As many of you know I have four children, and we are big on rituals and traditions. Christmas is our favorite time of the year and even though all my children are in their twenties they all look forward to the traditions of when they were small.
Many years ago we decided that the children should not buy gifts for each other but pick secret Santa’s. (My husband and I, not wanting to be left out, also participate in this activity as well.) Through the years, it has become a tradition we all look forward to. There is a dollar limit and we choose our recipient after Thanksgiving dinner. After choosing the recipients the secrets, torturing and fun begin right up to our Christmas Eve dinner when the secret Santa’s are revealed. To make sure no one cheats we have a guessing game on Christmas Eve and those that guess correctly win a small prize. It keeps the secrets and the competitiveness alive!
From the time our children were small we always involved them in Advent. We started with lighting candles once a week and reading Bible verses. Then unfortunately as they got older we moved from this beautiful tradition to the Advent calendar and boxes. This tradition was started somewhere in the 19th century, and it was a tradition that I did as a child. It counts down the first 24 days of December and on the 25th the celebration of the birth of Christ takes place on Christmas Day. This tradition still continues whether they are in college or on their own and are 27!
One of my very favorite traditions is one we decide upon on Thanksgiving Day. We decide as a family how to share our blessings with others during the holiday season. It will be interesting to see what we choose this year. In the past as a family, we have volunteered at clothing drives, adopted families, supplied gifts and Christmas dinners, and donated to charities. Everyone has a different heart for things, and it is always fun to see what they are thinking and what we agree upon…
Whatever your special traditions may be this holiday season, the Correale family wishes you the best as we close out 2012. Please share, what your favorite holiday traditions are?