I think clicking that "post" button will always give me a little bit of anxiety because it's my way of agreeing to open up my opinion, my voice, and my thoughts to whoever is reading: "Here you go strangers, friends, family, acquaintances... judge me!" Being vulnerable is a scary thing. And maybe some of the views my post received were critical, my hope is that the majority enjoyed it. Grew from it. Questioned themselves. Or felt encouraged. Here's to happy hoping! And to having Faith (one of those F words of mine!) in my little voice reaching someone out there in Internet land.
So tis the season y'all!
Through the hustle and bustle, I have been trying to figure out what Christmas traditions I want to create and continue with my family. It wasn't until this year that the weight of this task really showed itself. Christmas traditions? Sheesh those are easy! I can bake some cookies and ice those suckers left and right handed! Done! We can watch The Grinch until we script it in our sleep! Pandora stations? Check! Tree? Decorations? Yep! Christmas crafts? Games? Thanks Pinterest! Trip to see Santa? She was a pro!
But what about CHRISTmas traditions?
*crickets*
When you realize YOU are responsible for ministering to your child.... for teaching him/her about the meaning of Christmas. Yikes. That's a big weight on your shoulders as a parent. At least for me, because I tend to go off the deep end when it comes to worrying, and I'm already worrying about future Christmas, like say Christmas 2030, when my daughter is 16 and hates my opinion on any and everything.
How do I do that? How do I make Jesus the big part of Christmas without pushing my daughter away from Him? How do I make Him the celebration, when so many others are trying to push Him out of the holiday? How do I celebrate Christmas when it's frowned upon to say "Merry Christmas" anymore? How do I explain the Christmas Story to a 2-year old?
Easy. Give it to God. Ask for help. Pray about it. And get down to their level of understanding.
I realize I can't make my daughter believe or follow Him. But I can encourage and teach and show and answer and pray and love her through. Maybe my daughter will struggle with believing in the future years to come. I'll admit, I did. I've walked away from God too many times to count, but yano what? Our God is forgiving. And I'm grateful for that, because I keep coming back.
So what traditions are we excited to try this year to keep focused on God? And before I go on, I realize these traditions will likely not be as interesting/magical for her in the years to come. BUT they are a great starting place to introduce Jesus, learn His story, and ignite curiosity and questions.*
-Books. I don't force them. Her everyday books (Dr. Seuss, Llama Llama, Goodnight Moon, Brown Bear) are all intermingled together with Christmas books both classics and Christian (The Night Before Christmas, The Story, Rudolph, The Stable, Christmas in the Manger). We read every Christmas book that we unpacked the very first night, and the one I've read the most since that night is The Christmas in the Manger.
-Music. We Pandora it up throughout the day. And within the last month our stations have either been Phil Whickman (Mommy's music) or Mickey Mouse Holiday. She knows the words to Jingle Bells, One Thing Remains, Forever Reign, The Stand, and We Wish You a Merry Christmas.
-The Nativity Scene. We will be visiting family for Christmas and my parents have an incredible Nativity Scene that we will play with and talk about.
-Giving/Helping Others. There are SO many options for this! I'm hoping to go more in depth on this tradition in another post next week. But we made it a point once we became parents to follow through with this, especially during the holidays. The first 2 years we did the Angel Tree and this year we participated in Operation Christmas Child.
-12 Days of Christmas. This can tie in with the giving tradition. We aren't doing 12 Days of Christmas this year since our little family is apart this Christmas, but it's something I would like to start next year.
-Making Church our Routine. "Church is on Sunday." She knows the routine. She knows she gets to grab a doughnut after. Maybe one day she'll decide she doesn't want to go, and it won't be forced on her. But until then I'll make it an enjoyable time and part of our weekly schedule.
-Attitude. Promote grace. Promote kindness. Show love. Happiness. Thankfulness. Be blessed. Share those blessings with others.
-Celebrating Jesus' Birthday. I remember doing this as a kid with my parents. My mom would make cupcakes or cookies or pancakes on Christmas morning and after opening our presents we would sing Happy Birthday to Jesus, complete with a candle.
I love the idea of Santa and know he is part of the Christmas celebration and he will be a part of ours, but I want to also keep our Christmas as Christ focused as we can because that's what we believe. John 3:16-17.
So share with me! What are some favorite childhood traditions? What traditions will your family use to celebrate Jesus? I'd love to know! (And steal your ideas ;) )
He said, "Above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don't believe in magic will never find it." -Ronald Dahl
So what is today's favorite F word? Fun. Fun in the sense of traditions. Of celebration. Of the magic Christmas holds. Not just with Santa and his 8 flying reindeer, but also in the magic of the birth of Jesus our Savior. See you Tuesday!
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