TRADITIONS TO MAKE THIS CHRISTMAS THE BEST ONE YET!
The Greatest Game to Ever Have Been Played
One of the most memorable parts of Christmas comes when the family gathers around the tree to open gifts on Christmas morning. For a lot of people, there is a certain routine for who goes first, and in what order the present opening happens. But for some, there is no rhyme or reason for when people get to open their gifts. For all of you who feel that is applicable to you, or for those of you wanting to try something different, our Children’s Pastor, Kim O’Donnell, has a tradition guaranteed to make this Christmas gift opening the best one yet!
Instead of going by age, or whose birthday is closest (both valid options), Kim’s family plays a friendly game of Sorry (If that is possible) to sort out who goes first! If Sorry, or board games in general aren’t your family’s thing - feel free to substitute it with another game/activity. The rules remain the same; the winner opens presents first!
Sentimental Cookies
We all love a good tradition surrounded by food, and this next tradition is sure to warm your heart, and belly!
This one comes from our First Impressions Coordinator, Nicole Benjamin!
”My family tradition growing up was to go to my grandpa's house every December and make a Hispanic cookie called biscochitos. Unfortunately, I was the only grandchild he was able to teach before he passed away. Every year, to honor him, my younger cousins all get together to make 6 dozen biscochitos to share with our uncles and aunts!”
If baking is your thing, maybe start a traditional dessert that can be passed down through the generations!
The Gift that…Keeps on Giving
Have you ever gotten a gift that you hated? No? Wow, that’s awesome! Good for you… unlike you; we have received a few stinkers over the years! But what if getting the gift no one wants, was the whole point? In this next tradition our Elementary Coordinator, Molly Fosdick, shows some creativity in getting the bad gift.
”Our family has a really hideous lamp that we pass around every year in the gift exchange. The recipient never knows it's coming. It's always wrapped in a different package and slyly snuck in among the other gifts. Whoever receives it has to proudly display it in a prominent place in their home all year, but then they get to choose the lucky winner the next Christmas.”
So the next time you get stuck with an oven mitt, or WHAM! CD instead of the IPOD, make a tradition out of it! (Who are we kidding, a WHAM! CD is an excellent gift! And don’t let anyone tell you differently)
Shhhhh! Don’t Tell Santa!!
Have you ever wanted to celebrate Christmas so badly, that you couldn’t possibly wait another day to do so?! Because if your answer is yes, then you and Pastor Bruce would get along great!
”We celebrate Christmas on Christmas Eve. We enjoy soup together as a family, then read the story of Christ’s birth out of Luke 2 before opening presents. Then we have the youngest kids hand out all the presents until the tree is empty. We begin with the youngest and work around the room, each person opening one present while everyone watches. We continue this until all the presents are opened. This takes about 5-6 hours, which might be long for some people, but we love our tradition.”
And while that amount of time may seem daunting at first - go at your pace and make the night what you’d like it to be! Enjoy!
PJ’s, Movies, Naps, OH MY!
Do you ever make it to Christmas Day and feel exhausted? You’ve gone a thousand directions to different family members’ houses, cooked 3 different desserts, wrapped over a dozen gifts, and avoided one too many political conversations at the dinner table? If so, we have the Christmas tradition for you! This one comes from our Creative Arts Assistant, Savannah.
“My family and I celebrate BIG on Christmas Eve, and then on Christmas Day we only have a few things on the to-do list. Open gifts, stay in our VERY fun and unique Christmas PJ’s all day, and go to a movie. Christmas Day movies in footie pajamas is the ONLY way I know how to celebrate Christmas!”