Christmas Traditions

Today I happened to be reading an article on FoxNews.com and I thought at first it was going to be another attempt to de-Christmas-ize our society. After reading through the whole article it really made sense to me!


Article


I LOVE this idea. It's so unfortunate that kids today think that Christmas is all about presents! Now, I am by no means a weekly church goer. I usually feel compelled to attend church on Christmas and Easter and an occasional Sunday in between. My biggest excuse for not attending is that I don't want to join a church and then move and have to join another church. I want to buy a house, then become fully invested in my neighborhood and community, including the church. I do, however, greatly value my upbringing and my involvement as a child in our local parish. I grew up Lutheran and I LOVED the Christmas Eve sermon. It was always about a really good story that I knew well since I was a kid. We got to light candles, they would turned off the lights and we would sing Silent Night...one of my all time favorite Christmas carols.

The thought of my son growing up without a soft and loving memory like that really makes me sad. I don't think he necessarily needs to grow up with a memory from church, but a memory that doesn't involve his favorite toy or how many gifts he got to open would be nice!

Since I met my husband and we've started a family, we've already spent a couple Christmas' away from my family back home. We have had to start our own traditions and I'm trying really hard not to create "greedy" ones. For instance, we have had artichokes on Christmas Eve for as long as I can remember! My brother also joined us this year and he provided the Schmidt's Bakery rye bread that gets spread with Cheez Whiz and sprinkled with green olives. I bought some crab legs and we made salmon. I've always made cookies and this year was no exception with the help of my cousin. The food at Christmas time is so special and unique, it's one of my favorite parts of the holidays.

After dinner we sat down with a glass of wine and allowed my son to dive head first into the presents that he had been so patiently waiting for. He opened a few that had clothes and other items, but with the first toy he opened the angst to open more vanished! He couldn't wait to play with the toy and he didn't care if there were others under the tree. I practically had to beg him to open a couple more and then I just gave up. We did get them all opened by the end of Christmas Day, but it started me thinking. Obviously as a child we aren't programed to be gift getting gobblers. One toy was absolutely enough for him. Granted he's two and I'm sure that mindset will change, but does it have to? The dollar amount of the toy may go up, but he doesn't have to be inundated with toys and lights and games, he was perfectly happy with one. I hope to nurture that feeling for as long as I can. I hope that as he grows up he understands that it's not the quality or quantity of the gift, its the relationships you have and the thought behind the gifts that is the true meaning of his tradition.

In true two-year-old fashion for the next three days he asked to open presents, but this time of year I can see how he is confused. A couple weeks before Christmas we always go to my husband's grandmother's house for dinner and he gets a gift there, then we have Christmas, and there is usually some sort of additional family get together where he gets to open presents yet again. Perhaps next year I will just wrap up some empty boxes, or better yet, take his toy apart and wrap the individual pieces, because it's not the item that he's after...it's the actual unwrapping that he craves (how often does mom allow you to rip paper and make a big mess??)


To wrap up my tangent (pun intended), I will say this...family traditions have lasted me much longer than any of my childhood toys. To me, that is what is so special during this season. As we look into the New Year, perhaps we can all start appreciating the smaller things more.