Figure Eights

I'm so sad that I missed this Christmas tradition this year, but I'm gonna write about it anyway!

Sunday evening was the annual ice skating party. Every year a near-by congregation rents out the rink and invites the two closest church branches (that's us!) to join them in an evening of freezing ears and scraped hands. I love this event 'cause I love ice skating. I rooted for nine years for Michelle Kwan to win the gold. Never happened, but it totally hooked me on this sport.

That is not to say I know how to skate.

At all.

When I was in junior high a friend's grandma wanted her to learn to skate. The grandma took my friend each Saturday to the rink to practice, but it was no fun on her own. So I was invited to come along and learn as well.

That was... well, more years ago than I'd like to remember.

But that doesn't stop my sister and I from trying out all our tricks on the ice. Fancy stuff, like, not falling down. Skating on one foot. Or spinning each other till we fall down. Not that's tricky.

And this Sunday we had yucky weather and some other complications that kept us from our friends and skinned knees.

But this is still a tradition I love.

You Must Watch

If you've never watched this movie-- well, I guess... um... you must not be American. Or alive. Or something. You must watch this movie. The proper way to watch it is with your whole family while drinking egg nog. However, if you've never seen it I recommend simply doing so as quickly as possible, regardless of the circumstances. You must watch this movie.

Another great Christmas special I recommend is The Nativity Story. It came out in 2006, so its not the time honored tradition of the previous recommendation, but its still good. Really good in my opinion because it shows you the story in a way I'd never considered before. The Bible gives you a sentence-- that Joseph was going to put her away privily because he was a just man-- but can you imagine the story behind that sentence? A baby out of wedlock. It would have been such a big deal. We think of them as being a happy couple. But they may not have even known each other. Mary was probably 14, maybe 16. I love this movie, not because it is 100% accurate according to the Scriptures, but because it makes you feel. Amazed.

(Click the picture to watch the clip on IMBd.)

The Greatest Story

I love to read. Almost anything will do! So of course Christmas traditions at our house involve books. Lots of books. To have any kind of a Christmas at all you need: "How the Grinch Stole Christmas," "If You Take A Mouse to the Movies," "Who is Coming to Our House?" "Christmas in the Barn," and lots of others like, "A Christmas Story," and "Silent Night."

And I love that my son loves these books.

Holy Night

It would hardly be possible to celebrate Christmas without carols. But some songs are special to our holiday tradition. John Denver and the Muppets is such a one in our home. Especially Silent Night. While the muppets sing the song in its original German John Denver tells the story I love listening to over and over.

"On December 24, 1818, the curate of a parish in Oberndorf, Austira, Joseph Mohr gave a poem he had written to a friend of his, Franz Gruber, who was also the choir master and organist of that church. He asked Mr. Gruber if he might write music for his poem and that he might write it for two solo voices and guitar music because the organ being broken, he desperately wanted music to be a part of their Christmas Eve service. Mr. Gruber wrote the melody to the song that would become the most beloved of all Christmas carols, 'Stille Nacht,' in English-- Silent Night. 'Schlaf in himmlischer Ruh.' Sleep in heavenly peace."

The other thing I love about this song is that it translates so well. Obviously words don't rythme the same in other languages, but Silent Night rhymes in German, English, and Spanish as far as I know, and I believe it rhymes in many of the other 300 languages its been translated to as well. It seems to me that Joseph Mohr had some divine help writing this song.

CHRISTmas lights

All right-- back to CHRISTmas! Last night my family went to the Parents as Teacher's Christmas event. It was fun! Our little guy got to color a card, make hand prints on a paper plate, decorate (okay, eat) a cookie, and ride in a "sleigh" with horses! He had a blast, although I think he would have had just as much fun if there had been a few kids to play with in the big open cafeteria space and no activities at all. Oh well. What are toddlers for?

And while attending this event may, in fact, turn into a holiday tradition, the moment I'm going for here was looking at the local Christmas lights after it was over. Technically it is the first year my husband, son and I have driven aimlessly around a neighborhood for the sole purpose of seeing flashing candy canes and white deer, but my family did it every year growing up. In fact, it could almost be more like a competition than a tradition. Can we find more lights than last year?

And in our home town we knew all the places to go. The Wilson's regularly won the town prize with their elves' workshop and the Steigerwalt's were never far behind with a garden of lights and "running water" under a bridge in blue chasers. Some houses were beautiful with color-coordinating master plans and others were hideous in their attempt to place every decoration created by man on their front lawn.

Then there were the lights in the city. Each year after the Christmas party at my Gramma's we'd go to a neighborhood that worked together as a community to portray the life of Christ. The first houses had verses from the Old Testament prophesying the coming of a Messiah. And when I say verses I mean someone took a board and drilled holes spelling out each word and then took the time to place a light into each of those holes so you could read each verse in five inch tall twinkle lights. And the prophets? Well, you know those deer? That's kind of what the people looked like. Metal figures with lights close enough together that you can easily see the shape. So there is Isaiah, standing on someones lawn.

