Christmas Traditions

So I am copying my sister on this post. There are so many Christmas traditions that I grew up with that I hope are continuing to be passed down to my own children. My mother always made sure she did Christmas right. By right I mean knowing the true meaning of Christmas. When we were growing up we always went to Savannah to look at the gingerbread house and chestnuts roasting at the civic center. We always went to Christmas Eve candlelight service at Pittman Park church. We always went to see the real Santa in Augusta Mall. He was real because his beard was real. He was the one for Coca-Cola so you know he looked real. We always went and cut down a tree from the Wiggins tree farm or we got one from Lowes as we got older the weekend after Thanksgiving. We did Christmas at Mama's and then she would come to our house on Christmas morning. We would have some kind of breakfast dish that mom made on good Christmas china. And the rule was stockings were the last thing that were opened. I guess it was saving the best for last.

Now that I am married and have children I have tried to replicate these traditions and make our own for the Holland family. We as well get our Christmas tree the weekend after thanksgiving but thanks to our good friends the Black's we now go up into NC to O'Sage Christmas tree farm and cut ours down. Thanks Lance and Julia for the tip. This year we bought two trees and began the tradition of the UGA tree. I have always gotten UGA ornaments throughout the years but this year they have their very own tree. This tree is special because I am getting my fourth and last degree at UGA. The other ornaments come out. I have posted a few pictures of my favorite ornaments. The one picture is of Haleigh during her first Christmas in 2002. The pink shoe is in 2005 for Zoie's birth. The one from Gulf Shores is from my best friend Nikki who we took a beach trip with I think in 2007. The Biltmore house is a trip that Scott and I took two years ago for an adult weekend. The newest addition is the gold ball from Disney World. If you look closely you can see the Mickey ears. That was our thanksgiving trip we took this year. I will blog about that later. So you see our ornaments have such meaning to them and I love them.

The next tradition that continued is honoring our Saviors birth. We go to the candlelight Christmas Eve service at Bethlehem Baptist Church where we sing songs of his glorious birth. When we get home we read Luke Chapter 2 describing the birth of our Savior. We bake cookies and put them on a plate with a glass of milk for Santa. I then prepare the breakfast casserole to be ready for the next morning. On Christmas morning the girls usually have to wake us up. That was not the rule in my house growing up. We had to stay in bed until at least eight to let Teresa sleep. Now it is I who likes to sleep. Santa does not wrap the gifts for the girls nor did he when I was growing up. We started a tradition this year for the girls that there are three gifts from mom and dad to represent the three gifts for baby Jesus. If three was enough for Him then it should be enough for my girls. Those present are wrapped and under the tree. Just as when I was little, the stockings are opened last. Now that we are far away Mama does not come over but T and Hart do on Christmas morning. We usually see Mama at some time during the holidays.

The last tradition is to go see a Christmas movie the day after Christmas. We usually drive to Discover Mills and last year we saw Princess and the Frog. This year the family got the flu instead and we did not make the movie. Hopefully we can go soon. The girls want to see Tangled or Yogi Bear. We usually meet up with my sister and her family the weekend after Christmas to exchange with them.

As you can see there are so many important traditions in my life associated with Christmas and now in my own family's life. But the most important tradition is observing the birthday of Jesus. For he is the Prince of Peace, Mighty God, Holy Lord, Emmanuel, King of Kings, Lion of Judah, Jehovah the great I am, and Everlasting Father. He is the only reason of the season. Without Him it would not be Christmas. Let us always remember the reason of the season. The other stuff is just fun but He is everything!