Christmas Traditions.....

Growing up as a young girl in northern Minnesota, Christmas was always a favorite time of year. No school, no homework (not much anyway), shopping, fun with friends, Christmas baking, playing in the snow, special programs at church, trudging through knee-deep snow to find a Christmas tree, decorating the tree, listening to Christmas music... The list could go on endlessly.

But perhaps my absolute favorite memory about the Christmas season is a tradition that started many years ago. On Christmas Eve, my Mom, sisters, and I would go to the Christmas Eve service at church. After the last song was sung, we would rush to pick my Dad up from work, where "neither snow nor rain, not heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds." In other words, because he worked at the Post Office, my dad usually worked Christmas Eve to deliver last minute cards and greetings.

Once Dad got off work, we would travel thirty miles over the river and through the woods to my Grandma and Grandpa Kading's house. We would hurry inside their cozy one-room cabin, and after a few hugs all around, the crackling fireplace beckoned us to enjoy her warmth, as sweet aromas filled the air, leaving our mouths watering in anticipation of a delicious meal. Our eyes adjusted while a small kerosene lantern glowed on the table, providing just enough light to create a wonderful ambiance.

At last it was time for dinner! Our whole family enjoyed close fellowship around the small dining room table as we laid our eyes on a wonderful feast! Our traditional Christmas Eve meal included ham on bun, potato salad, cranberries (Grandma usually had both kinds, since us girls were picky and only liked the ones from the can!), frog eye salad (it's not gross like it's name implies), lime jello with pears, cottage cheese, carrots, pickles, and probably something else that escapes my mind at the moment. After the delicious main course, the best part was yet to come. PIE!! As if one kind of pie weren't enough, how could you possibly choose between three different kinds? So, we usually sampled all of them. Pumpkin pie (Dad's favorite), apple pie, and filled cherry pie (Grandpa's favorite). And what piece of pie would be complete without a little rather large glob of real whipped cream, not Cool Whip, the whipped cream wanna-be. When our stomachs could hold no more, we'd get the kitchen cleaned up as quickly as our food-laden bodies would allow.

By this time, my sisters and I were nearly bursting with excitement. Either that, or it could have been the yummy food still in our stomachs. It was finally time to open gifts. Mom and Dad would usually bring one gift for each of us, and of course there were gifts from our grandparents. They would look on with enjoyment as my sisters and I rewarded them with shrieks of delight as we discovered our treasures! One Christmas in particular stands out to me. Or rather it's one gift that stands out. The details are slightly fuzzy, but I do remember playing with my new Tiny Tears doll under the dining room table. This was usually our place of choice for playing, probably due to the lack of room with all our gifts strewn about. Somehow my sisters and I felt like we were in our own little world, and imaginations would run wild as we played "house."

After an evening of extreme excitement and fabulous food, we would begin our journey home. Our loot would be carefully packed into the car and the rounds of hugs and kisses would begin. Before we left, Grandma would hand Becky, Erin, and me an individually-wrapped gingerbread man. I remember we usually didn't eat these for a couple weeks because they were special cookies.

In my memory, it was always snowing on those Christmas Eve nights when we left Grandma and Grandpa's house. The frosty night air would instantly chill our bodies, but out in the woods where my grandparents lived, one of my favorite things to do was gaze up at the beautiful night sky. In the stillness and intense blackness, the stars seemed to twinkle a little brighter than they did at home. An occasional tree would crack as it swayed in the wind, and often you could hear forest creatures utter their goodnight to their neighbors. Not wanting the Arctic temperatures to completely freeze us, we would quickly load into the car, with us three girls huddled together in the back seat. With stuffed tummies and hearts full of love, we would usually fall asleep only a couple miles down the road. We'd arrive home and head straight to bed, with the knowledge that tomorrow would also bring more excitement.

