Christmas Traditions

I absolutely love Christmas! Christmas was my favorite holiday as a kid and it’s still my favorite as an adult. And while Christmas has always been a favorite, the reasons for it being my favorite has changed over the years.  

The love I had for Christmas as a child centered more on the gifts I anticipated receiving from Santa, Mom & Dad, and all my relatives.

The love I have for Christmas as an adult has little to do with the gifts and everything to do with the traditions I value so much.

Early in our marriage, and even before we were engaged, Shari and I took the time to discuss those huge decisions which could become conflict for couples during the holidays. You know those biggies which in some was define you as a couple! 

Christmas Tree type, artificial or real? Real…Both of us!

Christmas Tree Lights, colored or white? White…Both of us!

Candles or Wreaths in the windows? Both…big deal to her, neutral to me!

With the big 3 out of the way long before the season actually began we could let the anticipation build as the year progressed.

Christmas 2011

Christmas 2011 for me has been something for me I’ve looked forward to for quite some time, and if truth be told, one I’ve been looking forward to all my adult life. This Christmas will be my first Christmas as a husband and as a parent, both in the first year. This year there will be a beautiful blending of traditions as two lives and two families come together as one, providing me the opportunity and the privilege of seeing Christmas through the eyes of my wife and my two stepsons.

Old and New

What’s amazing is how many traditions are shared between both families our families, but I guess a lot of that comes from both of us having parents who grew up in the Midwest. Shari and I were both blessed with Aunts and Uncles who figured prominently in our lives growing up (and they still do to this day), and we both embrace our roles as Aunt & Uncle to our new expanded family which includes 7 nieces and 1 nephew.

The Future

I think the thing I’ve looked forward to more than anything else this Christmas is the blank canvas a 1st Christmas creates for Shari and I as a couple. As we blend the traditions we both hold dear, we also create new traditions exclusively unique to us, some of which we hope Michael and Matthew may choose to continue with their families one day!

• Do you have a favorite family Christmas tradition with roots from the first Christmas you celebrated as husband and wife?
• What is your favorite family Christmas tradition?

Wishing Everyone A Merry Christmas and Blessed New Year!

~Tom

trusting God period!

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