Christmas Traditions

Christmas has always been a big deal in my family (though Easter is a close second). I know my parents made these holidays important because they remind us of Jesus, how he came to earth as man, and how his life was given for us. Our whole purpose is rooted in these beliefs...so of course we celebrate with friends and family and use the season as a time to show love to those around us. So to get everyone in the right mood...my Mom goes all out on decorating the house. There's Johnny Mathis Christmas playing, a tree with way too many ornaments (mostly homemade), stockings with our names and little felt appliques that my Mom sews on for each year's hobby or accomplishment, a ceramic nativity on the mantle, mistletoe in the doorway, cookies and milk for Santa and carrots for Rudolf, and apple cider and hot chocolate. Somehow it has always been the one time of the year when me and my brothers don't argue because we are too excited about Mom cooking lasagna and getting to open presents...which we know will be PJ's from Mom & Dad on Christmas eve, and the good stuff from Santa on Christmas morning. And then there's the stockings...full of fruit and nuts, chocolate kisses, a Pez dispenser, underwear, and some random gadgets...Mom usually gets IOU's in her own stocking!

I remember the first year my oldest brother spent without the family after he was married. I knew he was sad when he called on Christmas morning to "check in", but I didn't really understand until I spent my own first Christmas away. Getting older has changed the fond Christmas traditions for me, but some feelings never change. I still love spending time at my parents house around the holidays because it makes my insides warm and fuzzy! It brings back memories of Christmas's past, happy times with family, and a special mystique around how a fat man in a red suit really fit down our chimney. I told Jordan that as a kid, I believed in Santa because I knew my parents would never buy me the kind of things that showed up on Christmas morning...they were too practical and modest for that! Santa still visits at the Wines house, though he mostly brings toys for the grandkids now. Johnny Mathis can still be heard, though a CD replaced the old record player. My brothers and I still manage to get along, though they haven't gotten much more mature! There are a few more stockings, the tree is newer, but it still feels special.

Jordan and I look forward to making our own traditions and I can't help but get a little excited that this year will be the first of our own family memories. I hope that we can make it as meaningful as my parents did for me, and I hope that when Rylin thinks of Christmas, he thinks of the love of his family, the gift of a savior...and gets a warm and fuzzy feeling too!