What makes a Christmas tradition?
There might be a few nuggets that come to mind. Some are serious while others can be fun.
For instance, my sister-in-law Cindy always buys chocolate-covered cherries for her dad, and my father-in-law, Howard. No one else dares to get them for him. That’s her job! Tradition.
Another one is my mother-in-law makes about 74 pounds of her famous Christmas sugar cookies – and we usually consume 68 pounds of them on Christmas Eve. Tradition.
- And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed. (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.
When my mother was alive, we had a custom of gathering in her cramped, tiny little home and exchanging stockings at Christmas time. This was fine until the family grew and grew. Somehow, we’d pack about 30 people into a box house that had a capacity of 12. I used to go outside to change my mind. But she loved Christmas and her big family.
- And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.
After my father passed away, I ALWAYS got the phone call from my mom to put her tree up NOW!!! No matter what I was in the process of doing, I dropped everything to trek to her house to assemble her tree. It’s a good thing I was not a surgeon because I’d have to leave the patient with a few stitches left. The process took hours. Just like in the 1960’s, she loved to throw icicles on the tree — that’s right – she tossed icicles – everywhere but the tree it seemed. Some of them landed on the fake evergreen, while others floated to our clothes, in our hair and even into our meal. They were everywhere! But she thought she had the prettiest tree ever.
- And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger;