Metro Moms

When Traditions Change

It was our first Christmas in Florida after moving from Virginia.  We were out of sorts.

In Virginia we had decades of traditions to work from.  We knew which neighborhoods to visit for a parade of well done lights.  We looked forward to our annual visit to Downtown DC to see the National Christmas Tree and the reindeer, the bonfire and the free hot chocolate.  And we looked forward to Christmas Eve at Mammaw's and Christmas morning at our house with the craziness and fun of all the extended family.

Christmas of 2000 was just us.  Mom, Dad, and the kids.  We were sad that Christmas Eve.  We didn't know where to go to find lights or reindeer or hot chocolate.  So we went to find go karts.  We thought doing something completely different and zany would stop the sadness of missing the dear and familiar.  So go kart riding we went!  We laughed alot -- not just at the fun of racing each other around the track, but at the complete weirdness of being in Flordia doing "vacation stuff" on Christmas Eve.

But we found out two very special things that Christmas.  First, we love each other.  Really love each other.  We missed Bobi and her family, Mammaw, and Uncle Clint.  We missed the cold, the fireplace, and the spot downstairs where we always put the tree.  But the most important people in our lives were sharing together the laughter of seeing dad's wild and wind blown hair as he climbed out of the go kart.  We were far away from home and we were lonely.  But those that mattered most were there to do all different things that had no special meaning...which made that first Florida Christmas special in it's own way.

And, second, we learned again that there is One who never changes.  When God's providence invades our lives and so much has changed that we no longer have solid ground to stand on, we can be assured that He who set the stars in place and has named each one also holds us in His firm and loving hands. 

Are you experiencing unsettledness, change, disappointment, defered hopes?  Is this Christmas going to be "different" for you than Christmases past?  Is there something you hoped to have by this Christmas (a new baby, time with cherished family or friends, a new home to celebrate in) that has been providentially denied?  Then remember that something hasn't changed and will never change.  In the midst of life's unplanned happenings, God is sure and faithful and always near. 

May the Unchanging One fill your heart with peace as you enjoy both the familiar and  the unfamiliar plans He has for you this Christmas.

P.S.  By the way, over the past 5 years Florida has become home and we no longer ride go karts on Christmas Eve.  We haven't found reindeer and we have to open our windows to cool down the house enough to enjoy the fireplace.  God is faithful.  He uses time to heal broken hearts and bring biblical perspective on how change can be used to draw our hearts toward heaven when we will meet the Unchanging One face to face.

Posted by Sheree   

Special Ornaments

There are many special memories that come to mind when I think of my first Christmas with Todd.  We enjoyed creating traditions of our own, and we also enjoyed implementing those of our families that were dear to our hearts.

The evening that we brought our "first" Christmas tree home is a story we still tell to our children...and to anybody who wants a good laugh =).  We decided to purchase a tree with its roots in tact that could be planted after Christmas was over.  This plan sounded innocent enough, but executing it was a completely different matter.  Trees with their roots packed in dirt are quite heavy =).  Hauling one up to a third story apartment on a rainy evening is an adventure we'll never forget.  It took four grown men to complete the task!

We planted the tree on Todd's parent's property, and looking at it each time we travel home for Christmas still brings a smile to our faces.  It has grown quite a bit these last 12 years and is a funny, but sweet memory of our first Christmas.  Decorating our first tree together is another wonderful story.

Todd handed me a box and a note on that memorable evening.  The note conveyed his excitement about sharing one of his family traditions with me...his wife =).  Each year his parents had allowed him to purchase a new tree ornament to be collected so that he'd have something to put on his own tree when he got married.  1994 was the year....and I was the blessed recipient of a beautiful collection of ornaments.  What a memory!

We have carried on this tradition with our own two boys.  Our tree is filled with many unusual, fun ornaments that represent well the character of each of our children.  Todd and I still collect an ornament each year as well.  You will find everything from racing cars to angels on our tree...and usually 2 or 3 ornaments on a branch until I quietly and unobtrusively rearrange things a bit=).

I hope some day my boys will have the joy of handing the wife God has chosen for each of them a special box filled with cherished childhood Christmas ornaments, and that I get to see how beautiful they look on their tree!

Posted by Michelle

Breakfast "Puffs"

Since I was a little girl Mom always fixed the same Christmas morning breakfast...bacon, sausage, eggs (scrambled and over easy to accommodate everyone's preferences) and PUFFS!  Just thinking about them makes my mouth water.  We asked for them for our birthdays and other special occasions but, no, puffs were only for Christmas morning (except for those who happen to get up early enough the day after Christmas to warm up the leftovers!). 

