Building Christmas Memories

This has been a year for continued traditions and building new ones.

For the first time ever Princess and I went to the LIVE Nutcracker.  Previously we’ve always gone to see it at the movie theater as part of Fathom Events, this was a pretty special treat that we both really enjoyed.  It was made more special by both of us having just gotten over being sick.

We finally finished making Santa cookies on December 23.  It was way late in the game, but I felt happy to see it.

We also said good-bye to one of my best friends, Tami.  She moved up to Iowa for college, and we will hopefully see her again come this summer when she comes back for the summer.  But, it still was rather hard.

Saying good-bye is not a tradition I really want to start, and I’ve said a few too many over the past month, and have more still to go.

But my absolute favorite Christmas tradition is how we’ve taught our kids to give.  For the past several years, since Princess was 3 I think, the kids have gone out and bought a Christmas present for their brothers and sister, and one for their parents.

We borrow my Mom and she takes a kid, and then Jeff and I each take a kid, and we help them pick presents for their siblings.  Then one day during December I take all 3 kids to buy a present for Jeff, and he does the same for me.

It can lead to some really odd presents, like the time I was given a Batmobile model.  But, it’s also lead to some of my favorite presents that are very dear to me.

Since we’ve been doing this so long the kids are just as excited to see other people open presents as they are to open their own.  They can’t wait to see how people will react to the present they gave.  Then they eagerly cuddle up to get a picture with the person who just opened the present.  This means lots of posing for pictures, and opening takes a little longer, but I think it’s worth it.

And all of this gift giving helps us remember the first present given at Christmas.  See over 2000 years ago God gave the first best present, HIS SON, he came down as a little baby so one day He could die for our sins.

It’s an amazing thing to remember.  I have a few more Christmas memories to share with ya’ll, but I’m gonna leave today’s post here.  I’ve got a few brand new games to play, that I haven’t had a chance to play yet.  I’ll see ya’ll later.