As my mom always said, "Make new friends traditions, but keep the old,
one is silver and the other gold."
{This is the song she casually sang around the house,
then it got stuck in your head on repeat for 48 hours.}
Traditions are so very dear to me. I am not fearful of change, I welcome it actually...until it comes to holidays. Then step off. When it comes to celebrating the holidays I like things to be familiar and reminiscent, as we all probably do in our own way. People have asked me what was the toughest transition after getting married? Tate would say sharing a bed {to be fair, I am kind of a sleep schizophrenic}, where I would say sharing holidays. We both love our family, including the families we were so very blessed to marry into, but shaking up those traditions you've had for over 20 years can be an adjustment. We are getting to the point, coming up on 5 years of marriage believe it or not, where even the things that were once new and foreign are now becoming warm and familiar- for me new traditions included: tacos {or "tacas," as Grandma would say} on Christmas Eve, multiple trips to the outlet mall pre/post any holiday, presents ON the Christmas tree, and reading the Christmas story before opening gifts {funny thing- the first time Tate's parents said " it's time for the Christmas story," I thought they were going to read Twas the Night Before Christmas and was shocked when they pulled out the Bible, but too embarrassed to tell that story until now}. For Tate new traditions included: mac and cheese on the Thanksgiving table, stockings, gambling at Grandma Flo's {wink}, and fried shrimp Christmas lunch. I get excited thinking about passing on these long-standing traditions to our growing family. It also makes me stop and think about what I want the focus to be in our home during this season. It's easy to get wrapped up this time of year, but I certainly don't want to miss Jesus. I want to experience the joy, peace and hope that He brings.
This year we are introducing something new to our house that I hope carries on each year, the Advent calendar. I never heard much of the term "Advent" growing up, but I have learned more about it in the past few years. Advent is more than a Christmas countdown, it is a time when peace, and hope, and joy can break through the anxiety of our busy lives. It is a time to remember and reflect on Jesus' birth. For centuries God prepared His people for the coming of the Savior, which is why I think it is so special to take time every year to prepare my heart for the same thing. So here we go! Every night, starting with Dec. 1st {cough, or Dec. 5th when I actually got around to making the calendar}, we read designated scripture for that day. I love the thought that next year we will be reading these together with our 9 month old baby girl! I hope she enjoys the Christmas story...both the real one and Twas the Night Before Christmas.
In case you want to join in on the fun...
Thanks to the only source of creativity, Pinterest, I found a really simple printable here. Also, I found a free daily Advent devotional here. It's by Billy Graham, so it has to be legit, right?!
