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| The Finished Tree |
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| Placing the star on top |
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We have a tradition in our family. Every year we go out to the
Christmas Farm and pick a Christmas tree we will bring home. We have
been doing this since my eldest son, Munchkin, has been born-16 years
ago. This year it was my youngest son turn to pick the tree and my
daughter got to cut the tree down.Then someone else carries it to the
car. This way everyone participates.My daughter always places the star on the top of the tree and all the kids decorate the tree together, while I decorate the outside of the house. I find it important to pass along little family traditions to my kids and hopefully as they continue to grow, they will continue our traditions with their own families and have these fond memories from their childhood to look back upon. We are also first generation Christians in my family and I am proud to be starting traditions that center on Christ and not on the commercialization of Christmas. It does present it's own unique set of challenges. Not being raised by Christan parents I have entered into uncharted territory and fight against my own upbringing this time of the year. Since my daughter has been born we have started picking out Christmas Angels from various trees to give gifts to those who are homeless, in shelters, or in foster care. This year we bought gifts for the Buckner's Children Home. I let each of the kids pick both a boy and a girl and they go and pick out gifts for them. They also include a bible and a card telling them of Christs love for them. My hope is that this kind act, will not only further God's kingdom, but gently change the hearts of my own children toward the meaning of Christmas. Plus, I try to pick out movies that focus on the meaning of Christmas and sing songs throughout the house of Christ's birth. Although gifts are always fun to get, and yes, I do buy my kids gifts ;) I am not Scrooge; the gift they received from Christ can never trump any materialistic thing I can purchase for them. I also make sure that my kids participate in our church's annual Christmas play to help further remind them of the true meaning of Christmas. It is difficult not to get caught up in the commercialization of Christ's birth, when it is pounded into your head and heart daily from the TV, internet, radio, newspaper and billboards.You cannot outrun the wicked of the world, all I can hope to do is to teach them the way to go and pray they lean on Christ and not the world.
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| Riding in the Red Barron Airplane while we pick out a tree |
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