Christmas morning dawned bright and early. My sisters and I had bedrooms upstairs, but we knew on Christmas morning we were not allowed to go downstairs the minute we woke up. You see, Mom and Dad usually had one gift for us that they did not wrap. When we woke up, we would holler downstairs, signaling to our parents that we were ready for the day to begin. I don't remember what time we usually woke up, but shortly thereafter, Mom and Dad would join us upstairs, bringing breakfast with them. After eating, Dad would read the Christmas story from the Bible and then we'd head downstairs to open our presents and stockings.

We'd play with our gifts for the rest of the morning, and then it was time to head to my Dad's parents' house. This journey was much shorter, only 2 miles. A flurry of activity would follow, as aunts, uncles, and cousins gathered for a Christmas dinner of turkey, mashed potatoes, and all the trimmings. And of course, more pies, cookies, and candy..... The house was usually buzzing with excitement and chatter as people watched football, played games, and opened gifts. After round two of food, we were ready to head home.

Over the years, our traditions ad locations have changed slightly, but every Christmas brings my favorite tradition... celebrating Jesus' birth with family. As you gather with family this Christmas, please take a few moments to celebrate the real REASON we celebrate this wonderful season.

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. --Isaiah 9:6



And the angel said unto them, 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 Saviour, 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. And 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 2:10-14

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Good times

I was just looking at pictures from Christmas and realizing that I have so much to be thankful for--most of all, FAMILY. We had a GREAT Christmas together. So much time was spent playing games and just being together. It's amazing that we can have 14 people in the same house and that we're all friends when our time together is over. Seriously, we have so much fun together that it's really hard for me to completely comprehend hearing about people hating being with their family. For our family, laughing to the pioint of tears is not uncommon. I'm so thankful that we're all so close...we cherish time together. I think the picture speaks more than I can.

Not Me Monday

New Year's Resolution #248: Post a "Not Me" blog on the first Monday of 2009.

Well, I really didn't make that many resolutions, but I will tell you some things I did not do this past week.

After putting away some Christmas stuff, I did not find a pile of Christmas cards that accidentally didn't get mailed. Nope, my Christmas cards were out November 1st, so I definitely wouldn't have some still sitting around. And if I did find a pile of unmailed Christmas cards, I would not stop to consider the pros and cons of peeling off the stamps to reuse them. How much time would that take? Waste of money if I don't. I could reuse them. Who writes "real" letters anymore? Could I save the cards for next year? Won't postage go up by then anyway? After weighing my options, I did not put them back in a pile to decide later what to do with them.

As my sister was packing to return to Kansas City, I most certainly did not hide a stinky candle in one of her boxes. This is a fun thing we do when we visit each other's houses. We try to hide the candle someplace where the other won't find it until after we're apart, yet somewhere that we know they'll find it eventually. So I would never think to put this awful, make-you-want-to-gag candle in a Christmas present, would I? No, I'm not that mean! (Did you find it yet, Erin?)

After all the family was gone on Friday, I did not go to Wal-Mart and Target to check out their Christmas clearance, and I most definitely did not buy more gift labels. (Hey, at 25 cents a pack, who can resist?) And why would anyone spend money on clearance lights? I wouldn't be so dumb as to do that, especially if I have no need for them now. No, it would be foolish to buy 10 boxes of 60 cent lights for no reason, so you can be assured that is something I definitely did not do this past week.

Since I was still on "vacation," I certainly did not spend a good chunk of Saturday at school, planning for the coming week's activities. And part of that "non-planning" did not include a trip to the pet store to replace a most-beloved classroom fish Dyson before class on Monday, so the students wouldn't know that Dyson II died. (It's pretty obvious when you see a skeleton floating in the fish tank that something HAS to be done about it.)

After not spending most of Saturday at school, I did not secretly pray that the huge amount of snow falling would perhaps cancel school for Monday. I've just had two weeks of vacation. I'm refreshed, rested, and ready to get back in the classroom. Why on earth would I hope for a snow day? No, that's definitely not something that crossed my mind.

