Family Christmas Holiday Tradition gives us freedom and guidance in a period that is otherwise hectic and stressful, and often unorganized. Tradition gives us a blueprint of how our family anticipates and loves the vacation season, what they expect, how they want to celebrate.
7. When the vacation draws nearer, we children got more and more excited. Whenever we were high-spirited and tempestuous, mom just needed seriously to say. “Look, an angle’s hair!” And we would try looking in awe and see a truly golden hair. Little did we realize that mom will need to have made some gift packages and the golden threat will need to have fallen on the floor. However for us children this was a sure sign that Christmas was near. Mom left signs of the coming holy night everywhere for us, so we would remember to be good, and patient, and kind. This caused it to be easier for us children, who yearned for that long awaited Christmas Day!
8. Then, one day the wait was over – the 24th of December dawned. We children had to take a little afternoon nap – I am certain that mom needed the full time to create last adjustments to the Christmas tree and the arrangement of our Christmas presents. In Europe the Christmas tree could be the highlight of the 24th. The tree is hidden from view for children, and for initially observed in the holy night when the door to the Christmas room magically opens. The room is locked already the night before Christmas. We children were especially attentive – maybe we would hear a movement in the Christmas room – maybe an angle came by – or the Christkind personally – to create presents!
9. The nap on the 24th was very hard for us kids. Who will sleep when such an excitement lies in the air? Whenever we finally got up, we laid on our best clothes. Then mom was included with the traditional Christmas storybook! It absolutely was a tale of a little boy named Heinele, who’s mother had sent him out in rags to the bitter cold winter night to offer toys to the busy people on the streets – who rushed home with their family celebration without even noticing him. The boy went to the woods and as he looked in the snow – lonely and ice cold – he found the Golden Star of Christmas.
At the same time frame in heaven, the angles were hectic, trying to find the Golden Star that Christkind had lost since it flew over winter months world on earth. Finally they found the frozen boy, holding the Golden Star tight in his hand. He was dead. about the Christmas holidays They took the boy into heaven. Here it was warm. It gave plenty to consume, and Heinele was truly happy – probably for initially in his young life. But the good boy, as he saw that his mother in the cold house down in the world was crying because her child didn’t come home, returned to earth to comfort his mom, bringing her true Christmas love. Love reigned within the joy and comfort of residing in heaven. A true sacrifice.
And while we children hold on every word that came from mom’s lips, suddenly – first faint however louder – we heard the clear Christmas bell. It signaled that Christkind was here! We would rash to the Christmas room. The doors silently swung open. And we would stand there in awe, still and devout, our available eyes reflecting Christmas Spirit. The Christmas tree would stand in most its magic beauty – brightly shining with many real candles and magic stars. We would sing Christmas carols and dad would browse the Christmas story from the Holy Bible.
Finally we children could rush to the Christmas presents – many big and little gift-wrapped boxes in most colors, decorated with beautiful ribbons and a fir twig on each gift box. We’d each only a little extra corner right under the Christmas tree, and near to the crib where Maria and Josef and the beautiful baby would remind us of the cause of our joy. To get our space, the packages had little cards with this names on them. And the Ah and Oh was great!
10. And mom didn’t forget the lonely people outside. She put a hot shining candle in each window to greet people who were lonely and cold this night.
11. The Christmas dinner was another highlight of the day. We’d our traditional fish dinner with potato salad which I loved. The table was set with grace and glister. Each set had a mandarin that held a Christmas candle. Fir twigs were decorating the table. It absolutely was festive and the candle light reflected inside our smiles!
12. The Midnight Christmas mass was for the older kids. From the sitting in church and seeing the happy smiles on every face. This alone showed me that in this special night magic will need to have occurred. I possibly could see the newest hat, the newest shawl, new boots that people were wearing. Everyone had something new this night. And if it wasn’t a fresh little bit of cloth, it was the renewed hope and light in their heart that held the promise that life is good and all is well, regardless of the life span circumstances.
Today I’m old. My students are out of the home and I’m alone again. But at The holidays are, I still remember my family’s holiday tradition: the haunting scent of Christmas; the dazzling light that lightens the eye that looks into the entire world with hope; music and laughter that fills the hearts and the area at Christmas eve. I thank my parents for the wonderful Christmas tradition that they had given us – a history that lives on …
When Christmas holiday draws near, don’t let yourself be burdened by stressful eleventh hour holiday preparations. Follow your own time proven family holiday tradition – and in the event that you don’t have a holiday tradition yet, manifest your own! Utilize some of the suggestions I shared with you from our own family Christmas holiday tradition.