Since my children were big enough to eat solids they, too, have had puffs every Christmas morning.  Now it's my grandchildren's little sticky fingers I'm wiping after they've enjoyed "Nannie's" Christmas gift to our family.  Generations I will never meet will probably be eating them until the Lord returns.  But then...my children are convinced they will be served in heaven, dripping with melted butter and Log Cabin syrup.

Standing around the stove with my girls shaping and frying the dough is an annual joy.  I remember decades of standing alongside my own Mom, who is now celebrating the Lord's birth at His feet, rolling then flattening the little balls into flat, pancake-like hunks of dough and setting them into hot grease to fry to a golden brown. 

You probably don't know what puffs are.  But I'm sure you know the priceless joy of having treasured traditions that are saved only for the holidays.  Just think...great granddaughters and their daugthers...little girls you will never meet, may someday use your recipes or decide to buy Christmas Eve pajamas or do an advent calendar because of you.  So let's all remember this holiday season to pass along not just a legacy of yummy food and memorable gifts, but also of joyful worship of the One whose birth we celebrate.

Posted by Sheree   

Girl's Baking Day

Baking is a tradition that I have established from the day I got married.  Even before children, I loved to surprise my husband with sweet smells coming from the kitchen.  When my children were little I continued to bake, even though it took much longer, I found that it was well worth the effort.  Those memories and pictures are priceless to me!

Now, with two grown daughters and a daughter-in-law we are continuing the tradition with our 2nd Annual Walter Girls' Baking Day.  We will gather together on a Saturday morning to make candy cane cookies, cut-out sugar cookies, and sugared pecans just to name a few.  We will play our favorite Christmas music, sample the hot cookies, sip cappuccinos or hot tea and talk, talk and then, talk some more.  That is the best part - having time to just be together doing something that we love and talking about the details of our lives.   This year we've invited the Grandma's to come and help, and when the day is over, we will each have a tray full of fresh baked cookies to keep and a heart full of  warmth and cheer.   

Last year we took this photo knowing that each year, as our family grew, we would have new faces in the annual picture.  What a blessing this tradition is to our family - what a testimony to the faithfulness of God.  Posted by Debi

Advent Calendar and Disney Breakfast!

Well, around our house, Christmas is a big deal!  We love to decorate the house just after Thanksgiving.  We always go as a family to purchase a fresh Christmas tree!  We enjoy baking and decorating cookies together, Christmas caroling and looking at lights!  The list just goes on....

There are a couple of things that stand out to me, though.  A tradition we started in the last couple of years is a Nativity Advent Calendar, where each day we read a bit of the Christmas story and add “characters” (i.e. animals, shepherds, kings, etc.) to the stable.   This has given us a daily focus on what Christmas is all about.  My kids love it and can’t wait to do this each day.  We also purchased a toy Nativity set for them to play with. 

Another tradition that we look forward to each year is our Christmas Eve Breakfast at Disney!  When I was young, my family did this a couple of times and it created such great memories that we decided to make it a tradition for our family.  All family members that are available meet out at Disney for a special character breakfast (very yummy!), then we hop on the monorail and go to the hotels to see all the Christmas decorations.  We love it!  Already we have made many precious memories together.

My prayer is that this Christmas is filled with wonderful family times and special memories!  Merry Christmas!

Its the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Over the next week or two we want to share some of our favorite Christmas traditions.  Please feel free to add a comment with your favorite traditions so others can enjoy (and perhaps "steal") them, too!

I was trying to pick one tradition to share as my favorite Christmas tradition in our family, but I had a hard time.  It's not really one tradition that makes this time of the year special, it's all of the little ones put together -- getting our tree at the same place every year, sharing certain snacks that we make as soon as Thanksgiving is over, doing our advent calendar together, decorating a gingerbread house, opening up stockings and pajamas on Christmas Eve, reading the Christmas story on Christmas morning. 

I love that my kids are starting to remember different things we have done in the past years. I also love that the "tradition" of my husband putting up all the lights on the house and tree. So, I think my favorite Christmas tradition is all of them! Together as a family, in each tradition we have, we are waiting with great anticipation to celebrate the Day that God was born a baby so that we could become his children!

Posted by Taraleigh