Then you get to the angel coming to Mary, riding on a donkey, stopping at an inn, Jesus in a manger, shepards in their fields, wisemen, the whole bit. Each in its own yard. With some squirrels and stuff in what must be the yards of non-believers. But the lights don't stop there. You see the ministry of the grown Savior, his death, and his resurrection. The tomb actually rolls away in blinking, timed lights. Its amazing.

Then you drive through the booth at the end, make a donation if you like, and get those little candy canes in a plastic package.

So like I said, this may be the first time for my own family. But it won't be the last.

Annual Meeting

A great Christmas tradition of ours is the annual meeting of the Missouri Farm Bureau. The meeting falls the first weekend in December each year and its a great chance for us to spend time together as a family at the Tan-Tar-A resort on the Lake of the Ozarks! Oh yeah, and we also go to meetings to help shape the policies of the MO Farm Bureau yada, yada... Actually we like that part too. There are lots of great farm families with whom we can relate, terrific speakers each night, a true Talent Show, and great food. We love it! And to top it off our local Farm Bureau pays for most of the trip because my husband is a delegate as well as county president. This is actually a picture from last year's conference. We'll leave bright and early Saturday morning and, while the hotel does offer wireless Internet, you have to go to a special room and PAY! (And like all good hotel services, it is highly overpriced!)

So while I will not be posting I will be thinking of you all. As much thought as I can manage to squeeze in between trips to the outlet mall, swimming in the pool, and listening to the organist play all my favorite Christmas carols during meals. :) Merry Christmas!

Poinsettia

I began buying Pointsettias during college. No Christmas season would be complete without one!

This story came from the Paul Ecke Ranch website.

A charming story is told of Pepita, a poor Mexican girl who had no gift to present the Christ Child at Christmas Eve Services. As Pepita walked slowly to the chapel with her cousin Pedro, her heart was filled with sadness rather than joy.

"I am sure, Pepita, that even the most humble gift, if given in love, will be acceptable in His eyes," said Pedro consolingly.

Not knowing what else to do, Pepita knelt by the roadside and gathered a handful of common weeds, fashioning them into a small bouquet. Looking at the scraggly bunch of weeds, she felt more saddened and embarrassed than ever by the humbleness of her offering. She fought back a tear as she entered the small village chapel.

As she approached the alter, she remembered Pedro's kind words: "Even the most humble gift, if given in love, will be acceptable in His eyes." She felt her spirit lift as she knelt to lay the bouquet at the foot of the nativity scene.

Suddenly, the bouquet of weeds burst into blooms of brilliant red, and all who saw them were certain that they had witnessed a Christmas miracle right before their eyes.
From that day on, the bright red flowers were known as the Flores de Noche Buena, or Flowers of the Holy Night, for they bloomed each year during the Christmas season.

Trim the Tree

To be completely fair it would be possible to have Christmas without the tree. As kids we placed our gifts to each other under the nativity one year. But really, its lots of fun and so pretty! So we put up the tree each year as a family. Even before kids I made my husband help me put the four ornaments on our tiny Charlie Brown tree. Our little guy still didn't quite get it this year, but he had been very useful in... relocating ornaments.

A Year of Blessings

Perhaps there are those of you who prefer not to be reminded that you haven't even had your Christmas photos taken yet by that annoying person who sends out cards on the first day of December. Sorry. I just... have to be that person. And since I did mail my cards out yesterday, I'm posting that as our CHRISTmas tradition today.

Each year our cards are sent with one of those year-in-review type letters, but our letters, I hope, are more of a blessings-in-review thing. Of course I need a paragraph for all the new and adorable things my son is doing, and I try to keep a nice balance. But God's blessings are my focus. And, of course, this makes the perfect scrapbook momento. With no extra work I can record all those blessings in the family album to remember year after year!

CHRISTmas

Merry Christmas! Like many of you, I'm crazy about the Christmas season. I love the lights, the baking, the glitter. Unfortunately, this is also all Christmas is about for some people. In fact, the politically correct way to address someone in December is now "Happy Holidays," since the word Christ is the most important part of Christmas. And Christ is what I truly want to celebrate this season. So through the month of December I'll be posting our favorite traditions. Many are ways we praise God, several are ways we spend time together as a family, and even the more secular are done with the real reason for the season first in our hearts.

Most dear to my heart is the putting up of the Nativities. I have several! The nativity from my childhood was made by my grandma. It was always treated as the most special part of our Christmas. When I married and moved into a home of my own I knew I wanted a nativity that could be as special to me as that one was. That's how I found this one.

It was made of olive wood cut from trees outside of Bethlehem and carved by artists from the holy land. And I love it. It actually stays out all year, but its no less a part of our Christmas.

I also like this one, given to me by my SIL. I've hinted how much I like it and am hoping for more pieces this year!And another sample of the collection.

So join us this month for more ideas. Maybe this will inspire you to take pictures of your own traditions. Don't overlook these memories just because they don't have pictures of people! And thanks to Amber for suggesting the idea on her blog! The Advent Event - Sharing Christmas ideas, traditions, tips and more!