Christmas Season Traditions Part 2
by Kimberly Bytheway and Diane H. Loveridge
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The birth of the Savior is such a memorable even that the entire month of December can be filled with celebration. Try extending the Christmas season with traditions sprinkled all throughout the month, taking as many opportunities as possible to gather together, to enjoy one another, and to revel in the joy and gladness of the holiday.
Baking Day
Have a family "cookie and goodie" day. Invite all extended family members who can attend to join you as you bake, cook, and concoct delicious treats to be delivered to friends and neighbors.
Elves Among Us
Enlist one of Santa's elves to live at your home in the days before Christmas. Have him leave little personal items around the house to remind the children that he is always taking notes for Santa. Give him a bed to sleep in (one that somehow never gets made in the morning after he awakens), and watch as the family members remain on their best behavior.
Christmas Vacation
Christmas is a wonderful time to take a vacation as a family, particularly if you have no extended family nearby. The family agrees to spend the "Christmas budget" on something they can enjoy together: the trip. The memories and good times will be the greatest present they receive every year.
The Clauses Go to the Hospital
Dress the family as Santa and his elves, or as the "Claus family." Visit a hospital and spread cheer to those who must spend their holiday away from home. Sing and deliver presents and goodwill.
Lumberjack's Tree
Get a permit and go to a forested area near your home to cut down your own family Christmas tree. For those who love to have real trees without the nursery prices, these "do it yourself" chopped trees give special meaning to the event.
Christmas Symbols
As the family gathers to decorate the house for Christmas, explain to everyone the meaning behind the symbols of Christmas. For example, the green of the tree represents life, the red ornaments the blood of the crucified Lord, the candy cane the crooked staff of the shepherds, the stars the Bethlehem star making the Savior's birthplace, the candle the "light of the world," and the wreath symbolizes the eternal round of everlasting life that the Savior gave us.
A Stocking for Jesus
Hang a stocking for Jesus on the mantel, and fill it with notes listing all the good things that the family members commit to do to better themselves and those around them.
Old-Fashioned Sleigh Ride
Wherever possible, take a traditional horse-drawn sleigh ride. Be sure to bring along your singing voices to add to the spirit of the special occasion.
Family Picture Tree
Decorate two different trees. Enjoy one traditional tree, complete with presents underneath, but have another, smaller tree with pictures of ever family member under it as a reminder to all that the family is the greatest gift.
Christmas Book
"Right after Thanksgiving dinner we all head to the living room, and I bring in a book beautifully wrapped in Christmas paper. The children take turns each year opening it. It is a Christmas book to welcome in the Christmas season. We read one of our Christmas books ever day until Christmas Eve, when we read from the most important book of all, the scriptures." -Barry and Lucie Gibbons
Advent Candle
"One of our favorite new traditions is the use of a Christmas advent candle, marked into twenty-five segments. Beginning on the first of December, the candle is lit and burned down to the first mark, then blown out. While the candle is burning, we read scriptures pertaining to Christ. After the candle is blown out, we have family prayer. By doing this every day before Christmas, our family keeps the holiday in its proper perspective." -Elaine Woodruff
Christmas Puzzle
"During the Christmas holidays, to keep the children home more and to motivate their friends to visit, we always put up a large jigsaw puzzle--a simple one when the children were small, and more difficult ones as they became older. Sometimes the holidays were nearly over before the puzzle was finished, but it created a real sense of family togetherness as well as happy memories." -Emily Tyler
Decorate as a Family
"Our extended family all gets together for a `family decorating night' at my parents' home. We each bring one plate of hors d'oeuvres to share, and we spend the evening helping Mom and Dad put up their lights, garlands, and tree. It is a fun way for us all to feel the spirit of the special season." -Rebekah Perkins Crawford
The Family Tree
"Our family has a favorite tree-decorating tradition. Every person in our family has a special ornament with his or her name on it, and we all help decorate the tree by hanging our own ornaments. When children or grandchildren are born, or when someone gets married, the new member of the family receives his or her own ornament to hang on the family tree." -Julie Knapp Meyer
Tangible Gifts for Jesus
"Each year you can buy a gift for Jesus from your family. The children can work to earn money for a gift. Gift suggestions might include a new book for the ward library or toys for the ward nursery." -Marion Clark
Choir Concerts
"Every year, our family goes to hear the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas program. It has become one of my favorite concerts in the entire year, and we love to hear the praises sung to the Savior as we celebrate the day of his birth." -Tiffany L. Johnson
Grandparents' Treat
"My parents take all their children and grandchildren to a Christmas play somewhere in town following the eating of sack lunches in their home." -Kay Cannon
Straw for His Manger
"At Christmastime, we have our small porcelain baby Jesus in his swaddling clothes lying in his manger. Whenever anyone in the family does a good deed for another family member, we add a piece of straw to his manger." -Ruth Egan
= link =
The birth of the Savior is such a memorable even that the entire month of December can be filled with celebration. Try extending the Christmas season with traditions sprinkled all throughout the month, taking as many opportunities as possible to gather together, to enjoy one another, and to revel in the joy and gladness of the holiday.
