Christmas Traditions

Christmas greetings from Sandra Robbins!!

I can hardly believe that Christmas is less than a week away. I hope you are closer to being prepared than I am. Every year I promise myself that I will not wait until the last minute, but it seems the time gets away from me before I know it.

I'm excited, though, because all my children will be home for Christmas this year. For the first time in quite a few years the whole family will be here, and I can't wait. My daughter and her husband will arrive from Texas, my grandsons from Holland and New York, and my granddaughter from California. Added to them will be our three children, their spouses, and five children who live nearby. Also in the mix will be aunts, uncles, and cousins. It promises to be a hectic, but happy, time, and we plan to carry out the traditions that have marked our holiday season for many years.

My sister who is a middle school teacher recently asked her students to write a short paragraph about a tradition in their family. It didn't necessarily have to be Christmas. She was shocked at how many students couldn't come up with one thing that their family does together as a tradition. This struck me as very sad.

One of my most beloved traditions has been reading the story of Jesus's birth before we opened presents. I don't know when this practice was started by my father, but I don't remember a Christmas when it wasn't done. My father has been gone for eleven years now, and my elderly mother is in a nursing facility. However, we still carry on the tradition they started many years ago. As my family gathers to celebrate, we will remember their faith and how it has served as the foundation for our family.

If you don't have a Christmas tradition, this would be a good year to start one. If you do have one in your family, leave a comment and let me know what it is.

I hope you have a blessed Christmas!