Christmas is very quiet at our house now that the kids are grown and are on their own. I love Christmas and love to decorate but it hardly seems worth the effort with just Mr. Wonderful and myself here.
I got a scanner for my birthday and have had a great time looking at old pictures. This picture is baby Suzy's first Christmas. She was also baby Jesus that year in the nativity play as she was the only baby in our small church. Big Sister Becky (almost 2) was the littlest angel.
The following year the girls were more interested in decorating themselves than decorating the tree. This was the year that we started doing an Advent Calendar for them. They had no concept of time so on Thanksgiving afternoon we made a paper chain and made a link for each day till Christmas. The Christmas link was made from shiny paper and very distinct from the other links. They cut one link every day so they had an idea of "how long till Christmas". As they grew older we would write activity on the link such as "Watch a Christmas movie", "make Christmas Cards", "sing jingle bells and go on a sled ride", "make Christmas cookies"....etc. I think I looked forward to the activity more than the girls did.
Did you have any family traditions that you did with your kids when they were growing up?
Monday, December 10, 2007
The Ghosts of Christmas Past....Monday Memory
Posted by Lazy Daisy at 8:42 AM
Labels: Becky, Christmas chain, Christmas memories, Monday memories, Suzy
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7 comments:
We had several traditions that we sort of did. We didn't do the EXACT same thing each year - but we ALWAYS had a Happy Birthday Baby Jesus cake - of some sort. We ALWAYS has advent calendars - of one sort or another. We always made cookies. And we always made ornaments and other Christmas decorations of one kind or another. Various crafts -- I usually tried to pick something different - but that would create a keepsake - each year. When they got a little bit older, one of my all time FAVORITE traditions was going through the old toys to see what they wanted to give to Operation Happy Face in order to make room for the new toys. And then when they outgrew toys - shopping for Angel Tree gifts - which we still do!
I very much agree with you, without small children Christmas is not really Christmas ! This year we will go to Amsterdam to celebrate with my son, but I have decorated the house because of myself. I love to decorate ! I always had an advent calendar it has been a use in Germany since beginning of 1900 !
I love that paper chain idea, but we are too busy to even contemplate doing something special every day. I would have loved that when the kids were little... although we usually did something almost every day.
We have the advent calendars. I used to have 3, but Zeb ate one this year so I'm down to 2. Silly dog!!
Love the pix!!
xo
LBC
Loved your scanned pictures!! I haven't decorated much because we go away for the holidays. Growing up in the Southern hemisphere, Christmas was the beginning of a long summer vacation! what can be best for a child? I have very fond memories of Xmas in the sun. Santa still wears heavy and warm clothes over there during this time of the year! there is fake snow too :)
We always made Christmas cutout cookies!! One year we painted some ornaments and I still have them!
We have a navitiy scene that I got in 1958 and I have had to replace the wood but I still have the figures and my grown up kids do not think it is Christmas with out it being out!!Hugs, Grams
I would make Christmas ornaments with my kids using that recipe of flour and lots of salt. Boy, I can't remember exactly. I still have a few of the gingerbread men that we painted.
We have many "little things" that are sort of traditions...and I find out all the time just what's important to the kids. I also find that they think of things as traditions that I simply don't think about.
Thanks for sharing. Those photos are just precious!! I've thought about scanning the year that my DS 1 was the little drummer boy.
Susan
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