Christmases Remembered and Shared

         

Last year was one of our best Christmases ever. It wasn’t because all the kids and grandkids were here, or that the presents were expensive and beautiful, or that we lost weight instead of gained it. It was because our children took the time to write their memories of Christmases past. They also shared traditions they have established in their own families. Our daughter, Autumn, then designed a book using everyone’s hyperbolic tales -- even sneaking old photos past our unsuspecting eyes to use for illustrations. The gift was wonderful and so appreciated. We have read it many, many times, and it brings both tears and chuckles.

            The cover featured our oldest five boys holding a gigantic icicle that Steve had broken off from the north side of our poorly insulated home. It triggered many memories.  We read and reread the book together, laughing, and sometimes crying. It was such a wonderful gift. We also learned a lot about those winter jaunts the boys used to take, which often ended up with them snowballing some unsuspecting victims, or sabotaging the neighbors’ doors, so that a pile a snow fell when they answered the doorbell.

Christmas 1979

          But another thread in the stories were the Christmas/winter traditions we did year after year with our children. These included: Dad-designed scavenger hunts for special gifts, sleigh riding down the 4^th reservoir hill, delivering “thousands of donuts through three feet of snow,” trips to the mountains for trees, delivering 12 days of Christmas treats to special families, buying Christmas presents from the DI collections in the South Chapel gym, doing programs at the nursing home, breaking piñatas with friends, opening one present Christmas eve (usually pajamas), acting out the Christmas Story and eating hootenanny hotcakes Christmas morning.

Christmas program at the nursing home 1979

It was wonderful to read their recollections of what we had tried to orchestrate as parents. I believe that traditions are the glue that hold families, and communities together. They are shared experiences, which if repeated year after year, come to be not only enjoyed but expected.

Lots of delicious goodies were also delivered to us, causing Aaron to ask once,
"Are we poor --people are bringing us things?"

Author Susan Lieberman makes this observation about traditions in her book, New Traditions: Redefining Celebrations for Today's Family: “Family traditions counter alienation and confusion. They help us define who we are; they provide something steady, reliable and safe in a confusing world.” There are many families in our community who have felt those benefits through their consistent efforts in establishing worthwhile traditions.

Dan and Glenna Webb’s family was raised with many wonderful Christmas traditions. Their daughter Roxanne shared some of them: “We’d go Christmas Eve caroling after spending the whole day making candy and dipping chocolates, then returned home for chili and hot chocolate then more singing around the Christmas tree followed by Dad reading the Christmas story out of the Bible. Then, of course, the evening would not be complete without Mom telling the story of the little dog named Scats.”

     Gayle Shumway recalls Christmas traditions she loved: “When the kids were little and we had a fireplace, they would write a letter to Santa and (after mom and dad read it) they’d put it in the fireplace where the ashes would go up the chimney and fly away to Santa.
Blanding has a tradition of Christmas morning caravans. We would open our presents, put on our new clothes and take our favorite gift to “show and tell” and proceed to Grandma's house to eat waffles, strawberries and whipped cream, after we opened our presents. Then off again we’d go to visit relatives and friends to see what Santa brought to them and usually have a treat. As we traveled between houses we would see other families, sometimes still in their PJ's; we would wave excitedly to each other as we celebrated the day in the Blanding Christmas Caravans.

We now have a box of Nativity costumes for Christmas Eve. The children dress up and pose as we read the Christmas story from the Bible. We also draw names within the family for gift giving and we opened those presents on Christmas Eve.”

Claudia Shumway Orr remembered celebrating Christmas in Blanding:  "When I was young my parents, brother and I were the only ones at home. My mother always read from a book " A Story to Tell", a story entitled "The Christmas Legend. As I got older and had children she always managed to read it to them sometime during the Christmas season. When our children were old enough to participate we started the tradition of reading the account of the Savior's birth in Luke, interspersed with Christmas carols, as the children acted the parts.  We still have the same tradition each Christmas Eve with our grandchildren and great-grandchildren. We meet at our home and have dinner first then the nativity story, then we hand out presents. Sometimes someone in the family will feel creative enough to write a play for the kids to perform, but it always portrays the nativity as it is written in Luke. The younger children seem to love doing it. We usually have to coaxthe older ones but they always come through for us."

Wise men and shepherds breaking the pinata at the Nursing home. 

It’s never too late to start a Christmas tradition, and the effort is worth it. Let this be the year!

Planning a Provident Christmas

After 2 1/2 hrs. of waiting, we're almost in the store!

Black Friday has added a whole new meaning to Christmas…even more so, when the great pre-season ritual begins Thanksgiving eve. 

Never having fully experienced this “enduring” activity before, I joined my daughter-in-law Thursday “night” (and I use that term broadly, as it turned into a 10 hr. marathon which began at 8 PM Thursday and ended Friday at 6 AM. 

My daughter-in-law and other crazy people we stood in line with!

Most “enduring” about this tradition was the waiting. Most of that time was spent either circling Toys “or” Us, in a stand off of survival in the unseasonable cold weather of Mesa.  The “inner circles”  were equally tedious and long, but without the wind.  Adding to the insanity of the experience, we found ourselves using her cell phone to call other crazy people in the family who were in Utah doing the same thing, or checking Bev to see if she had found the things she was looking for.  

Crossing that experience off “my bucket list,” I can now revert back to my more rational life, and go about preparing for Christmas in a more provident way.

One of the burdens of both reading and TV watching, is that we are bombarded with grandiose illusions of what Christmas and every other holiday should be. When we add commercialization into the mix of “holiday cheer” the expectations become even more burdensome. 

We love our children, and grandchildren, and dote on them, but there comes a time when parents must simply, simplify and rein in the ruthlessness of rampant materialism which raises its head even higher in December.

