Christmas traditions??

[hollyh]

I always hear AFTER Christmas all the wonderful ways that people celebrate Christmas and integrate Christ, service, teaching kids, etc. into the holiday season. So, this time I want to hear all your ideas. Even if they seem trivial - they might not be to others reading this, so put them out here! :)

 

For example, we always spend Christmas Eve with a birthday cake for Jesus and read the Bible about Jesus' birth (b/c we know in the morning, the kids will just be focused on their gifts & Santa).

[MrsMommy]

We are all about Christmas traditions!

 

Let's see...every morning in Advent, we do a Jesse Tree reading, and hang the corresponding ornament on our tree. Every afternoon, we read a selection from one of the books in the Jotham's Journey trilogy (this year, we're back to reading the original book again). Every night, we light the appropriate candles on our Advent Wreath, (while singing "O Come, O Come Emmanuel"), and say our evening prayers.

 

For service, we bake cookies, and then take several plates to one or more of the local firehouses and/or police stations. We also go caroling at a few nursing homes.

 

On Christmas Eve, like you, we have a birthday cake for Jesus (the Sunday School also does this the night before Christmas Eve, but we were doing it first, so we just have both!). On Christmas morning, after church, before opening presents, we read the Christmas Story.

 

This year, I'm going to be adding the readings for the "O Antiphons" to our Advent Wreath time in the days leading up to Christmas Eve. We also go to all of the church services we can at our church...Wednesday night Advent services, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, in addition to the regular Sunday services.

 

We also have fun things we do...go to Merry Tuba Christmas, see some kind of performance (Nutcracker, Boar's Head Festival, etc.), attend a German Advent/Christmas service, and go to local Christmas events.

 

Christmas School is a big part of our Christmas celebrations, too. We make crafts (some to be given as gifts, like ornaments), and read tons of books, some religious, some not. And we listen to Christmas music constantly.

 

I'm sure there's other stuff that I'm so used to doing, it doesn't come immediately to mind. Christmas is my favorite time of year...I love everything about it!