Christmas Traditions!

There are so many Christmas traditions that come to mind!

As a child we had the tradition of going to look at lights on Christmas Eve. When we arrived home, we always discovered that santa had visited and left gifts and we opened them that night before going to bed!

When our daughter was born, we decided that we would not use the "santa" version of Christmas. Since it's advertised everywhere, we talked to her about how some children think that santa brings gifts and it's not our place to tell them any differently. She did receive Christmas gifts, but they were from us, not santa. It was my thinking that it was important for her to know what was real and what was make believe. I wanted to be sure that when we told her the Christmas story of the birth of Jesus, she would know that it was a true story, not another fantasy for the season. I've been told by some that they disagreed with this idea or way we did it, however it was what we decided to do.

Our daughter is grown with a husband and son and they are each an important part of my Christmas traditions now! They always make their plans and let me know which days they will spend here with me. (my view is that regardless of the date, it IS Christmas when we're together!) For the last 4 years, they have made it a point to be here on Dec. 22nd (the date my Daddy passed away in 2005) so that I'm not alone that day.

Having a grandson has made an amazing difference in the holidays for me. It is a constant source of joy to see how much he enjoys life and how he already has such a loving, giving and caring spirit. It's not unusual for him to include others in need in his prayers and he loves helping his Mommy prepare treats to share with others! We have traditions that he and I share and it's wonderful to have them to look forward to as the holidays approach!

When I was in grade school I wrote a paper and part of it included, "Christmas isn't just putting up a Christmas tree and exchanging gifts. Christmas is the celebration of Jesus' birth." I still feel that it's very important to make Jesus' birth a central point in our celebration!

~Bonnie