Traditions

Today we went for a walk and a few homes had their Christmas trees up!  It was so fun to see, even though there isn't any snow on the ground yet in Iowa.  (Side note about walks: Leo grabs every piece of trash we walk by, carries it for 30 seconds and then proceeds to drop it again...which makes it look like we're littering.  So I pick it up (totally gross, I know) and put it in the bottom of the stroller.  Garner will now be a cleaner place, thanks to Leo.  My stroller, on the otherhand, needs to be cleaned out!)

But seeing the glistening lights on all the Christmas trees got me thinking about how we'll spend the Christmas season.  Aidan will be more into it this year as an 18 month old, and I'd like to start some family traditions.  Noel Piper's Treasuring God in our Traditions has been a go-to resource for me as I ponder what the Christmas season should look like in the Lund household.

But, first, what is a tradition and why are they important?  Noel defines tradition, for the Christian, as "laying up God's words in our hearts and passing his words to the next generation," (pg 26).  In Deuteronomy 11, God gave His people specific instructions for teaching the children about His "greatness and might, his signs and deeds, and his words and commandments," (pg 32).  We see this again in Psalm 78.  Why is this so important for us, as parents, to teach?

...so that they should set their hope in God

and not forget the works of God,

but keep his commandments...

Psalm 78:7 

The goal of traditions in the Christian home, at Christmas and always, should be to fulfill the command in Deuteronomy 11:19:

...teach [God's words] to your children, talking of them when you are sitting in your house, and when you are walking by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise,

so that our children may set their hope in God - the only One worth hoping in!

How will we be fulfilling this commandment during the Christmas season this year?  Here are some ideas I have:

• Picking out the tree -  last year we cut one down at Aldrich's Tree Farm while Aidan slept in his infant carrier inside the warm car.  I'm sure he'll love to help this year!
• Setting a day aside to decorate the house for Christmas, with a special focus on helping Aidan set up his new nativity set (Fischer Price so it's unbreakable!) from Auntie Callie & Uncle Andy, guiding Aidan to an understanding of it's importance.
• Advent Calendar - Advent is a time to reflect on what it must have been like waiting for the promised salvation of God through the birth of Christ and also a time to look ahead, as we long for Christ's second coming.  I purchased a tree advent calendar from Pottery Barn Kids, and each date has a pocket that I will fill with either a verse or an object that helps us to reflect on the coming of Christ.  Objects may include:  a toy star, toy hammer (Jesus was a carpenter), a cross, a heart (God so loved the world...), a toy sheep (Jesus is the Lamb of God), or a small candle (Jesus is the Light of the World).  I may even slip a piece of chocolate in there one day because my boys love chocolate.
• Gifts to those in need (Operation Christmas Child, financial donation, etc.)

 And Mrs. Piper gave some other excellent traditions that I'd like to start in the future (when Aidan is older):

• Advent Candles
• Gifts to Jesus (i.e. a needy family)
• Bethlehem Tree

And Santa?  Yes, Aidan will be soon sitting on his lap.  However, the Piper's chose not to do Santa with their children and she describes why in her book.  I may do a future blog post on why we're choosing to do Santa with our children.


What are your Christmas traditions?  How will you be helping your children place their hope in Christ this season?