The Tradition List

I recently heard a speaker at a Christmas dinner challenge us to not be afraid to cross things off our Christmas to-do lists that added stress and detracted from the meaning of Christmas.  Though I appreciate this message, I couldn't really come up with any family traditions that I felt kept us from being joyful at this time of year-- the opposite in fact!  The things we do are not done to just keep us busy, they have special meaning and are done to truly celebrate this wonderful time of year.  I hope that some day the girls will continue these traditions with their own families!

VM Family Christmas Traditions List (some of which you've read about already):

1.  Roaming around the Christmas Tree Farm to choose and cut our own pine.

2.  Learning about the terror and delight of Sinterklaas and Zwarte Pete.

3.  Beaming with pride as we watch a daughter perform in the Preschool Christmas Program.

4.  Snuggling in front of a roaring fire and a lit Christmas tree to watch Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas.

5.  Hosting and planning fun winter outings with a visiting family member.

6.  Reading aloud Barbara Robinson's The Best Christmas Pageant Ever.

7.  Letting the girls browse the CRWRC Gift Catalog for their teachers' presents (this year it was desks to Honduras, they've given library book sets, chalkboards, fruit trees and goats in the past.)

8.  Going on a Dollar Store shopping spree to fill boxes for Operation Christmas Child.  The girls carefully and thoughtfully pick out the goodies themselves. 

9.  Shooting Red Rider BB guns, seeing the stuffed reindeer and coloring the Christmas hunting picture at the Bass Pro Shop.

 10.  Creating a gingerbread masterpiece.

11  Being entertained by the kids playing bells, speaking lines and singing in the Sunday School Christmas Program.  Listening, with all the kids on the stage, to the Christmas-themed children's book Dave reads aloud each year for his sermon.

   

12.  Reserving a night for cookie-making, hot-drink-sipping, kid-playing and adult-conversing with good friends Jeff, Amy, Jonathan, Grace and Benjamin!

13.  Popping some to-go popcorn then driving around admiring Christmas lights.

14.  Savoring the sounds of the season.  Listening to The Messiah.  Practicing lifts and jumps with our own little ballerinas after they've watched The Nutcracker Ballet (this year we've been hooked on a "Battle of the Nutcrackers" marathon on the Ovation channel!)

15.  Cooking a fancy dinner and opening the gifts on Christmas Eve. Talking and caroling with far-away family via speaker phone, getting toasty by a fire made from last year's Christmas tree.

16.  Baking dozens and dozens of cookies that our church staff serves to the whole church on Christmas morning.