Christmas Season Traditions

Recently, I participated in a ladies Christmas Tea, at a friends house. It is becoming a yearly tradition for our home school group. We get together, without the children if possible, and just enjoy an English tea, with plenty of delicious delicacies, but best of all is the fellowship.  After tea, us ladies gather 'round the Christmas tree for a time of sharing. Each one shares something, a recipe, a memory, a tradition, a story... Then we have a gift exchange and always plenty of laughter. It is something precious to look forward to each year at Christmas.

I for one, have not been too great at making Christmas traditions. Our family has a few, if you can call them that even. My oldest daughter and I usually watch Christmas movies, one we make a point to watch every year is The Christmas Card.  We often bake cookies and deliver them to some of the elderly in our neighborhood.

In an attempt to keep our hearts focused on Jesus, I do my best to practice advent with the kids... Looking forward to Christmas by reading a passage of scripture, or something symbolic of the reason of Christmas and Christmas traditions, daily as Christmas approaches. We have used The Jesse Tree by Ann Voskamp @ Holy Experience, which includes an ornament you can make each day and hang on the tree.



My grandmother had a tradition of making Christmas ornaments for each person in our family every year. As kids we just couldn't wait until that package came in the mail. Each ornament would be wrapped in tissue paper with one of our names on it. Most Christmases they were all alike, but occasionally she would personalize them according to what we each enjoyed. To this day, those ornaments still hang on my tree. Even though some are 20+ years and aging. My grandmother is now 90, and can no longer make ornaments, but the love she gave and memories of her gifts still linger, and I get to share those special things with my own children.

I hope in the coming years my family will keep some of the traditions we have made and establish some new ones also, leaving memories imprinted on our hearts for years to come.  A new tradition I would like to start this year is reading the Christmas story of Christ's birth on Christmas Eve, then letting the kids choose one gift to open.

What traditions does your family have?  Are there any new traditions you would like to create? I would love to hear your thoughts.

My friend Sharon is talking about her Christmas Eve traditions. Hop on over to her blog Hobbies on a Budget to see what her favorite tradition is.