"TRADITION!"

(imagine as sung in Fiddler on the Roof)

A word heard a lot around the holidays and one that takes on a whole new significance once you feel in charge of creating a bevy of wonderful childhood memories for children of your own.

He finally "warmed up" to the snow.

The traditions of my childhood Christmases were simple, unspectacular, and, if not exactly accidental, then simply evolutionary:  homemade cut-out Christmas cookies topped with sprinkles only, no frosting; Christmas-tree decorating that ended not in a quiet, respectful crowning of the tree with its regal topper, but rather in a joyful gypsy dance of icicle-flinging; Christmas programs full of old songs and brown paper bags.  But they're all remembered fondly, with a hint of magic to them.

My husband's family rode through the Advent season on a series of orchestrated rituals, from gifts of candy in shoes on St. Nicolas' feast day, to the presentation of sweet rolls on St. Lucy's feast day, to a homegrown re-enactment of the night of Jesus' birth starring him and his siblings on Christmas Eve and a scavenger hunt for gifts on Christmas morning.

"I love my new hat from Miss Katie."

I admire the forethought and organization that goes into the deliberate creation and completion of holiday rituals, but it's a way of thinking that does not come naturally to me and usually comes across as forced and manufactured when I try.

So the small smattering of rituals Jeremy, Gideon and I have managed to evolve in the last few years are ones that arise out of necessity or simplicity or circumstances/locale or just sheer enjoyment.

I love baking cookies any time of year, so it's easy to connect to the cookie-baking tradition of my childhood and, with Gideon, bake up a few batches (but with at least one new recipe tried a year) of cookies to deliver to neighbors, co-workers, teachers and far-off family members.

Since Gideon's birthday falls in the middle of December, it just seems simpler to hold off on most of the Christmas decorations and activities until after his birthday celebration.  And that way, his birthday receives its own due and is not overshadowed by the biggest holiday of the year.  And the biggest holiday of the year is kept in a little more perspective as well.

So, the area around our house is apparently a wintering
ground for Canadian geese - a happenstance we find
fascinating and thrilling.

This year, we bought our tree from a local choose-and-cut tree farm the day after Gideon's birthday party and spent the next three days, each adding our own touches to the tree - Jeremy does the lights first and Gideon and I hang ornaments and candy canes at our own leisure over a couple day's time.  (And I remind myself that this season and its accoutrements should be more fun than beautiful for Gideon's sake, so I keep my ornament-rearranging to a minimum.)  This is our second year for a fresh cut tree, after years of artificial, then potted live trees.  Have we found a new tradition in a fresh-cut Christmas tree?

Jeremy and I have the movies we eagerly anticipate every Christmas season - not It's a Wonderful Life or Miracle on 34th Street- but sharp-witted, warm-hearted, modern-day tales of family, love, and the generous spirit of the season - The Family Stone and Love Actually.  And for the rest of the family, a classic I'd never heard of (!) before meeting my husband - A Christmas Story.

This year, our first family Christmas outside of Texas, we've learned that to see Santa down here in St. Mary's county, we must attend one of the many fund-raising "Breakfasts with Santa" sponsored by fire stations, churches, and elementary schools, since Santa has no mall to set up shop in here in southern Maryland.  We've also discovered that yard decorations play more of a part in outside Christmas displays when a 30-foot ladder would be required to hang icicle lights from the roof.  

My latest "green" gift-wrapping techniques:  leftover
packing paper from the move (top left) and finally putting
to use some of the remnant fabric I invariably pick up
whenever I visit JoAnn's.  

What are your family holiday traditions?  Do you have deliberate rituals that everyone eagerly anticipates?  Or does your Christmas routine change a little every year?  Do you incorporate rituals from your own childhood, as well as that of your significant other's or have you established a new set of traditions independent of those from either childhood.

It seems our holiday traditions here will continue to evolve because not only are we still figuring out what we value most in the season, but also because we like and need a sense of fluidity in our routines as we grow, move, learn, and continue to settle into our own little family. 

Whatever your traditions, however (and whatever) you're celebrating this holiday season, the three of us wish for all of you - our precious family and friends - peace, joy, hope and all the love you can handle.  If we could be three or four or five or ten different places at once, we'd be with all of you!

Merry Christmas!