Christmas Traditions

I grew up with no Christmas traditions, mainly because my parents are from Hong Kong and grew up with no Christmas at all. We had a few decorations, and we finally inherited a fake tree when I was in high school, but all in all, Christmas was a quiet, uneventful day in my home.

Then there's the Bairds. Their traditions began with the chopping of the tree the morning after Thanksgiving and didn't end until every last present was opened. Their house was full of activity and song, lights and candles, angels and snowmen. On Christmas eve, they dressed up in bathrobes to reenact the Biblical story, and on Christmas day, they ate cinnamon rolls for breakfast. And that was what one could expect at their house, every year.

When I had kids, I had to think about starting my own Christmas traditions. Because I had longed for them myself when growing up, I knew how important they were. Traditions, though they should not take the place of the actual significance of the holiday itself, give children a sense of expectation and unity. Some families make a birthday cake for Jesus or open a "present" with Bible verses in it to remember the true meaning of the day. Others drive around and admire lights, take a photo with Santa, or volunteer at a soup kitchen. I have heard of a fun tradition involving the wise men from a nativity set. Once Mary, Joseph, and the baby are set up, the wise men move throughout the house to find their way to the manger. Every day they change to a new location, and the children go on a hunt through out the house to find them. On the day of Epiphany, the wise men will finally arrive at the manger. So far, I have adopted only three traditions for my own family, two of which are advent in nature.

The first is that we join my in-laws and drive into the mountains to the Tabacco Ranch Tree Farm to chop a tree. Every child helps saw down the tree, and we eat lunch in the midst of the fog, sun, and fresh air. The view from atop the mountains this year was exceptional. When the fog cleared, we saw the Pacific Ocean glistening on the horizon.

Our nativity and wrapped books

The second involves finding Christmas picture books, twenty-four of them. Some I own, and some come from the library. The books are wrapped and placed under the Christmas tree, and every night, starting on December 1st, a child chooses a book to unwrap and read together. What makes this fun is the surprise of unwrapping the book, the pleasure of reading a book that is a known favorite, discovering new favorites along the way,  and, for mom and dad, not having to listen to the kids ask, "Can we open a present early? Just a peek?" My method is to wrap only a few books at a time (library books always go first), then reuse the old paper to wrap a new book for the following night. (For a list of our favorite Christmas stories, go to my more recent post: Our Favorite Christmas Stories.)

Twenty-four days of socks!

The third tradition involves a little more work. On a long string, I hang twenty-four Christmas-y socks (twelve pairs). In them, I put scripture passages that narrate the Christmas story, along with an ornament to match the verse. Because I have only twelve ornaments, I alternate the verses with Christmas carols that relate to the verse of the previous day (which makes 24 days in all!). I also put in little treats or gifts. Every morning, starting on December 1st, we will take down a sock, read the verses inside, and hang up the ornament, or sing a Christmas carol and enjoy a treat. There are many variations of this stocking idea that you can do. A friend of mine found verses that described a name of Jesus (the Word, the Light of the World, the Bread of Life...) which then became a clue to where a treat is hidden in the house. For example, if the clue was 'Light of the World', the prize was by a light switch or a lamp. At the end of this entry I have listed verses that you can use, if you choose to try this idea this year. You can also simply read the verses together, or come up with a new activity altogether!

Along with these traditions, my family makes presents, cookies, cards (stamps and collage), and wrapping paper (potato stamping, or try a new vegetable like boy choy! My husband stamped with the bottom third of a baby bok choy and made wrapping paper covered with beautiful roses!) One year, we twisted two different colored pipe cleaners together to make mini candy canes to hang on the tree, and cut out snowflakes from paper to tape to our windows. We try to use what we have, minimizing on cost and maximizing on creativity, with the intention to teach the children that Christmas is not about being flashy, and that a true gift does not need to be big, expensive, or perfect.

But whether you use a store-bought advent calendar, go caroling around your neighborhood, or simply buy a tree off a lot and decorate it together, Christmas traditions are about being together and remembering what the holiday is really about. If you have some fun traditions, feel free to share them with me!

The Names of Jesus-

John 1:1-2~ the Word

John 6:35~ the Bread of Life

John 10:7-10~ the Gate

John 10:14-16~ the Good Shepherd

John 1:29~ the Lamb of God

John 11:25-26~ the Life

John 15:1-8~ the Vine

John 8:12~ the Light of the World

Christmas Story Passages with Corresponding Ornaments and Carols-

(remember that these are only a suggestion, change them to suit your needs or preferences)

Day 1-2) Luke 1:26-38~ Mary, O Come O Come Emmanuel

Day 3-4) Matt 1:18-25~ Joseph, Silent Night

Day 5-6) Luke 2:1-6~ donkey, O Little Town of Bethlehem

Day 7-8) Luke 2:7~ Jesus, Away in the Manger

Day 9-10) Luke 2:8-9~ shepherds, The First Noel

Day 11-12) Luke 2:10-14~ angels, Angels We Have Heard on High

Day 13-14) Luke 2:15-20~ sheep, Go Tell it on the Mountain

Day 15-16) Matt 2:1-6~ Magi, We Three Kings

Day 17-18) Matt 2:7-10~ Magi, O Come All Ye Faithful

Day 19-20) Matt 2:11-12~ Magi, God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen

Day 21-22) Matt 2:13-23~ camel, What Child is This

Day 23-24) John 3:16~ world, Joy to the World