Establishing traditions in your family can be lots of fun and can give your child many special memories to cherish. As a little girl growing up I can remember the traditions of my childhood...some of which I've brought into my home as my children were growing up.
At Thanksgiving we always had a very traditional meal of turkey, dressing, my grandma's egg noodles, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie. We usually still have the same thing now if I am doing the cooking, but I haven't mastered the egg noodles.
We usually decorate for Christmas on Thanksgiving weekend and leave our decorations up till after the New Year. It has been a special joy to put up the Nativity scene that was in my grandparents yard each year as I was growing up. It has now be up for over 60 Christmases.
My grandparents always had their children and grandchildren in their home on Christmas Eve, usually before the children's Christmas program at church. We always had ham sandwiches with lots of salads and sides for dinner (that was my grandfather's request because it was his birthday too). After church we got to open one Christmas present before we went to bed. We would get up the next morning and all our presents would be under the tree and we would get to open them before we went to worship on Christmas day.
As my children were growing up we didn't live close to family, but we have held on to our Christmas Eve meal over the years. We also baked lots of Christmas cookies (a marathon baking event) and then fixed up special plates of cookies to take to all our friends and neighbors. Since my husband is a pastor and he was usually gone to the church on Christmas Day when the kids got up, we started opening all our gifts on Christmas Eve. We save our stockings till Christmas Day and open them after dinner and the worship service.
We even have traditions at Kids of the Crown at Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Each year I read the story "Parable of the Pumpkin Patch" and we carve a special pumpkin with the children. At Thanksgiving, we have a "Sharing Feast" and the children prepare a meal for their parents to come and have lunch with them. At our Christmas party, I read "The Jesus Tree" to the children and we sing "Happy Birthday Jesus" and blow out candles on a birthday cake.
These traditions in my home and at school create memories for the children that they can draw on as they become parents some day.
I know that you must have traditions as well...I would love to hear about them, so please write about them below.
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