When I was a young mother I was always so excited to share the traditions with my husband and children that my family had while I was growing up. To say the least, my family traditions were just short of a production of one sort or another. Always something big. And I tried to do the same with my own family. The children were not as enthusiastic as I was. They always had a different agenda, which always frustrated me. As my own little family has gotten bigger and as I have become a more mature parent I have learned a few things about traditions. They only are special if they make good memories. They are not worth it if the children are bored and whining. This year was PERFECT! We all gathered around the Christmas tree and read the Christmas story out of the bible. I have a big box of Christmas books that the children got to pick out of and we read a couple of them. We didn't get to my favorites, but that was okay. The little ones were engaged and interested still. We hung our stockings and wrote a letter to Santa about what we wanted to give Jesus this year instead of asking for something. We pulled out a box of fine chocolate and made wishes around the tree. This is to usually wish for something for someone else, and not necessarily a tangible item. But this time instead of wishing, we said what we were thankful for. And the moment everyone was waiting for...who got to wear the Santa hat and play Santa in the morning. This means you get to pass out the presents. The two rules are: 1. You have to be able to read the tags independently, and 2. you have to be able to write your name legibly. Because at the end of the day, you sign your name on the inside brim of the hat and the year you got to be the Santa. This year it was Ryan. He was so excited! We then said family prayer and sent our little ones off to bed. It wasn't the big production that it has been in the past, but I wasn't fighting for their attention and it was a very peaceful and enjoyable evening for all.
When I was a young mother I was always so excited to share the traditions with my husband and children that my family had while I was growing up. To say the least, my family traditions were just short of a production of one sort or another. Always something big. And I tried to do the same with my own family. The children were not as enthusiastic as I was. They always had a different agenda, which always frustrated me. As my own little family has gotten bigger and as I have become a more mature parent I have learned a few things about traditions. They only are special if they make good memories. They are not worth it if the children are bored and whining. This year was PERFECT! We all gathered around the Christmas tree and read the Christmas story out of the bible. I have a big box of Christmas books that the children got to pick out of and we read a couple of them. We didn't get to my favorites, but that was okay. The little ones were engaged and interested still. We hung our stockings and wrote a letter to Santa about what we wanted to give Jesus this year instead of asking for something. We pulled out a box of fine chocolate and made wishes around the tree. This is to usually wish for something for someone else, and not necessarily a tangible item. But this time instead of wishing, we said what we were thankful for. And the moment everyone was waiting for...who got to wear the Santa hat and play Santa in the morning. This means you get to pass out the presents. The two rules are: 1. You have to be able to read the tags independently, and 2. you have to be able to write your name legibly. Because at the end of the day, you sign your name on the inside brim of the hat and the year you got to be the Santa. This year it was Ryan. He was so excited! We then said family prayer and sent our little ones off to bed. It wasn't the big production that it has been in the past, but I wasn't fighting for their attention and it was a very peaceful and enjoyable evening for all.
