Christmas Traditions...

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I love traditions.  Maybe it's my preference toward order and structure.  Maybe it's my theatre background that loves to recreate things and be part of telling a powerful story over and over again.  Maybe it's actually a part of how God created me to experience Him -- in the book Sacred Pathways by Gary Thomas, he lays out 9 different "spiritual temperaments" (you can take a free personal assessment here!).  I score very highly in the "Traditionalists: Loving God through Ritual and Symbol" pathway (just ask Chad to tell you about our paper burning/ash ceremony during our courtship...).

And I love Christmas!  The sense of hope and joy that fills us up to overflowing as we consider how the birth of Jesus changed the world always brings me to moments of awe and worship each year.  And the experience of Christmas lights (that is, small WHITE Christmas lights) -- well, it doesn't get much better than that! ;)  I love this time of year so much that we had our wedding at Christmastime and themed it, "Sacred Joy."

So put those two things together, and Christmas traditions are just about my favorite things in the world!!!  I decided to document some of ours this year (both silly and serious):

Getting the tree...

We always go on a hunt to cut down a real one, and then take a picture next to it...although I tried to speed along my selection process this year, because we had a new little trooper whose eyes were slowly freezing open!  However, she actually giggled for most of our time, I think in surprise over the new "really cold" sensation she was experiencing!  Part of this tradition includes balancing the camera on a neighboring tree to take a timer shot...

Julia kept a steady eye on the tree next to her on the ride home,
which was pretty hysterical...

Baby Jesus in a Nutshell...

One of my favorite handmade ornaments (I made it when I was 2) is a plastic Baby Jesus in a walnut shell with straw and swaddling cloths. It's always the first ornament I put on our tree, and the last one I take off.

Cookie Breakfast...

My dear friend Liz and I have been getting together for years, usually with some sort of breakfast as part of our time.  Several years ago, we met one morning to exchange Christmas gifts...and neither of us had enough time or margin to prepare something extra to eat.  So...the annual Cookie Breakfast was born!  Homemade hot chocolate from scratch (with LOTS of Reddi-Wip for me!), Christmas china, cloth napkins, and a fireplace...and as many assorted cookies as we've baked so far make for a special morning each year.  I so appreciate the conversation, challenge, and encouragment that comes as we celebrate the season together!  And the sugar rush is pretty fun, too... ;)

"It's a Wonderful Life" on the big screen...

For a movie I didn't see for the first time until high school, I am amazed that it is now probably in my Top Ten. But I have absolutely fallen in love with it...laughing hard and crying hard every time I see it. There is a renovated theatre in town that started showing it on the big screen each year...and my friend Kyra and I have been there all 3 years so far! This year, we upped the "classic" feel by sitting in the balcony of the movie house. A perfect way to watch a near-perfect movie.

(Non) Staff Christmas Movie Watching Party...

We started this tradition one of the first years we were on the Calvary staff, and had a HUGE turn-out of staff and families gather to watch some modern classics on a big screen at the church, eat holiday food, and get ahead wrapping presents on the floor.  However, each year we have had significantly fewer and fewer...until this year, we held it at our house and didn't even invite anybody except Kim, Lauren, and Kyra -- who have been there every year! (we did add some new children and a niece who now lives in town)  You can't laugh much harder than when watching "Elf," "How the Grinch Stole Christmas," and "Christmas Vacation" with good friends...

 
 
 

New Pajamas on Christmas Eve...

My parents started a tradition when we were kids that we were allowed to open one present on Christmas Eve.  Inside the one they "strongly suggested" opening each year?  New pajamas!  That way...we all looked really nice for the Christmas morning pictures the next day!  When I found out my sister would be staying with us this Christmas Eve, I couldn't resist...and got both Julia and Carrie new P.J.'s to mark the occasion. (well, Carrie's pajama pants were new...Julia's super-tacky-1st-Christmas-pajamas were found at the Goodwill for 50 cents!)

So those are some of our Christmas traditions!  We can't wait to continue to establish new ones with our family as it grows...  Feel free to pass along any suggestions of things you can't live without doing each year!

And this ends the posts about Christmas (it's about time, huh?!).

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