One thing I just love about Christmas is all the warm memories associated with the season for me. A huge part of those memories involves traditions.
Traditions about the tree and decorations, traditions about the ornaments we get each year, and traditions even about who does what. For example, only Mommy gets to put the lights on the Christmas tree. My mom did that growing up, and now both my sister and I do that in our homes.
When ornaments go on the tree next, there is a story behind them all. We have a tradition of giving each member of the family an ornament each year – often purchased during the year and not at Christmas time.
The kids like to ask “What does this ornament stand for?” and hear the story about each one. They get to hang their own ornaments and they get to watch us hang ours. But it is an activity that stirs a lot of conversations and story-telling.
This is an ornament that Evan made when he was just over a year old. It’s cool to see him compare his hand size now with his handprint on the ornament. And my how that sweet baby boy has grown!
This precious ornament is from my birth year. My mom gave them to the three older kids one year and I always loved seeing these on the tree. Now that Robby, Tamara, and I have homes of our own mine is the only Waterford on the tree. Ones of these days, I’ll have to save up and try to buy my kids’ birth years. So gorgeous.
Sidney was given this Hallmark keepsake ornament the year before Evan was born, while I was pregnant, as a Father’s Day present. It was so memorable and meaningful. He says it is his favorite ornament of all time.
Sidney hanging one of our favorite ornaments. I love this man more every year and am blessed to have him as the father of my children.
This year we picked up this ornament at a Christmas shop this summer when we were taking a road trip. It’s rare to see an ornament big enough to be personalized with everyone in our entire family! So this will be an awesome addition to our tree this year.
This post was my December, 2012, post for Hallmark’s Life is a Special Occasion campaign and I’m so grateful to be able to bring you these glimpses into our life and family happenings. How do you celebrate Christmas? Do you have family traditions and a way to build memories year after year?
Wow. I sort of feel bad for dreading putting decorations on the tree, it always seems like such a chore to me. Probably because our decorations are mix and match from what we could get on sales and what my mom brought with her when she moved in with us.
Maybe it’s time I rethink what the decorations are supposed to symbolize…. thanks 😉
Ours are a complete mish-mash as well but they are a mish-mash of memories, stories and good times. Reframe your POV totally and make it fun. 🙂
Great post! We always put our tree up on December 2nd because my parents did. They did because Mom’s parents did. What December 2nd? Because my grandmother and grandfather got married on that day (50 years of marital… not always bliss) and my mother and father were married on December 2nd, also! They are now at 40 years!
AW! I love that picture of your guy looking at his own picture. SO sweet!
We have a ton of special ornaments, and we usually buy a new one every year to celebrate something special.
We make Jesse Tree ornaments with advent all December long. This year, we are making them for an actual Christmas tree rather than a drawn tree, and it has been fantastic! The kids get to decorate the tree all month long, and we get sit-down devotional time as a family.
My dad was always the one who put the lights on our tree. 🙂 I love the idea of special ornaments each year. I have an ornament from my birth year (just a plastic one with my name & date on it) and a glass ornament from when a Sunday School I attended when I was four. My cousin gave my girls each an angel last year (with their name and date) and I made them ornaments this year with their name and date on it. 🙂
The “trick” to move it from chore mode to fun, is to make the activity a festivity (you know that saying about joy in the journey…not just at the journey’s destination). Tree trimming can involve playing the Christmas records (okay, they are not records anymore but I still call them that)….and the first opportunity for hot chocolate or spiced cider.
Not sure that taking down the tree is ever not a bit of a chore, but we let each one have their own box, and a year or two ago I “upgraded” the boxes from old brown card board recycled to pretty Christmas printed boxes. I got the boxes at an after Christmas sale. That made putting them away even special that year. Another taking down idea is to photograph the special ones as Angela did some here, and create an photo album that features those photos and the stories that go with each ornament. That way they are not forgotten.
Also…a tip – do not use newsprint as it is messy and dirty. Wrap precious ornaments in recycled plastic grocery bags…no mess, and still protective.
I love traditions. What are other traditions cherished by your readers?
My family puts up the ornaments together. We have a mixture of very old ones passed down from grandparents and new ones that we buy along the way. It’s a time for bonding by talking about memories from previous holidays. The ornaments that were given to my daughters go with them when they live on their own. Each year I buy a special ornament for my married daughter for her tree.
All I can do is nod and smile 😉 just yes <3
We celebrate giving. Whether we’re donating food and gifts to our adopted family at church, local food shelters, Operation Christmas child, or buying gifts for family or friends we love to give however we can. We celebrate the birth of Jesus, the ultimate Christmas gift and learn about St. Nicholas the person who had a giving spirit. It’s so neat to watch our girls enjoy giving as much as we do.
Great idea! We gave together as a family through the Operation Christmas Child shoe boxes and it was great to see them caring.
When I was a teenage, Christmas decorating stopped being fun. None of my family members wanted to do the work to bring the stuff down from the attic. The last year I participated my sister still wanted to do it. Together we got everything down and set it up. But when it came time to take it down and put it away I did it alone. It was an unbelievable sad time for me. It wasn’t what Christmas was supposed to be about – like everyone did just what they wanted and left.
After that year I swore never to decorate for xmas again. Now that I have my own family things are different. Decorating the tree is a family event. No tv, no excuses, everyone participates before during and after.