For the past couple of years the children have decorated our tree which they enjoy immensely. Brian always puts the lights on first and finishes the touch with the star. I handle all of the other decorations through out the house. Landen loves to help us with the exterior lights. Gabriel and Lilly are very picky with the placement of their ornaments. Every year our children get to pick out a new ornament for our tree. This way when they are married and grown they will have their own ornaments to decorate their tree with.
I absolutely love Christmas it is my favorite holiday of the year. It brings back all of my favorite holiday memories as a child. I was born and raised in upstate N.Y. where we have lots of good snow to play in. I remember building igloos out of snow as a young girl and sitting in them with my dog. Building snowmen that were as big as I was that would last for days. Sledding with the wooden sled with metal runners (not the kind we have here in the south made out of plastic).
In my home as a child being raised on a large farm my family was too busy through out the year to really do big parties for our birthdays but boy did my parents make up for it at Christmas. My brothers and I would wake up very early and run downstairs to see a room full of gifts. There would be cool things like a canopy bed put together in the living room, snow mobiles inside the house all sorts of crazy things like that. Don't get me wrong we still celebrated Jesus' birth and knew the real reason to celebrate Christmas but the presents still rocked.
I was talking with my brother the other day on the phone and we were reminiscing over our Christmas' and how much fun they were. We were really blessed not just in receiving gifts but in having our family together. Growing up we had all of our family so close to where we lived. We had our Grandparents on both sides and all of our Aunts, Uncles and cousins. My Grandma Morse would always make a big meal at her home and we would all gather there. I really took this for granted as a child. Up until a few years ago Brian and I were trying to juggle sharing Christmas with my side of the family and his. We would do Christmas Eve with my side and then Christmas afternoon we would celebrate with Brian's side. Now with all of our family spread out from Nevada, Texas, Florida, Tennessee and N.Y. we wont be able to see anyone this year.
Brian and I have discussed making our own family traditions for our children but to be honest sometimes the best family traditions are the ones that our parents pass down to us. The traditions of having the family close and sharing not our gifts but our time together.
I was watching Little House on the Prairie yesterday and the episode was about a little old lady who asked the minister to hold a wake for her. She asked that all of her family members be notified that she had passed away and that her wake would be held on a Wednesday. Well, Wednesday came and all of her family arrived everyone of them from near and far in remembrance of her. One of her sons whom she had not spoken with in years came and he was heart broken. He said to another sibling "you don't realize what you have until it is gone". Other family members were talking about how much they loved her and all of her talents that she portrayed. Then the little old lady came out from the back room dressed in black. It took them all by surprise why she wasn't dead at all. She explained "why will you come all this way when I am dead but you wouldn't while you thought I was alive?"
This hit me at how true this is for so many of us with busy schedules. This Christmas may this be a reminder of how blessed we are to have family and that we should do what ever it takes to spend time with them and to continue to build those memories not just for us but for our children.
My fondest memories of Christmas as a child was having my family together. To hear the laughter and see the smiles of wishes and prayers answered. My brother Scotty and his drum set, my brother Philip and his wife unfolding a large box of crinkled $1 bills. All three of us children acting in our church plays like "Angel on a Ladder". All of our family enjoying a meal prepared by my Grandma and boy her cookies and pies were Awesome! These are the memories that last a life time our family tradition.
This year I am so blessed to have a wonderfully gracious husband and three little angels of my own to share our family traditions with. Jesus has really placed his hand upon us and drawn us closer to him this year. To all of our family and friends may the Lord bless each of you and may his glory shine through you. For our family in N.Y. enjoy all of the snow and we will be seeing you in the summer.
Please share with me your family traditions and your fondest memories as a child.
