When Kyle and I got married we began new traditions as we spend one Christmas with his family and one with mine. When we spend Christmas with Kyle's family we go up to the family cabin in Big Bear and on Christmas Eve we go bowling and eat out at Sizzler's. Then on Christmas Day we go skiing and then come home and open presents. With my family we still open 1 present on Christmas Eve and have a big family dinner.
My mentor mom's email got me thinking about new traditions that Kyle and I could begin now that we have a family of our own. We are beginning with #9.
Here are some of her suggestions:
1) Have your children help pick out a gift that they can give to any number of organizations that help, the poor and needy.
2) We made an ornament each year out of the photo of my kids sitting with Santa at the mall. Since I have 2 kids I made 2 each year so that when they move out some day they will each have their own set . The kids love looking at the past years as you hang them on the tree each year--- and so do I! .(you can get those ornament frames or just laminate . Be sure to put date on the back)
3) On Christmas eve (after they go to bed) take one of your husbands shoes and dip the sole in flour and make tracks from the fireplace (or window or door)toward the gifts. Young ones think it is Santa’s snowy boots.
4) We have a manger where we can add straw to the baby Jesus bed. The kids tell something that they did which was nice or helpful to someone and then they put a piece of straw down. Then on Christmas morning when we actually put the baby Jesus in his bed it has been
made nice a soft for him to lie in. (this way they learn that loving others is how we show love to Jesus.) Another way is to hang a stocking with Jesus’ name on it and the nice things they do can be written on a piece of paper and then put in His stocking.
5)Christmas morning the kids were told to call us from their beds when they woke up then we would come and gather everyone in one bedroom to read in the Bible, Luke chapter 2 verses 1-20. And say a prayer of thanks. This started off the day celebrating what was really important before they were distracted by all the presents . And yes we still do this.
6) Read a story called The Three Trees to your kids. ( Barnes and Noble has one by Angela Hunt for around $11 and it has illustrations but you can find the story online also)
7) Let the kids pick a Christmas card (that you have received) each night and pray for that family.
8) Have a birthday party for Jesus. Bake a cake, invite your children’s friends and tell them the only gift they have to bring is some canned food for the homeless or a toy (to donate to ie: Toys For
Tots)
9) Lastly , this is not so much Christmas but all year. Starting when my children were babies (but you can start any age) my husband and I as we read our bible would write notes in the margins to our child (one bible for each of our children). We didn’t do it every day and we took turns writing in each childs. Sometimes it pertained to that passage and sometimes it just said “you did such and such today , I love you so much” There are certain bibles that have more
space on the side like The Quest Study Bible. We never showed it to our daughter until she graduated from high school then we gave it to her to go off to college with. She texted me late one night to tell me how much she needed what she was reading from us that night, that
it “reminded me of who I am and that God is always with me.”
2) We made an ornament each year out of the photo of my kids sitting with Santa at the mall. Since I have 2 kids I made 2 each year so that when they move out some day they will each have their own set . The kids love looking at the past years as you hang them on the tree each year--- and so do I! .(you can get those ornament frames or just laminate . Be sure to put date on the back)
3) On Christmas eve (after they go to bed) take one of your husbands shoes and dip the sole in flour and make tracks from the fireplace (or window or door)toward the gifts. Young ones think it is Santa’s snowy boots.
4) We have a manger where we can add straw to the baby Jesus bed. The kids tell something that they did which was nice or helpful to someone and then they put a piece of straw down. Then on Christmas morning when we actually put the baby Jesus in his bed it has been
made nice a soft for him to lie in. (this way they learn that loving others is how we show love to Jesus.) Another way is to hang a stocking with Jesus’ name on it and the nice things they do can be written on a piece of paper and then put in His stocking.
5)Christmas morning the kids were told to call us from their beds when they woke up then we would come and gather everyone in one bedroom to read in the Bible, Luke chapter 2 verses 1-20. And say a prayer of thanks. This started off the day celebrating what was really important before they were distracted by all the presents . And yes we still do this.
6) Read a story called The Three Trees to your kids. ( Barnes and Noble has one by Angela Hunt for around $11 and it has illustrations but you can find the story online also)
7) Let the kids pick a Christmas card (that you have received) each night and pray for that family.
8) Have a birthday party for Jesus. Bake a cake, invite your children’s friends and tell them the only gift they have to bring is some canned food for the homeless or a toy (to donate to ie: Toys For
Tots)
9) Lastly , this is not so much Christmas but all year. Starting when my children were babies (but you can start any age) my husband and I as we read our bible would write notes in the margins to our child (one bible for each of our children). We didn’t do it every day and we took turns writing in each childs. Sometimes it pertained to that passage and sometimes it just said “you did such and such today , I love you so much” There are certain bibles that have more
space on the side like The Quest Study Bible. We never showed it to our daughter until she graduated from high school then we gave it to her to go off to college with. She texted me late one night to tell me how much she needed what she was reading from us that night, that
it “reminded me of who I am and that God is always with me.”
1 comments:
I love these family traditions! So cute. Christine
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