Family Christmas Holiday Tradition gives us freedom and guidance in a period that is otherwise hectic and stressful, and often unorganized. Tradition gives us a blueprint of how our family anticipates and loves the break season, what they expect, how they like to celebrate.
7. When the break draws nearer, we children got more and more excited. Once we were high-spirited and tempestuous, mom just needed seriously to say. “Look, an angle’s hair!” And we would try 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 also for us children this was a positive sign that Christmas was near. Mom left signs of the coming holy night everywhere for all of us, so we would make sure to be good, and patient, and kind. This managed to get easier for all of us children, who yearned for that long awaited Christmas Day!
8. Then, 1 day the wait was over – the 24th of December dawned. We children had to have a little afternoon nap – I am sure mom needed enough time to make last adjustments to the Christmas tree and the arrangement of our Christmas presents. In Europe the Christmas tree could be the highlight of the 24th. The tree is hidden from view for kids, and for initially seen in the holy night when the doorway to the Christmas room magically opens. The area is locked already the night time 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 create presents!
9. The nap on the 24th was very hard for all of us kids. Who are able to sleep when this excitement is based on the air? Once we finally got up, we laid on our best clothes. Then mom was included with the traditional Christmas storybook! It was an account of a young boy named Heinele, who’s mother had sent him out in rags into the bitter cold winter night to market 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 once in heaven, the angles were hectic, trying to find the Golden Star that Christkind had lost since it flew over the wintertime 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 absolutely was warm. It gave plenty to eat, and Heinele was truly happy – probably for initially in his young life. But the nice boy, as he saw that his mother in the cold house down in the world was crying because her child did not come home, returned to earth to comfort his mom, bringing her true Christmas love. Love reigned over the joy and comfort of remaining in heaven. A true sacrifice.
And while we children wait every word that came from mom’s lips, suddenly – first faint but louder – we heard the clear Christmas bell. It signaled that Christkind was here! We’d rash to the Christmas room. The doors silently swung open. And we would stand there in awe, still and devout, our spacious eyes reflecting Christmas Spirit. The Christmas tree would stand in most its magic beauty – brightly shining with many real candles and magic stars. We’d 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 most colors, decorated with beautiful ribbons and a fir twig on each gift box. We had each only a little extra corner right beneath the Christmas tree, and near the crib where Maria and Josef and the beautiful baby would remind us of the reason behind our joy. To find our space, the packages had little cards with our names on them. And the Ah and Oh was great!
10. And mom did not your investment lonely people outside. She put a hot 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. From the sitting in church and seeing the happy smiles on every face. This alone showed me that in this special night magic will need to have occurred. I possibly could see the new hat, the new shawl, new boots that individuals were wearing. Everyone had something new this night. And if it wasn’t a new little bit of cloth, it absolutely was the renewed hope and light within their heart that held the promise that life is good and all is well, regardless of the life span circumstances.
Today I’m old. how to celebrate Christmas My children are out of your home and I’m alone again. But at Christmas time, I still remember my family’s holiday tradition: the haunting scent of Christmas; the dazzling light that lightens the attention that looks into the planet with hope; music and laughter that fills the hearts and the space at Christmas eve. I thank my parents for the wonderful Christmas tradition that they had given us – a custom that lives on …
When Christmas holiday draws near, don’t let yourself be burdened by stressful eleventh hour holiday preparations. Follow your time proven family holiday tradition – and if you don’t have any occasion tradition yet, manifest your own personal! Utilize a few of the suggestions I shared with you from our personal family Christmas holiday tradition.