Family Christmas Holiday Tradition gives us freedom and guidance in an occasion that’s otherwise hectic and stressful, and often unorganized. Tradition gives us a blueprint of how our family anticipates and loves the holiday season, what they expect, how they like to celebrate.
7. When the holiday draws nearer, we children got more and more excited. When we were high-spirited and tempestuous, mom just had a need to say. “Look, an angle’s hair!” And we would try looking in awe and see really a golden hair. Little did we know that mom will need to have made some gift packages and the golden threat will need to have fallen on the floor. But for us children this is a sure sign that Christmas was near. Mom left signs of the coming holy night everywhere for people, so we would remember to be good, and patient, and kind. This made it easier for people children, who yearned for that long awaited Christmas Day!
8. Then, one day the wait was over – the 24th of December dawned. We children had to take a little afternoon nap – I believe mom needed enough time to make last adjustments to the Christmas tree and the arrangement of our Christmas presents. In Europe the Christmas tree is the highlight of the 24th. The tree is hidden from view for children, and for the very first time seen in the holy night when the entranceway to the Christmas room magically opens. The area is locked already the night before Christmas. We children were especially attentive – maybe we would hear a movement in the Christmas room – maybe an angle came by – or the Christkind personally – to bring presents!
9. The nap on the 24th was very hard for people kids. Who are able to sleep when this kind of excitement is based on the air? When we finally got up, we laid on our best clothes. Then mom was included with the traditional Christmas storybook! It was a story of a young boy named Heinele, who’s mother had sent him out in rags into the bitter cold winter night to sell toys to the busy people on the streets – who rushed home for their family celebration without even noticing him. The boy went into the woods and as he looked in the snow – lonely and ice cold – he found the Golden Star of Christmas.
At the same time frame in heaven, the angles were hectic, searching for the Golden Star that Christkind had lost since it flew over winter months world on earth. Finally they found the frozen boy, holding the Golden Star tight in his hand. He was dead. They took the boy into heaven. Here it was warm. It gave plenty to eat, and Heinele was truly happy – probably for the very first time in his young life. But the good boy, as he saw that his mother in the cold house down on the planet was crying because her child didn’t come home, returned to earth to comfort his mom, bringing her true Christmas love. Love reigned over the joy and comfort of residing in heaven. A genuine sacrifice.
And while we children wait every word that came from mom’s lips, suddenly – first faint however louder – we heard the clear Christmas bell. It signaled that Christkind was here! We would rash to the Christmas room. The doors silently swung open. And we would stand there in awe, still and devout, our wide open eyes reflecting Christmas Spirit. The Christmas tree would stand in every its magic beauty – brightly shining with many real candles and magic stars. We would sing Christmas carols and dad would browse the Christmas story from the Holy Bible.
Finally we children could rush to the Christmas presents – many big and little gift-wrapped boxes in every colors, decorated with beautiful ribbons and a fir twig on each gift box. We had each a little extra corner right beneath the Christmas tree, and near to the crib where Maria and Josef and the beautiful baby would remind us of the reason behind our joy. To get our space, the packages had little cards with this names on them. And the Ah and Oh was great!
10. And mom didn’t your investment lonely people outside. She put a warm shining candle in each window to greet those that were lonely and cold this night.
11. The Christmas dinner was another highlight of the day. We had our traditional fish dinner with potato salad which I loved. The table was set with grace and glister. Each set had a mandarin that held a Christmas candle. Fir twigs were decorating the table. It was festive and the candle light reflected in our smiles!
12. The Midnight Christmas mass was for the older kids. I recall sitting in church and seeing the happy smiles on every face. This alone showed me that in this special night a miracle will need to have occurred. I possibly could see the brand new hat, the brand new shawl, new boots that everyone was wearing. Everyone had something new this night. And if it was not a fresh little bit of cloth, it was the renewed hope and light inside their heart that held the promise that life is good and all is well, irrespective of the life span circumstances.
Today I am old. what you need to know about the Christmas holidays My children are out of your home and I am alone again. But at The holidays are, I still remember my family’s holiday tradition: the haunting scent of Christmas; the dazzling light that lightens the attention that looks into the world with hope; music and laughter that fills the hearts and the area at Christmas eve. I thank my parents for the wonderful Christmas tradition that they’d given us – a convention that lives on …
When Christmas holiday draws near, don’t let yourself be burdened by stressful eleventh hour holiday preparations. Follow your own time proven family holiday tradition – and in the event that you don’t have any occasion tradition yet, manifest your own personal! Utilize some of the suggestions I shared with you from our personal family Christmas holiday tradition.