So how does a provident person celebrate the real spirit of Christmas, or any other holiday? First we need to examine our own heart and evaluate how it aligns with the celebration. To do this we need to understand the underpinnings and core values of the holiday. When there is no personal spiritual connection to the real meaning of a holiday, whether it is Veterans Day, Easter, Thanksgiving or Christmas, it is easy to give the occasion a materialistic makeover, and forget the reason for the season.

Once we acknowledge our commitment and belief in Christ, we can then plan Christ-centered activities instead of submitting to Santa’s substitute celebration. Activities which promote peace on earth and good will toward men should be our focus, events which promote on the real meaning of Christmas and bring lasting joy, not debt and depression. A provident person will choose wisely the better part. Often the simplest gifts are the best. 

Christmas gift suggestions:
To your enemy, forgiveness.
To an opponent, tolerance.
To a friend, your heart.
To a customer, cheerful service.
To all, charity.
To every child, a good example.
To yourself, respect.”
     --Oren Arnold--

Simplifying Christmas does not make it any less important or fun for families. The youngest child as well as the oldest grandparent can equally can find joy in service and sharing. Here are some ideas:

--Orchestrate a “Pay it Forward” activity where you as a parent or grandparent make a cash donation to a family or individual with the challenge that they in turn use it to bless someone else’s life. When you “cast your bread upon the water, it will come back-- buttered.”
--Reenact the Nativity story with simple costumes, music, and Jewish foods. Play Dreidel, or a game from your own culture.

--Take a musical program to the Nursing Home; children can break a Piñata, and share the goodies. Sharing friendly handshakes with the elderly is important.
--Go caroling with other families, and learn the songs of Christmas.
--Host a neighborhood sing in, or wassail-fest where everyone shares favorite songs and Christmases past.
-- Organize a food or clothing collection for families who may need help this winter.

--The Twelve Days of Christmas was something our family as well as the Eberhard family, did for many, many years. We picked 2-3 families we could “bless” and surprise with 12 days of deliveries. This took some orchestration, but it was so fun hearing the delivery stories, and how they “almost” got caught.

Here are a few ideas for rhymes for the deliveries:

1) It's the first day of Christmas And we thought you'd like to know

We think you're really special, And it's time we told you so.

1)The trees look nice and frosty. But there's no partridge to be found

But pears are always welcome. So we left some on the ground.

2) On the second day of Christmas, 

We looked for Turtle Doves

These are really Wash and Wear 

And sent with all our love (Dove soap)

6) The six geese a laying, Will really have a ball

With balloons and streamer, You can decorate the hall.

-- Instead of a present, ask your children to write a story for you from their life, an experience that taught them something, or where they felt God’s love for them. These would be treasured more than perfume or necktie by any parent or grandparent. Steve’s oldest sister and her husband, are currently on their 4th mission, and don’t need “things.” But their 12 children take turns organizing a “story” topic for the year, and each sibling writes something for their parents. I know that book of stories is one that has been a real blessing to them over the past 15 or so years.

-- Read the scriptures with “real intent”, have children take turns sharing a scripture that to them exemplifies what Christ would do. Make plans as a family to orchestrate what you learned.
-- For a family activity, have each child add a piece a straw to your nativity scene, representing something specific that they will do as a gift to Christ this year. Or another version is to write what your gift to Christ will be, on a slip of paper, and everyone puts theirs in a box. After Christmas see if the rest of the family can guess what your gift was, by the changes you made.

--Families or neighbors can with you to tie quilts to donate to the hospital, or women’s shelter.
-- Make tree decorations together as a family, or decorate wreaths to hang on someone else’s door.
--Adopt a family, or a school class and provide something they need.

There are hundreds more equally good ideas which will reaffirm the goodness of mankind in the lives of others.  Plan now for a Merry Provident Christmas.

Simple Nativity Script

Traditional Nativity Play

Oh come all ye faithful—Opening song

Narrator #1: More than 2,700 years ago, the prophet Isaiah declared: 

“Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall 

conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. (Isaiah 7: 14).

Narrator #2: And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a
decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is
called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David) To be taxed
with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. (Mary & Joseph enter)

Song: O, Little Town of Bethlehem - Everyone

Narrator #1:  ”And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that
she should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son, and
wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger, because there was no
room for them in the inn. (Luke 2:5-7)

#2: And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the
field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord
came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they
were sore afraid. 

Angel:  Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.
And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling
clothes, lying in a manger.  

Narrator #1 “And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us And
they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. (Luke 2:15,16)

1979-Christmas play at the Nursing Home

Song: Away in a Manger:                      

(Shepherds enter from the back

Narrator #2:  suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the
heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth
peace, good will toward men. (Luke 2:8-14)

Narrator #1: “Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of
Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? For we have seen his star (Angel carrying star enters on stage) in the east, and are come to worship him. and lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came
and stood over where the young child was. When they saw the star, they
rejoiced with exceeding great joy. And when they were come into the house, they
saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him:
and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts;
gold, and frankincense and myrrh. (Matthew 2:1-2,9-11)

2012 Nativity in Monticello
Orchestrated by Ashley & Anthony

Song:  -  Have a Very Merry Christmas

Narrator #1: This is the month when all the world looks heavenward and
walks in the light of that new star that shone so long ago. This is the month
when all the world is aglow with lights representing the Light of Christ, when
all the world resounds with the eternal hymns of Christmas, when all the
world pauses to smile and to reflect, when all the world remembers the greatest
miracle of all the birth of the Savior of mankind in a stable so far away.
This, then, is the most beautiful story ever told. The story of that silent, holy night, when the Son of God, our Lord & Savior Jesus Christ, was born.

Song: Silent Night- Everyone

(Donkeys, Angels, and Wise Men can also be added for larger groups)