Traditions.  Sometimes they are a hit, and everyone loves them, and they last for many years and generations!  Other traditions need to be adjusted with the changing and growing desires, needs, and wants of families! Sometimes traditions have been done so long they become ingrained and ritualistic and the thought of changing a tradition almost seems like a death in the family!  New traditions can be exciting and fun and quite refreshing!  Have an open mind to give new traditions a chance, you may find you’ve been missing out on something awesome, great, and wonderful your whole life!  Traditions, whether old or new, can be great fun! 

I remember growing up as a kid, my family had a Christmas tradition of putting up our tree on CHRISTMAS EVE! There’s a reason I put the words CHRISTMAS EVE in all capital letters.  I have a funny story!  It wasn’t funny at the time but now I can laugh about it!  Many years ago, I went to a gathering, and we were sharing about our Christmas traditions.  I had to put in my two cents, so I proudly told everyone that we put up our tree on Christmas Eve, emphasis on CHRISTMAS EVE.  The whole tradition was centered around when we put up our tree, not the fact that we put up a tree! Well, I don’t think the facilitator either heard or picked up on Christmas Eve, and let’s just say he wasn’t too impressed.  I could just imagine them all thinking, “Honey, Sweetie don’t you know that half the entire world puts up Christmas trees!”  Oh, well! 

As part of our tree trimming celebration, we would have one of the best tea parties I have ever attended! Mom would make tons of beautiful, delicious Christmas cookies. The actual pouring of the tea itself was important and special because Mom would serve the tea using a tea service that was originally a gift to W.D. Ticknor, the book publisher, and had been passed through the generations to our family.  The beauty and elegance of the set made the tea taste extra special. Even though it was fun having a family tradition (putting the tree up on Christmas Eve) it was kind of hard and sad sometimes, not having the tree up to admire and enjoy most of the month of December! Sometimes I felt a little jealous of other kids getting to put their tree up earlier.  All that was forgotten when the day finally arrived with all the fun of the special tradition!

Do you all remember one of the most difficult times of the whole holiday season as little kids? Christmas Eve night… the part when you actually had to try to sleep!  THAT ONE NIGHT SEEMED ETERNAL!  My Dad and Mom would let us stay up late; they knew we were excited! One year we had the unfortunate surprise of going to Christmas Eve Service at Church, only to come home to find ourselves locked out of the house!  

I recall going to bed, excited and hyper. Oh boy, get ready for the lonely, long and torturous night, trying to sleep! Sleep on Christmas Eve, IMPOSSIBLE! It’s like bringing home a fish and putting him in a bowl without any water and expecting him, not only live but excel and thrive in that atmosphere, there is absolutely NO WAY!  I would go to bed, excited and not one bit tired, telling myself, “I will not, I will not, I will not look at the clock,” only to find myself, looking at the clock in five-minute intervals! That’s when you drink 100 gallons of “Sleepy Time” tea hoping it knocks you out until morning!!!! I’m happy to tell you that I now can sleep on Christmas Eve! Is that a good thing?

I grew up in a big family. I’m the middle child of seven.  Living in a big family is fun all year round but especially around Christmas! When we were little, we would buy presents for each person in the family!  I don’t know how Mom did it all, but she somehow managed to have stockings and gifts for all of us as well as yummy food and most especially love and joy through it all.  I was grateful Mom was my personal Santa especially when it came to getting new clothes! I don’t want any man (even, Jolly Ole St. Nick, Santa himself) knowing the size of clothing I wear!!!! I’m just being completely honest here folks!  

My mother is Norwegian, and every Christmas season my sister Laura will make a Norwegian treat called, Julekage.  It is a round-shaped loaf of bread with special candied fruit and containing the key ingredient, the real Christmas seasoning, Cardamom!  Julegrod, another Norwegian dish that we bring out at Christmas is a kind of rice pudding topped with butter and cinnamon (yum, yum, yum!) When the bowls are served up one of them contains an almond.  Whoever finds the almond wins a little prize!

Over the years, as the family has grown, we have made changes…keeping a few traditions, tweaking some, letting some go and creating new ones.  Sometimes it has been easy to change and other times a bit more difficult, but then I remember, the only tradition we need is to celebrate the birth of our Lord, Jesus Christ, who was born and died and rose again.  He lives to be our King and Savior, to save us from our sins and one day will come back again to take us with him to live in paradise forever and ever!