Since the snow day didn't happen, I arrived back at school today actually ready to see the little darlings again--my preschoolers, not the junior-senior high class. They don't like to be called "darlings." Since we're on letter "L" this week, I would never think of making my preschoolers taste lemons and limes, would I? That would probably be considered cruel and unusual punishment. No, that is something I would never do. And if I did make them try lemons and limes, I for sure wouldn't laugh at the contorted faces they made as they tasted the sour fruit. Absolutely not. I'm a NICE teacher! (Just so you know, I tried them along with the kids and they were laughing at the faces I made also!)

So there you have it. A few things I did not do this past week. But here's what I did do. I kept New Year's Resoltion #248!

It'll Be a Merry Christmas

This year will be a very special Christmas in our family. This is the first year since my youngest sister Erin was married that we'll all be together on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. How exciting! The house will be hopping with kids--and adults, too, because we get kind of crazy when we're all together. There will be 14 of us here, and yes, there is room for everyone!

Today I made cut-out sugar cookies and I can't wait to decorate them with the kids. It'll bring back many memories of doing the same thing at their ages. Here's what I remember...
After the cookies were baked and cooled, Mom would gather us 3 girls at the table and have a piece of waxed paper for each of us. Each of us would have several bowls with various decorations... red sugar, green sugar, cinnamon candies, and other sprinkles. Next to the bowls would be a paper towel, along with the strict instructions Do not lick your fingers if you get frosting on them. Isn't that like telling a kid not to peek at the presents? Makes them want to do it all the more? I think it's against a child's reflexes to wipe frosting on a paper towel. After all, didn't God make tongues for that reason? I suppose we didn't understand at that age the real reason for not licking our fingers. If we licked them and tried decorating the cookies then, we would get the sugar and sprinkles stuck to our fingers, creating the need to lick the sugar off, and the vicious cycle continues. So many things become clearer when you are grown-up. I'm sure I'll even tell my nieces that they can't lick their fingers, yet I'll completely understand if they sneak a taste anyway.

Christmas Eve is usually our big Christmas celebration. Growing up we would go with Mom to the Christmas Eve service at church (Dad always had to work), and then we'd meet Dad after he was done with work. After travelling 45 minutes, we'd be at my grandparents' house--the little cabin in the woods with no electricity or running water. The oil lamp would be lit on the table, providing plenty of light and the small wood stove would kick out plenty of heat for the cozy little house. We knew what the menu would be even before we got there. Ham on bun, potato salad, cranberries, frog eye salad (that's another story, but not as gross as you might think), lime jello with pears, and of course pumpkin pie with REAL whipped cream for dessert. After the dishes were put away, we could hardly control the anticipation to open presents. Once presents were opened, we would usually play with them under the table, because it was a great "playhouse." All too soon, it was time to leave, and we would load in the car, us 3 girls huddled together against the cold. We would usually fall asleep on the trip home, and what a rude awakening it was to have to get out of the car and into the cold again.

A few "new" traditions have started in our family as well. This Christmas Eve, we will once again have our traditional "Grandma" dinner, since she's here with us this Christmas. After dinner, we will sit around in the dark and listen to "The Innkeeper's Dream," a dramatization of what could have happened the night Jesus was born. Then when that's done, my dad will read the Christmas story from Luke 2. The kids are usually very quiet during this time, but toward the end, they get antsy because they know present time is coming soon. Just when they're about to burst with excitement, Mom will say, "I suppose it's time for presents." A great cheer will explode from the kids and then the chaos will begin. It makes you feel like a kid again, just watching the expressions on their faces. The kids will go to bed WAY too late, and if we have any energy left, we might play games.

As I'm writing this, I'm realizing that I need to finish some Christmas presents, so I better get to it. Once family arrives, there'll be NO time for that. Auntie Rah (as I'm commonly known) will be entertaining children and probably doing some crafts sometime. So I better get my work done now.

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a "Good Night."