William gets the tree ready on the porch to put in the house.  We then move it inside.  We string the lights and ribbon and then before we put the oranments on William places the star at the top of the tree.

Then we hang the oranments.  William prefers to watch on this part of the decorating however he is still there with us, enjoying our time together.  We talk about the oranments that we have recieved as gifts and what's special about each one.  Wyatt gets to hang all of his oranments himself.  It's bittersweet to see how much he has changed.  We laugh about the fact that the "Our First Christmas" pewter oranment still has no date and we are celebrating our 5th Christmas together as husband and wife.  I tell Wyatt the story behind my favorite oranments.  Like the one given to me by Ms. Teresa, my former 4-H agent in Georgia.   Once our tree is finished I always snap a few pictures of Wyatt with the tree. 

I also get a few pictures of the tree alone.  It is a great way to spend the afternoon and evening.  Wyatt's bedtime story that night is always about Jesus and why we celebrate his birth.  Our traditions don't end there we continue throughout the month: Attending the church Christmas pageant, Christmas Eve service, opening presents at home, eating with family and giving gifts that have lots of love behind them and giving to those in more need that we.  We also do our best to thank God repeatedly for our well being, our family, and his son who saved each of us.  Next year I plan to add a tradition, an Advent Calendar.  No matter how big or small Christmas traditions are important.  The greatest gift the world has seen was found in a stall sleeping in a manger, CELEBRATE!