“And when your children ask you, ‘What does this ceremony mean to you?’” (Exodus 12:26 TNIV)



When your children ask you, "What does (Christmas) mean to you?’’ What do you tell them? Or rather, how do you “show” them?

Show and tell? Sometimes I find it difficult to sit down and have a serious conversation with my children or my grandchildren. But I’ve learned from my writing experience, that often the best way to communicate my beliefs can be to “show, not tell.” And our Christmas traditions provide a great platform to communicate our holiday beliefs.

Old and new traditions. As we approach Christmas at our house, we still observe some old traditions, like our family Christmas Eve get-together—decorating cookies, exchanging gifts, and enjoying holiday recipes. But we’ve also established a few new traditions for our children and grandchildren.



Nativity. Several years ago, some great friends gave us a nativity that they bought in Israel. It reminds me of the “real reason”  our family celebrates Christmas—the birth of Jesus Christ. And it also reminds me of the
great friends we’ve known through the years.

 

Santa bags. A few years ago, I purchase some monogrammed, red flannel Santa bags. Since these are no longer available online this year, my daughter Tara made another one for our newest grandson. I purchased enough red flannel to make a super, large pillowcase. Tara also added a casing for the cord and asked her friend to monogram Ben’s name on it.

 

Picture Christmas ornaments. Adding pictures to new Christmas ornaments each year has become one of our favorite new traditions. As we unpack our old ornaments to decorate our tree, we also enjoy reminiscing about our loved ones and the blessings of our family.

Even though we continue to pass down some of our Christmas traditions, I hope my family continues to find new ways to celebrate our faith,  family, and friends during the holidays.



Merry Christmas from our home to yours!

Photos/KarenJordan

What are some of your family’s old and new traditions?