Do You Have Any Family Christmas Traditions...
How could she possibly have known the one thing that I'm struggling with more so than anything else?
Of all the 'empty-nest' syndrome pains this has to be the biggest. There were few to none of the Christmas traditions in my life as a child. And when I found out you could make some I did.
We would start on a Sunday after Thanksgiving with a Family Home Evening lesson on what can we give the Savior for Christmas. We would each write a letter to Christ, seal them in envelopes and put them in a wrapped box. The box would be open on April 6-Christ's true birthday and we'd read through them and see how well we were doing. I loved this tradition.
Another tradition was to pick out one new ornament every year for each child. I'd buy some and let them choose which one they wanted to keep. When they moved out of our home to be on their own, they'd have a dozen and a half (or more) Christmas ornaments to bring back memories of their Christmas's past.
Another tradition was Christmas goodies. I'd make all kinds of stuff and to keep from eating it all we'd make up plates of goodies. We'd figure out who in the ward needed them. We tried to find inactives, widowed, or people who just shouldda oughtta have an extra RAK (random act of kindness) thrust upon them. Then we'd play sleek & sneak.
We'd call the house to verify someone was home (this was long before caller ID was available). Then drive over and let a kid off half a house away, drive past the house while the kid would race up to the porch, drop off the plate and ring the bell and run like all get out.
I always had to listen to the story The Forgotten Carols. It always made me cry-ball actually. In it I saw, found, was assured that there was hope for each of us to change and become more loving, less perfunctory and more Christ-like. I had to watch Mr. Krueger's Christmas because that scene where he is walking into the cave where the Savior-babe is and has a very personal one-on-one conversation with Him-the one I too have had in my heart. It's obvious Mr. Krueger knows Christ. Then I'd have to watch Nora's Christmas Gift. The best part is after she's gone blind and gets to the Christmas play and says, "I can see." The realization that she could finally see that it wasn't all about her-but about Him.
I had to watch Miracle on 34th Street and Scrooge (the musical). These are the things that brought Christmas into my heart.
Some of our Christmas's were pretty skimpy. I wanted to do the 12 days of Christmas for someone/anyone and we actually did for one or two years, but couldn't do it as often as I'd like to have.
Somewhere in there Aunt Pat (no relation-she was my Mom's bestest friend so we called her Aunt) sent us a book with a LOT of Christmas stories in it. They were based on true stories and all hinged around Christmas and the art, act and value of giving. We would read one story every night between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Through the years we found some we loved better than others. It was so sweet and dear to me.
I have no one to share those stories with now. No one to do the running to play sleek & sneak. No one to teach to put Christ first by giving something harder to give than something you can buy at the 5 and dime store-giving a commitment to live some Christ-like attribute better, more fully, more closely. I miss those very hectic, very full, very rich Christmas's.
As rich and full as I felt this made Christmas for my family-I don't see or hear of any of them using these things. Maybe I'm foolish for thinking they would see value in these traditions-but for me, they are what made Christmas bestest.
So I do the next thing I can. I hold a grandchild's Christmas party every year. This too was inspired by one of the stories in that Guideposts Christmas Treasury book.
I love Christmas. I love the time of year that people finally stop putting the I and me first and start thinking of others. I don't care that the merchants start the season early. I am sad they have neutered Christmas with season and holiday (neither of which word/sentiment is worthy of the respect of being capitalized).
Of all the 'empty-nest' syndrome pains this has to be the biggest. There were few to none of the Christmas traditions in my life as a child. And when I found out you could make some I did.
We would start on a Sunday after Thanksgiving with a Family Home Evening lesson on what can we give the Savior for Christmas. We would each write a letter to Christ, seal them in envelopes and put them in a wrapped box. The box would be open on April 6-Christ's true birthday and we'd read through them and see how well we were doing. I loved this tradition.
Another tradition was to pick out one new ornament every year for each child. I'd buy some and let them choose which one they wanted to keep. When they moved out of our home to be on their own, they'd have a dozen and a half (or more) Christmas ornaments to bring back memories of their Christmas's past.
Another tradition was Christmas goodies. I'd make all kinds of stuff and to keep from eating it all we'd make up plates of goodies. We'd figure out who in the ward needed them. We tried to find inactives, widowed, or people who just shouldda oughtta have an extra RAK (random act of kindness) thrust upon them. Then we'd play sleek & sneak.
We'd call the house to verify someone was home (this was long before caller ID was available). Then drive over and let a kid off half a house away, drive past the house while the kid would race up to the porch, drop off the plate and ring the bell and run like all get out.
I always had to listen to the story The Forgotten Carols. It always made me cry-ball actually. In it I saw, found, was assured that there was hope for each of us to change and become more loving, less perfunctory and more Christ-like. I had to watch Mr. Krueger's Christmas because that scene where he is walking into the cave where the Savior-babe is and has a very personal one-on-one conversation with Him-the one I too have had in my heart. It's obvious Mr. Krueger knows Christ. Then I'd have to watch Nora's Christmas Gift. The best part is after she's gone blind and gets to the Christmas play and says, "I can see." The realization that she could finally see that it wasn't all about her-but about Him.
I had to watch Miracle on 34th Street and Scrooge (the musical). These are the things that brought Christmas into my heart.
Some of our Christmas's were pretty skimpy. I wanted to do the 12 days of Christmas for someone/anyone and we actually did for one or two years, but couldn't do it as often as I'd like to have.
Somewhere in there Aunt Pat (no relation-she was my Mom's bestest friend so we called her Aunt) sent us a book with a LOT of Christmas stories in it. They were based on true stories and all hinged around Christmas and the art, act and value of giving. We would read one story every night between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Through the years we found some we loved better than others. It was so sweet and dear to me.
I have no one to share those stories with now. No one to do the running to play sleek & sneak. No one to teach to put Christ first by giving something harder to give than something you can buy at the 5 and dime store-giving a commitment to live some Christ-like attribute better, more fully, more closely. I miss those very hectic, very full, very rich Christmas's.
As rich and full as I felt this made Christmas for my family-I don't see or hear of any of them using these things. Maybe I'm foolish for thinking they would see value in these traditions-but for me, they are what made Christmas bestest.
So I do the next thing I can. I hold a grandchild's Christmas party every year. This too was inspired by one of the stories in that Guideposts Christmas Treasury book.
I love Christmas. I love the time of year that people finally stop putting the I and me first and start thinking of others. I don't care that the merchants start the season early. I am sad they have neutered Christmas with season and holiday (neither of which word/sentiment is worthy of the respect of being capitalized).
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