Christmas Traditions

For the last few years, I have been tweaking our Christmas traditions - trying to modify existing ones and create new ones that truly invite the Spirit into our celebration.  Since I have also been getting older over the last few years, I find that memory is becoming important.  Not memory in the sense of "happy-Christmas-memories-we're-creating-for our children."  But the memory (mine) which is having a harder and harder time remembering each year what these newly-tweaked traditions are and exactly how they work.  So this is the year I've decided I need some documentation.  In no particular order, I will post some of the Christmas traditions we are trying to incorporate into our family culture - both the fun, frivolous ones and the ones that are (hopefully) more meaningful.  And if all goes well, next year when the holidays roll around, I won't be scratching my head quite so often, wondering if I've forgotten something...


Advent/12 Days of Service

Advent is an aspect of our Christmas celebration that is relatively new.  Probably three years ago I came across a document on the internet that briefly explained the significance of Advent in the Christian calendar and gave a simplified description of how it is observed.  I loved what I read about it - I loved the idea of setting aside time on the Sundays before Christmas to be still and think about and sing about the coming of our Savior into the world.  I also loved the emphasis on looking forward to Christ's second advent, or second coming - something I had never really connected with Christmas before.  I loved the symbolism of the different candles and I knew I wanted to incorporate Advent into our family's Christmas traditions.

What I came up with is, I'm sure, not exact in terms of strict observance of Advent. But for our family, it captures the beauty of Advent and combines it with another important aspect of Christmastime:  service.  So here is how this tradition looks in the Parker family.

Beginning on the fourth Sunday before Christmas, we gather around the kitchen table and light the advent candle for that week.  (Traditionally, the candles are placed on a wreath.  We have a candelabra that belonged to my grandmother which holds five candles, so we use that instead.)  The first candle represents hope; the second, love; the third, joy; and the fourth peace.   We sing a carol and read a scripture and brief message about the meaning of that weeks' candle.  We usually drink hot cocoa or spiced cider as well.  We also have a small gift bag for each of the Sundays.  Inside are three Christmas ornaments.  After singing and reading, the children pass the bag around and choose out an ornament.

Our advent candelabra and ornament bags

Inside each ornament is a piece of paper with a small act of service written on it.  We work on completing the acts of service in the coming week, and when we have completed one, the child who chose it out of the bag gets to hang their ornament on our bulletin board.  By the time we light the fifth candle - the white Christ candle - we have 12 ornaments on our bulletin board.  The white candle is usually lit on Christmas Eve, but since we are usually at grandparents' on Christmas Eve, we typically wait until Christmas day to light it.

All 12 ornaments on the bulletin board

This has become my favorite Christmas tradition.  I love watching the children as we work to complete our small acts of service.  I love gathering on Sunday evenings to enjoy quiet moments of reflection about the true gift:  Jesus Christ.  And I love how celebrating His first advent helps me look forward to and focus on preparing for His second advent. 

Our acts of service are not often big.  Some are just small little things.  Here are some of the things we have done:



2014:
Make and deliver rubber band bracelets to the sister missionaries at Temple Square on Christmas day
Put on a Christmas concert for friends and neighbors
Make 12 days of Christmas baskets for neighbors who might need cheering up
Give candy canes with a nice note to Christmas shoppers and say, "Merry Christmas"
Give a gift card for groceries to a family or person at the store
Pick a local charity and donate money to them
Put together Operation Christmas Child boxes
Go caroling to neighbor who can't get out much - take her flowers
Deliver homemade cards and bread to someone who might need it
Set up a "free" hot cocoa stand to raise money for quarters for Christmas

Delivering gifts to Sister Missionaries on Christmas

2013:
Go to a drive-up bank teller and send them a treat through the vacuum tube
Do a Christmas Concert for friends and neighbors
Give out candy canes with a note to people at the store
Give a treat to the garbage man
Go caroling
Take flowers to a hospital ward or rest home and leave them for someone who hasn't had any visitors 
Leave a Christmas gift basket on someone's porch
Donate money to Quarters for Christmas
Give gift cards to the librarians when you go to the library
Leave a note and money on people's windshields in the store parking lot
Deliver fleece scarves to sister missionaries at Temple Square on Christmas
Make a 12 days of Christmas dvd and deliver it to someone

Putting on Christmas concert for friends and neighbors

2012:
Take treats to nurses working in the NICU on Christmas
Hide money with a small note for shoppers at the store to find
Leave a treat in the mailbox for the mail lady
Give change to the Salvation Army bell ringer
Pay for someone else's meal when we're out to dinner
Sing a song and leave a treat for a widow
Send flowers to brighten someone's day
Leave a gift on the porch of a single mom 

Leave car wash tokens and a little note on the windshields of cars in the parking lot
Leave a Papa Murphey's Pizza for someone on their porch
Secretly put money with a little note in the shopping carts of other shoppers
Send a small gift (CD, Book, etc.) to someone who could use it

Christmas Stories

One of my very, very favorite things about Christmas is the stories.  I love Christmas stories.  There is just something about them - they always seem to bring the spirit of the season.  So one of our traditions has to do with stories.  After Thanksgiving, Craig and I wrap Christmas books and put them under the tree.  Then each evening, one of the children finds the book for that night (we number them), unwraps it, and we all sit by the tree and read it.  We have over 25 books now, so we a actually start at the end of November.  I love getting cozy and reading stories together. Definitely a favorite tradition.

Manger for Baby Jesus

Gazing at "Baby Jesus" on Christmas morning

This tradition is certainly not unique to our family, but it is one that helps us to invite the spirit of Christmas into our home.  When we put up the Christmas decorations, we put a small basket on our coffee table in the living room.  This is our "manger."  During  the month, whenever someone in the family does something nice for someone  else, they get to put a piece of straw in the manger.  We try to make the manger soft enough that it is ready to hold the baby Jesus.  When we come into the living room on Christmas morning, the first thing we do is check to see if Baby Jesus came to our manger.  The little ones especially look forward to this.