Family Christmas Holiday Tradition gives us freedom and guidance in a period that’s otherwise hectic and stressful, and often unorganized. Tradition gives us a blueprint of how our family anticipates and loves the break season, what they expect, how they want to celebrate.
7. When the break draws nearer, we children got more and more excited. Once we were high-spirited and tempestuous, mom just had a need to say. “Look, an angle’s hair!” And we would look 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. But also for us children this was a certain sign that Christmas was near. Mom left signs of the coming holy night everywhere for us, so we would make sure 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, 1 day the wait was over – the 24th of December dawned. We children had to take a little afternoon nap – I am sure mom needed the time to make last adjustments to the Christmas tree and the arrangement of our Christmas presents. In Europe the Christmas tree is the highlight of the 24th. The tree is hidden from view for kids, and for the very first time noticed in the holy night when the doorway to the Christmas room magically opens. The area 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 bring presents!
9. The nap on the 24th was very hard for us kids. Who will sleep when this kind of excitement is based on the air? Once we finally got up, we laid on our best clothes. Then mom came with the standard Christmas storybook! It absolutely was an account of a little boy named Heinele, who’s mother had sent him out in rags to the bitter cold winter night to market 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 once in heaven, the angles were hectic, trying to find the Golden Star that Christkind had lost since it flew over the winter world on earth. Finally they found the frozen boy, holding the Golden Star tight in his hand. He was dead. They took the boy into heaven. Here it had been warm. It gave plenty to eat, and Heinele was truly happy – probably for the very first time in his young life. But the good boy, as he saw that his mother in the cold house down on earth was crying because her child did not 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 genuine sacrifice.
And while we children hang on every word that originated from mom’s lips, suddenly – first faint but then louder – we heard the clear Christmas bell. It signaled that Christkind was here! We’d rash to the Christmas room. The doors silently swung open. And we would stand there in awe, still and devout, our wide open eyes reflecting Christmas Spirit. The Christmas tree would stand in every its magic beauty – brightly shining with many real candles and magic stars. We’d sing Christmas carols and dad would see the Christmas story from the Holy Bible.
Finally we children could rush to your Christmas presents – many big and little gift-wrapped boxes in every colors, decorated with beautiful ribbons and a fir twig on each gift box. We’d each only a little extra corner right underneath the Christmas tree, and close to the crib where Maria and Josef and the beautiful baby would remind us of the explanation for our joy. To locate our space, the packages had little cards with this names on them. And the Ah and Oh was great!
10. And mom did not forget the lonely people outside. She put a warm shining candle in each window to greet those that 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 in our smiles!
12. The Midnight Christmas mass was for the older kids. I remember sitting in church and seeing the happy smiles on every face. what you need to know about the Christmas holidays This alone showed me that in this special night magic will need to have occurred. I could see the brand new hat, the brand new shawl, new boots that individuals were wearing. Everyone had something new this night. And if it wasn’t a new piece of cloth, it had been the renewed hope and light within their heart that held the promise that life is good and all is well, no matter the life span circumstances.
Today I’m old. My students are out of your home and I’m alone again. But at Christmas time, I still remember my family’s holiday tradition: the haunting scent of Christmas; the dazzling light that lightens the attention that looks into the 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’d given us – a tradition that lives on …
When Christmas holiday draws near, don’t let yourself be burdened by stressful last minute holiday preparations. Follow your time proven family holiday tradition – and in the event that you don’t have a vacation tradition yet, manifest your own personal! Utilize a number of the suggestions I shared with you from our own family Christmas holiday tradition.