Christmas Traditions

There are certain things you have to do each Christmas - decorate a tree, eat too much, and buy, wrap and open gifts.

This week we've taken part in some of our own family's favorite traditions...

We've walked around our neighborhood with hot chocolate and clipboards, for tallying how many houses on each street have Christmas lights on. We started this when Cora was in kindergarten, and this year Violet graduated to carrying her own clipboard.


In the evenings, we've been doing a new family tradition: hanging special ornaments that tell different aspects of the Christ who came at Christmas.

We've had this set of ornaments - called "Adornaments" - for years. But this was the first year we've used them, now that both girls are old enough to grasp more of the glory of God's greatest gift.

This year, the girls alternated choosing an ornament, and Violet would sound out and read the Biblical name of Jesus. Here, she's reading "The Door," since Jesus said He is the door into God's kingdom.

Then, Cora would read the Bible verse and explanation, while sitting in the reading "throne" and using the "scepter."

We also went to our church's Christmas service, which were held Christmas Eve, but also in the days leading up to the holiday (handy for families like us who travel).

Here, we're posing in front of the giant tree in the amphitheater.

And, carrying on the tradition passed down from my grandmother, we baked cookies. I made half this batch for our California Christmas, and the next day, found the girls busily sugaring the rest of the dough, on their own.