I have been thinking a lot about Christmas lately.
Husband thinks I'm a bit crazy. Perhaps he is right. It wouldn't be the first time!
He's not thinking about Christmas yet (isn't Thanksgiving first, he says) because he has so much on his brain right now. He's 3 flights away from being mission qualified in the A-10! In fact he's flying one of the flights right now!!
Husband tries to comfort my "crazy" by reminding me that we get the best part of Christmas: all the enjoyment with none of the fuss. He's right, really. We won't be decorating, planning, or baking because we'll be moving.
He also knows his words are to comfort rather than inform because he knows how much I really enjoy decorating, planning, and baking. It's okay. I'm not sad because, like he said, we still get to enjoy and celebrate Christmas. In fact, I'm delighted that we get to do so together, because at first we thought he might already be in Korea by Christmas.
My thinking about Christmas in the middle of this move is mostly about traditions. What I realize more and more with each year that we are married (and in the military) is that we need traditions for our individual family, especially for when we have kids of our own, AND the only way they will work is if they are highly flexible. We both have family Christmas traditions from our childhoods, and I know we want to adopt some of them into our own family. The big thing, though, is that we can't make them place-specific. Because of our high family mobility rate, our traditions will only be as good as their ability to travel with us.
The other big thing is that I want our Christmas to look much more like this:
than this:
I am just not into hoopla, glitter, and commercialism. I don't do Black Friday. It's just not for me. I don't like the clutter of objects or commitments. I don't even care for tinsel. I love snow on pine cones, laughter with friends and family, and quiet thought nestled next to the Christmas tree. I just want meaningful, simple, pure Christmas.
After all, Christmas is about Love the Person, and learning to let that Love characterize our lives. In a non-stressful way, by the way. Loving is not about how much we do, but with what kind of heart we live. And I love that because it is simple. I can do simple.
I haven't had a chance to talk to Husband yet, but I think I've come up with some traditions we'll both appreciate. Not so much that we'll stress out about getting them "done"; not so little that we'll feel like we're chocking up the holiday season altogether because of our military mobility situation; enough that we'll have that familiar spirit of the Christmas season to look forward to each year as our family moves and grows.
What do you think of this plan?
Pre-Thanksgiving:
1. Practice thankfulness while choosing, making, and wrapping presents. (Ah, two things in one: Thanksgiving thankfulness and Christmas gifting! I want to give gifts, but I don't want to be overwhelmed with them in the quick weeks right before Christmas.)
Advent:
1. Advent calendar with daily devotions, fun activities, and ways to be love-in-action for others. (I won't have this ready for this year, but I'd like to make one that we can reuse year after year. I've seen some great ideas from friends, such as using a muffin tin with numbered covers over the openings. I'd love to hear your ideas or tips for this!)
2. Advent wreath at dinner. (On account of the move and just now planning it, I won't start this until next year either. I know how I want to make it though, and it looks something like this one, just scroll down to see it. I think it'd be great to light the wreath candles at dinner, and do the Advent calendar at this time. We could have until the next evening's dinner to meditate on the devotion, do the activity, and/or implement the love-in-action, such as doing something kind for a stranger. We could discuss what we did that day while eating dinner. I love this!)
3. Decorate the house Thanksgiving weekend with candlelight and while playing Christmas music. Sometimes we have a fake fireplace going on our TV via the internet. (I love how this sets the mood for the whole season. I prefer a tree, the nativity, and a wreath on the door in addition to a few other decorations. During seasons like this one though, when we're moving out December 16, I think I'll just stick the wreath on the door for a couple weeks, enjoy it whenever I open the door, and box it up quickly and easily while we're packing!)
Christmas:
1. Homemade pizza, drive around looking at Christmas lights, and open gifts on Christmas Eve wherever we are with whomever we are with. :) (This is a big tradition for Husband and I am so glad to have adopted it. For the gifts, we're do one "big" -relative term, yes- gift or three small ones for each of us as well as for those hypothetical future children. We still give to our immediate families for now, and while I hope to follow a similar principle it varies with the year.)
2. Read the story of Jesus' birth. (I have never actually done this at home with either family at Christmas, but it is something I would love to start. The other Christmas stories like The Night Before Christmas would be welcome and fun as well, I just want the one about Jesus to come first.)
3. Enjoy church as a family, then relax the rest of Christmas Day with coffee, playing with presents, fun games, puzzles, movies, playing in the snow, etc. and a good meal.
I am smiling as I write because I am so excited to have these simple, lovely traditions! Best to proof them with the Husband before I get too eager though:)
I'm sure other things will come along: Christmas cookies, cards, events with family and friends. Surely all these things will come and go, and some will find their way into our traditions as well. I'm not planning on stressing about these and only these traditions for the rest of time. I'm just excited that, even with the changes in home and location each year, we will have identified our priorities and can treat them as such.
The Small Notebook has some excellent posts about Christmas. Enjoy them via these links:
Enjoy!
Love these tradition ideas! I want to celebrate with you! :)
ReplyDeleteThis is a great, thoughtful post. I've been thinking about Christmas a lot, too, but your words are better than mine. :)
mucho loveo.