When I was a kid growing up on Whidbey Island, we would always go to a local farm and cut down a Christmas tree. The farm had a "reindeer" that we got to ride and hot apple cider and cocoa for afterwards. I still remember the styrofoam cups and how scalding the cider was to drink. Another special tradition that started at my Aunt Judy's house was the Christmas tree fairy. Each tree had a fairy that lived in the branches and I would talk to her about anything and while I was sleeping, she would leave gumdrops for me in my bedroom. I remember kneeling under our tree and truly believing that this fairy was there and listening. Oh, childhood innocence!
When my kids were small, I knew that I wanted to start new traditions. It's easy to get overwhelmed and think we need to DO IT ALL or our kids are somehow missing out, but I think having just two or three traditions makes it fun and special. We enjoy family movie nights where we pick a Christmas-themed movie, get in our pjs, and have a special snack like the individual bags of kettle corn from Trader Joe's. Another favorite tradition is jumping in our van and driving around nearby neighborhoods looking at everyone's Christmas lights while listening to carols on the radio.
Lastly, it's important to me to teach my kids about giving (because in reality, they are obsessed with their wish lists and what they are going to get) so we have done different family giving opportunities over the years. For a few years, we bought small gifts and wrote cards and stuffed them into shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child; one year we bought gift cards and wrote encouraging notes for foster teens and I had the kids draw pictures in the cards for them; and another time, we let each kid pick an animal donation out of the World Vision catalog for needy families in other countries.
Now that you've heard about some of my favorite Christmas traditions, I'd love to hear about yours!
Merry Christmas!
Rachel
