"Tradition......Tradition!" (Ok....I know it's corny, but I couldn't help a little nod to the "Fiddler on the Roof!")

Tradition: the handing down of beliefs, customs, information from generation to generation.

When I overhear Ana talking with her friends, & saying, “We always eat “Huevos Rancheros” for supper on Christmas Eve,” or when she tells Ruth, “On Christmas Eve, we get to open one present,” I wonder why kids feel the need to review these traditions as they draw near.

Why is it so important that these things get handed down, especially since I don’t do things quite the same way as we did in our family growing up?

Well, Ana is communicating to others that she is connected to her family. Connectedness is so important for kids.

I also think it is comforting to kids to have traditions that repeat-every year. Makes for predictability & stability in their lives.

Traditions also impart a sense of importance & significance to time spent together doing things like our yearly “Christmas Light Drive.” (or any number of various other things you do as a family each December.)

Care to share some other reasons you think traditions are important?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Now, here are a few of the things we like to do-perhaps you can incorporate one or two of these ideas (if you need any more!)

~A special Christmas Eve dinner. (Mentioned above)

~A real tree (this is one tradition Dave wouldn’t mind giving up!)

~Ham for lunch on Christmas Day.

~Going to the “Zoo Lights” with our friends.

~“Christmas Lights Drive”

~Watching the kiddos perform in the Sunday School Christmas Program.

~& perhaps everyone’s favorite at our house is the “Christmas Scrapbook.”

Here is what goes in it each year:

~Pictures from Christmas & the rest of the Holidays
~A list of the major gifts everyone got.
~A brief run-down of the Christmas Holidays, so there are no questions like, “What year was it that we went up to Minnesota to be with Brian & Rebekah?” We can just run to the book & check!
~Finally, every year, I write a short letter to each person spending Christmas with us & thank them for specific things I enjoy about them.

2002

2006, Guatemala City


2008

Here is the beginning of Natty’s letter from last year-his first Christmas home from Guatemala. These letters hang on the tree & are read after all the presents are opened.

I have found the kids love to go through this scrapbook throughout the year.

One thing I need to get better at, though, is not waiting until 10pm, Christmas Eve night to write the letters! Ha! I have a bit of a head start on it this year, though!

Of course, we also love to read the Christmas Story together & try to remember througout the season, that JESUS IS THE REASON FOR THE SEASON!

If it wasn’t illegal in our county, it would be fun to set off fireworks at midnight on Christmas Eve, like they do in Guatemala. Have any of you other parents with children adopted from GT found any traditions you have incorporated into your holiday celebrations?

I also need to re-think some of the traditions we had growing up, & probably pick my dear mother-in-law’s brain to incorporate some traditions from our childhoods.

Can’t wait to read about everyone else’s traditions!