One of my very favorite holidays is Christmas. It's not so much the receiving anymore, no, it's more about the joy I receive in giving.
The past few years I have made the presents I give and when we choose presents on Christmas Morn, I always go for the ones, not to me, but from me. It always makes me feel good to see my siblings and parents unwrap the present I worked on for hours. The fruit of my labors you might say. It feels wonderful to give a little of myself.
We have many traditions to help us keep Christ alive in our hearts during this Christmas season, many of which take place on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
some even take place 4 weeks before Christmas. We always to Advent. We start on the 4th Sunday before Christmas and light one of four candles. on the last Sunday before Christmas we light all four candles having lit a succeeding candle each week preceding. Advent signals the coming of Christ. Then, starting on the first we have Advents we do every day of the month.
On the 5th of December we set out our best shoes and on the morning of the 6th we find treats and books and maybe a little toy from St. Nikolaus. This is called St. Nikolaus tog.
Somewhere in the week before Christmas we decorate sugar cookies and make Austrian Cookies/put them together, all while watching The Sound of Music. I love that tradition sooooo much. It is definitely one of my favorites.
Then on Christmas Eve things really start to hop, but not till the 'eve' part of Christmas Eve. First we go out into the cul-de-sac and sing Christmas carols around a fire with the neighbors. A tradition that was started by a family that moved away about 5 years ago.
After Caroling our family goes inside and eats a feast. It consists of bread, meat, cheese, deviled eggs, smokies, and chips. plus many other good things I can't think of. Then we have a 'concert' a tradition recently started. We sit in the front room and each child that plays an instrument, this year all of us, plays a song and some of us play two.
After the concert we move into the family room where we talk about the true Christmas story, the fact that Christwas. Then we each read our testimonies to the family. Afterword we have the cookies and candy we have made and then we go to bed.
Christmas also happens to be Isaak's birthday so we have to celebrate that. When we wake up on Christmas morning we have to wait until everyone is awake, properly dressed, and showered. Then Dad goes down first (we all have our bedrooms on the same level.) As soon as he says the word we part the curtain and go down the stairs. then Isaak makes a choice, Birthday presents first or Christmas? Truthfully I used to HATE that he could choose this and he would always choose birthday but now if he chooses birthday first it's no big deal because it's all wrong if he chooses Christmas.
After Isaak opens his birthday presents we all line up in age order youngest to oldest. when we hear the glockenspiel we know we can go in. from there it's Christmas, with family, and that's all that matters this time of year.
How can you POSSIBLY take a shower BEFORE present opening. Yes, personal hygiene is good for all, but can't you delay it for an hour or so? I was up since five because of a cramp in my leg, and if everyone at my Grandmas had to shower, which was a lot, I would die.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, that''s quite a lot of tradition you have. Our family just has a chocolate every night. You're going to have a lot to give to your children.
if I were to wake up my parents we'd have to wait even longer, best just to shower and then wake them up.
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