My favorite Christmas memory was caroling to the neighbors. My friend and I were under ten years old and were given the special assignment to sing “Jolly Old Saint Nicholas” as a duet. We felt an elite pride for the job and did our best to spread on the charm. After singing to the neighborhood, our friends would come inside our home for a cookie exchange and cocoa. It was such a cheerful time, so cheerful that I vowed to do this same tradition with my own kids.
Traditions not only give us rosy and glowing memories but they anchor us to the people we celebrate them with. Naturally I have a lot of little traditions for the season that my girls look forward to and I want to share them with you.
- Every year I make a Happy Birthday Jesus cake. We sing Happy Birthday to Jesus and blow out the candles. This is not always on Christmas eve or Christmas day. Many times its before the big day and is a fun way to remember the reason for the season.
2. Advent is kind of my obsession. I could easily add an advent item, activity or thought, each year to the schedule…that is…if I knew it wouldn’t overwhelm me. I understand how bogged down one can get with trying to do all the things, so I usually need to take a step back and ask myself if this tradition is adding joy or stress to the home. We tend to do the simple advent activities.
Our advent consists of 1. getting a piece of candy each day 2. reading a Christmas picture book each night and 3. singing a Christmas hymn by candlelight before bed. I would like to add going over the names of Jesus with talking about one of the names each day. This sets the tone for what Christmas is all about and will only take a minute to discuss in the mornings. I love advent activities because it is something that can be done daily before Christmas day. It is a fun way to lead up to the big day and make the whole month special. I also like to turn Christmas music on in the mornings to wake the girls up for the whole month of December.
3. In addition to advent I try and have special movie days. I made Sunday afternoons after church our movie days. That’s the day we decorate gingerbread houses and bake cookies. It’s a special snack-y kind of afternoon. We go through all the classics and specials….well all our favorites at least….there is just too many to get through. Another fun, yet simple weekly tradition.
4. We try and pick a family to do a secret Santa. My parents always did this. Growing up we picked a family, or a person who was lonely, ill or going through a hard time financially, and we would secretly deliver gifts to them. It was so fun planning out how we would deliver the presents each time and it just felt good to brighten someone’s day.
5. We host a caroling party. We invite friends over and carol to the neighbors. Sometimes we deliver cookies to the neighbors after we sing and sometimes we do it the week before. Afterwards we play minute to win it games and munch on cookies and snacks and of course drink cocoa. It’s always a hit.
6. It’s tradition to visit a few special places during the season. Allentown Lights in the Park Way has a 5 k. What better way to ring in the season than to run in the pathways of Christmas light displays.
7. This was our second time doing a charcuterie board in honor of the shepherds who saw Jesus. We learned about the trade and culture during the time Jesus was born and learned about Jesus being the Good Shepherd.
8. I love old mansions/turned museums, so I make an effort to visit Fonthill Castle as it is all decked out for Christmas. Henry Mercer decided to make his whole home out of concrete. He also made a castle less than a mile from his home. In the castle he preserved old tools from the past that we no longer use and other knick knacks.
9. We also stop by a Peddler’s Village, a colonial style shopping center to view their outstanding Christmas lights and gingerbread house contest. The gingerbread houses are out of this world. There are plenty of shops to visit, lots of places for delicious food and sweets.
It’s tradition to visit Byers Choice. This is a company that makes caroler dolls for all season but especially Christmas. I have a collection of snowmen and two carolers. At their shop you can walk down a Dickens style street, watch a quick video of the making of the company, dress like a caroler, view their museum where hundreds of carolers are on display in lovely Christmas and snowy scenes. and view the workers from a window as they create the dolls. There is also a display of nativity scenes from around the world. You end at the shop where there is plenty to see and buy.
What do you do as a family? We always try a mix of fun and meaningful to fill the season. Traditions can come and go, stay the same or change, but the thing that stays the same is the fun we have together and the memories we create.
Tea Time Book Club 