Baking Day
Have a family "cookie and goodie" day. Invite all extended family members who can attend to join you as you bake, cook, and concoct delicious treats to be delivered to friends and neighbors.
Elves Among Us
Enlist one of Santa's elves to live at your home in the days before Christmas. Have him leave little personal items around the house to remind the children that he is always taking notes for Santa. Give him a bed to sleep in (one that somehow never gets made in the morning after he awakens), and watch as the family members remain on their best behavior.
Christmas Vacation
Christmas is a wonderful time to take a vacation as a family, particularly if you have no extended family nearby. The family agrees to spend the "Christmas budget" on something they can enjoy together: the trip. The memories and good times will be the greatest present they receive every year.
The Clauses Go to the Hospital
Dress the family as Santa and his elves, or as the "Claus family." Visit a hospital and spread cheer to those who must spend their holiday away from home. Sing and deliver presents and goodwill.
Lumberjack's Tree
Get a permit and go to a forested area near your home to cut down your own family Christmas tree. For those who love to have real trees without the nursery prices, these "do it yourself" chopped trees give special meaning to the event.
Christmas Symbols
As the family gathers to decorate the house for Christmas, explain to everyone the meaning behind the symbols of Christmas. For example, the green of the tree represents life, the red ornaments the blood of the crucified Lord, the candy cane the crooked staff of the shepherds, the stars the Bethlehem star making the Savior's birthplace, the candle the "light of the world," and the wreath symbolizes the eternal round of everlasting life that the Savior gave us.
A Stocking for Jesus
Hang a stocking for Jesus on the mantel, and fill it with notes listing all the good things that the family members commit to do to better themselves and those around them.
Old-Fashioned Sleigh Ride
Wherever possible, take a traditional horse-drawn sleigh ride. Be sure to bring along your singing voices to add to the spirit of the special occasion.
Family Picture Tree
Decorate two different trees. Enjoy one traditional tree, complete with presents underneath, but have another, smaller tree with pictures of ever family member under it as a reminder to all that the family is the greatest gift.
Christmas Book
"Right after Thanksgiving dinner we all head to the living room, and I bring in a book beautifully wrapped in Christmas paper. The children take turns each year opening it. It is a Christmas book to welcome in the Christmas season. We read one of our Christmas books ever day until Christmas Eve, when we read from the most important book of all, the scriptures." -Barry and Lucie Gibbons
Advent Candle
"One of our favorite new traditions is the use of a Christmas advent candle, marked into twenty-five segments. Beginning on the first of December, the candle is lit and burned down to the first mark, then blown out. While the candle is burning, we read scriptures pertaining to Christ. After the candle is blown out, we have family prayer. By doing this every day before Christmas, our family keeps the holiday in its proper perspective." -Elaine Woodruff
Christmas Puzzle
"During the Christmas holidays, to keep the children home more and to motivate their friends to visit, we always put up a large jigsaw puzzle--a simple one when the children were small, and more difficult ones as they became older. Sometimes the holidays were nearly over before the puzzle was finished, but it created a real sense of family togetherness as well as happy memories." -Emily Tyler
Decorate as a Family
"Our extended family all gets together for a `family decorating night' at my parents' home. We each bring one plate of hors d'oeuvres to share, and we spend the evening helping Mom and Dad put up their lights, garlands, and tree. It is a fun way for us all to feel the spirit of the special season." -Rebekah Perkins Crawford
The Family Tree
"Our family has a favorite tree-decorating tradition. Every person in our family has a special ornament with his or her name on it, and we all help decorate the tree by hanging our own ornaments. When children or grandchildren are born, or when someone gets married, the new member of the family receives his or her own ornament to hang on the family tree." -Julie Knapp Meyer
Tangible Gifts for Jesus
"Each year you can buy a gift for Jesus from your family. The children can work to earn money for a gift. Gift suggestions might include a new book for the ward library or toys for the ward nursery." -Marion Clark
Choir Concerts
"Every year, our family goes to hear the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas program. It has become one of my favorite concerts in the entire year, and we love to hear the praises sung to the Savior as we celebrate the day of his birth." -Tiffany L. Johnson
Grandparents' Treat
"My parents take all their children and grandchildren to a Christmas play somewhere in town following the eating of sack lunches in their home." -Kay Cannon
Straw for His Manger
"At Christmastime, we have our small porcelain baby Jesus in his swaddling clothes lying in his manger. Whenever anyone in the family does a good deed for another family member, we add a piece of straw to his manger." -Ruth Egan