Tradition

Every family has traditions for various occasions throughout the year. Birthdays, meals, holidays, and seasons are all opportunities to establish various traditions that may become meaningful enough to be passed down from generation to generation. Other traditions may be ones from your childhood that you shared with a sibling or friend and as you matured the practice no longer continued but the memory of it can instantly cause a smile to spread across your face.

I am a sentimental person. I love family and close friends. Needless to say, I appreciate traditions - ones that are healthy and meaningful. Therefore, consider this to be an intro to the next number of posts that will be written. Some will simply be about sweet memories, others will be traditions that continue, and some will have nothing to do with Christmas but simply related to the season of life that we are in.

Decorating. I like to decorate. I like to change things. My lil' sis and Dawson just smile when they are looking for something in the kitchen and can't find it. I smile and tell them where the new home of the cooking utensils are because I found a better place for them or rearranged how things are on my countertops (I have changed my countertops at least four times this year alone). All that to say, I don't despise decorating for Christmas or various seasons. I enjoy spending time with the family, getting out the decorations, and talking about the specialness (if that is even a word) of the season. For me, the key is the meaning and sentiment of it all.

Growing up we didn't have a lot of decorations. Lil' sis and I had stockings that were beautifully hand-knit by one of my Aunts (my mother's oldest sister). We would hang those on the railing at the top of the stairs (we had a bi-level). Our tree was artificial and I loved to help decorate it. My dad was the one who taught me how to decorate the tree. He would set the tree up first with me and lil' sis handing him the various pieces. Then he put the lights on the tree. Dad loves blinking lights! Next was garland which would either be gold or silver. My parents had a funky tree topper that was red and gold with little bells hanging on it. Finally, we were able to help with the ornaments. There were glass balls with snowmen or bells or snow covered houses. Mom also had various ornaments from her students over the years. That was it. Decorating was done. It didn't take very long. The most annoying part was getting the boxes out of and back into the attic. I loved the time I had with my Dad, decorating and listening to Christmas music from his old records while mom was inevitably baking something in the kitchen.

In 1991 I was introduced to another family's Christmas traditions. The Campbell's. The day after Thanksgiving every box was taken out of the crawl space. Simms was outside with his dad setting up the lights (my dad never set up lights outside the house. Other people did that and we would drive around to ooh and ahh at their decorative talent). Meanwhile, Mom Campbell would place the designated decorations for each room of their downstairs. Wow. All I had ever known was a tree and stockings. She decorated their great room, kitchen, family room, living room and bathroom. They always purchased a real tree and it was a big one. They did lights and beads and ornaments on the tree. There were stories behind the ornaments...grandma so and so's or representing a trip to such and such.

Simms and I married and have been establishing our own tradition in decorating for the season, intertwining what we cherished from our own families. We do have lights outside...only white lights. Inside we have an artificial tree (it looks real...and we actually did get a real one for two or three years but then we got a dog and then a baby so we took the plunge and made the purchase) with non-blinking colored lights on it. We use gold beads instead of gold garland (his mom had all different kinds of beads) and the ornaments are meaningful. We have "family" ornaments that mark something special about that year in our life - and I continue to purchase at least one new ornament each and every year. I also have some of my Gramma's old ornaments - that have the same snowman, bells and snow covered homes. Because of their age, the glass balls are no longer opaque but now have a unique translucence to them. We also have some of Simms' mothers' ornaments and some of his grandmother's as well. The bottom portion of the tree includes all of the unbreakables that cannot be harmed by the dog's tail or a curious toddler. Some of my favorite ornaments are those that remind us of the true purpose of our yearly celebration...something that we should ponder and meditate on daily. This year both Jeter and Barber helped me hang the ornaments. It was such fun to see them picking which one they would hang and arrange on the tree. I took time to point to the glass star we hang below our tree topper (which is two bows put together) and talk about how it represents the star of Bethlehem. We talk about the precious gift of the birth of Jesus and point out the shepherds that travel to meet our Savior. I continue to decorate and the boys join their Daddy to help hang the boughs from each window or bundle up to "help" with the lights outside. We have more decorations than just a tree and stockings (my dear Aunt made a stocking for each of my boys and we hang them on the railing downstairs...the boys LOVE THEM!!!). There are decorations that I include in each room downstairs (kitchen, family room, dining room, foyer and bathroom). We have a mantle that I decorate with greens and flowers and my most favorite centerpiece. A simple creche set. It is hand carved from olive wood. No paint or decor. Just simple representatives of Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus...and a couple of sheep too. Simms' parents brought it back to us from their trip to Israel.

My favorite part of this time is spending it with family. All of us enjoying what we are doing and using the moments to impart truth into the lives of these precious sons that we have been blessed with.