Faith-based Holiday Traditions (children ment'd/pic'd)

[Daviso]

The holiday season will be here before we know it. I thought it would be fun to discuss what holiday traditions we keep that pay honor to our Lord and help us to remember the true reason we celebrate.

One we use is on Christmas Eve when my side of the family gets together to celebrate. We make a birthday cake and sing happy birthday to Jesus. We pray and acknowledge the reason we are all gathered before we start in on the festivities.

[TracyinMN]

We don't have any that are strictly sacred anymore - I mean, we still have all the usual, and I always remind the girls what the true meaning of Christmas is, but we don't have anything in particular that secular families don't also do.

However, until my grandpa died about 13 years ago, every year at our Christmas celebration with him (usually on the 23rd) he would "read" the Christmas story. I don't remember which gospel he would recite from, but he did it every year and we'd all gather around and listen - as he got older we started video taping it, which is nice.

For a while we had my dad (his oldest) take on the tradition, but now that grandma is also gone, we haven't done that in a while.

Maybe we oughta start again, hmmm?

[Daviso]

Tracy,

I think starting that tradition again would be wonderful! It sounds like it was very important to your grandfather to make it a point to do it every year. I think he would've liked the idea of someone carrying on his tradition.

I am so glad you were able to get your grandfather on video doing this tradition! It's nice to have that video to go back to.

[BC-lisa in venice]

Besides the christmas services, my favorite is the midnight candlelight service we also go to the carol service a couple of weeks before Christmas and celebrate Advent. I make a wreath and we light the candles at dinner every week. We also use a new prayer for every week starting on that Sunday. Just as we start on Advent we don't finish the holiday season until 12th night (The Epiphany).

Oh and every year for the past 16, we have had kids in the Christmas pageant
Rachel as an Angel circa 1994


Sam as a Wise Man circa 2004

[Daviso]

Lisa, I love the pics of the children - they're sooooo cute! I have always loved Christmas pageants...

[Daviso]

Originally Posted by Goldie

Christmas Eve at my mom's house...my Dad will tell the story of Christ's birth....We love hearing it over and over..especially from my Dad. This year my niece's son who just turned 3...will be old enough to really "get it."

I do Thanksgiving at my house and right before we eat...I have everyone say one thing that they are thankful for this past year.

Lisa...your children are absolutely beautiful....the true meaning of JOY you have.

Those are great traditions!

[InGodsTime]

We don't have any traditions per say. Now that we have Charleigh, I plan on starting some with her. I will definitely make sure she knows that Christmas isn't about the presents and pretty wrapping. She will know what the real meaning of Christmas is.

I like the idea of the birthday cake and singing to Jesus. We will be out of state this year so we won't be able to do our Christmas Eve services at our home church. I'm kinda bummed about that. I don't know if the side of the family we are visiting are into church or not.

[Sconi]

We celebrate Advent and the 7 Fishes on Christmas Eve (Italian meatless feast).

I love everyone's traditions! I wish caroling was big here but it is not done at all.

[Daviso]

Originally Posted by Sconi

We celebrate Advent and the 7 Fishes on Christmas Eve (Italian meatless feast).

I've heard of this before from a lady I use to work for. Do you have certain fish recipes that you use each year... Do they have to be seven different kinds, or how does that work. I'm not too familar with it...

[BC-Tracik]

We celebrate Advent.... starting the season with a fabulous advent festival. My kids love making the wreath and then lighting the candles and reading the prayers that go with each candle. The week before Christmas our church has their Christmas pageant and my kids have always been in it, though this year Mateo will neither be able to be in it nor go to the pageant We also have a great advent Calendar that the kids do, along with their chocolate ones.

We also bring in the kids heritage and have Tamales for dinner on christmas eve.

Our kids also only get 3 presents from us, representing the 3 kings (though last year alondra complained that one is always books ... though she likes them her list gets longer each year and books don't fall high on it). They also get one present from Santa. we also request that grandparents, aunts/uncles, cousins don't give them more then 2 packages, otherwise the whole day becomes about excess instead of Christ.