Christmas Traditions

I never really thought about what Christmas traditions our family has. We don't really have any big ones, but this year, I tried to pay attention to see what things my family does to celebrate the holiday season.

1. Setting up Grandma Joyce's porcelain nativity. These wise men have been shattered a few times over the years, but a couple hours of patience and super-glue usually fixed them up again. It's always my job to set it up, ever since I was little, so this year, I did it the day after Thanksgiving just so no one would steal my job, although it looks like someone was playing with the lambs. :)

2. Getting a FRESH Christmas tree. One of my favorite memories from when I was little was the smell of Christmas trees. There were a few years when we used a fake one, but it's just not the same! For the past few years, we've gone back to getting a real tree, and I love it! This year, the best tree we found was only a little over 6 feet tall, which looks a little anticlimactic standing in a corner of the room where the ceiling is twelve feet, so Mom had the brilliant idea of setting it up on a box. Voila! Giant tree! And it leaves more room for presents underneath. ;)

3. Putting Grandma Joyce's star on the tree. Ok, so this tradition changed a little bit this year. Usually, when we set up the tree, we put this beautiful crystal star thing on the tree, and then Christmas Eve night, we read about the Star of Bethlehem and switch the star on top to Grandma Joyce's that lights up. This year, though, Dad decided that this star deserves to be out from the beginning, 

so we've just had it up there the whole time.

4. Opa reciting The Night Before Christmas. From memory because he's cool like that. The picture is bad quality, but all the grandkids are completely captivated.

5. Going to see Ballet Etudes' The Nutcracker at Chandler Center for the Arts. I went to this every single year when I was little, watching Aunt Louisa and Aunt Emily. Opa was the president of the ballet company for awhile, and I was even in it a couple of years. Now, I take little ballerina Tressie to it, and she surprisingly sits through it without any problems. Afterwards, she dances through the isles singing at the top of her lungs, and this year, I had to carry her out with her arms above her head like the Sugar Plum Fairy. That girl... ;)

6. Reindeer hay. For the past 10 years, ever since Jace's kindergarten class with Miss Greta, we have had the tradition of leaving out a pile of magic reindeer hay for Santa's reindeer. Hay, oats, and magic sparkles to help those reindeer fly. This year, Tressie is in Miss Greta's preschool, and Troy sometimes goes with her in the morning before afternoon kindergarten, so we got 2 bags!

7. Christmas lights. Ok, so we were lazy this year and didn't go all out with the bushes. And usually, I make the trees into candy-canes with red and white lights and little snow-men at the bases. Oh well. At least they got the lights up before I got home this year. Sadly, that's an accomplishment.

8. Cox family Christmas fireside. Every year, whichever descendants of Max and Ruth Cox (my great-grandparents) happen to be in town get together for the annual nativity fireside. All the cousins younger than twelve dress up and put on the Nativity. This usually means there are 30 wisemen, 20 shepherds, 10 sheep (we had real sheep on year!), and 50 little angels on stage. Yay for huge families. Numbers vary from year to year. This year, we were a little low, but it was still cute. And then after, we have a family talent show. I ended up singing a spontaneous The First Noel with Uncle Mark improvising a piano accompaniment. Woot! It was a fun time.

Tressie the exuberant angel

Troy the wise man sitting on a plastic camel

Cute cousins

9. Fire in the fireplace with Santa's cookies and milk and a carrot for a reindeer. Poor Tressie fell asleep before we even got around to this tonight. Troy was very excited to give Santa 

the biggest ginger-bread man we had. 

10. And this year, we're trying out a new tradition. I convinced Santa to move everything out of the basement storage room before tonight so that us kids could all sleep down here together, not locked in our rooms. We just finished watching Elf, but people are kinda yearning for their own beds despite the giant Monstersak, the comfy couch, and the king-sized mattress on the floor. We'll see if the tradition sticks. 

Who knows what time we'll be up in the morning. With littles, it could always be early, but I'm pretty sure we're not allowed upstairs until 7 AM. I might need a nap tomorrow. :) 

Merry Christmas, all! Enjoy the family time, and remember to reflect on the important role 

that Christ plays in our lives! :)