Like so many other families, we have enjoyed certain Christmas traditions over the 34 years Jim and I have been married. I thought it would be fun just to share a few with you.

Here’s one my two youngest children started doing when they were about five and six. After spending the day decorating the Christmas tree, they would bring up their pillow and blankets for bedtime and sleep under the tree! As they have gotten bigger over the last ten years, it has become necessary to sleep more to the side of the tree, rather than under it.

At some point during the night, Jim or I would make our way out to the living room, turn off the lights, and go on to bed. When they were smaller, they were usually asleep by then. Now that they are older, they turn them off as they are getting sleepy because a 10-foot Christmas tree full of lights makes the living room too bright for sleeping.

You ask me how this tradition got started? I tell you….I don’t know.

Then there’s the one about spending the day in our pajamas. Personally, this is not one of my favorites because I tend to feel less productive when I spend the day in my PJ’s. However, the rest of my family really enjoys doing this. In fact, the girls have been known to buy a new pair of PJ’s just for this occasion! To this I say, “To each his own.”

Of course, it wouldn’t be Christmas Day without homemade hot chocolate and spiced cider. At some point after we have finished opening the presents, I make my way into the kitchen and whip up a special batch for those I love. (And don’t forget the marshmellows. They really do add to the taste of the hot chocolate.)

Then there is Jim’s favorite tradition. He loves being able to find a quiet moment during the craziness of the day and begin reading from his new book he received as a present. Which reminds me–I had better check with the rest of the crew and make sure somebody has bought him one for Christmas.

Finally, we usually try and make time to watch a couple of good movies to finish out the day. This may be a Christmas favorite we didn’t get time to watch leading up to Christmas Day, or it might be one that we received as a gift. Here’s hoping I get the newest Love Comes Softly movie. Hint. Hint.

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Do you find some things difficult to deal with during the holidays? You know, things like little babies and small children ending up inside the Christmas tree, or beautiful presents being prematurely unwrapped.

Since 1977, there have been little ones in my life–first my own babies, and now grandchildren. There were two things that were always a struggle for me during the holiday season–how to keep the little ones from grabbing the special ornaments off the Christmas tree and where to put a nativity scene? Well, here is how I’ve dealt with these issues over the years.

I’ve accumulated many special ornaments over the years and I used to be afraid that my treasures would end up broken if they were too close to the bottom of the tree. While putting them up high enough so little fingers couldn’t reach them, was an option, I decided to do something different.

I bought two trees! One for the whole family, to display our treasures, and one for the little children. I purchased a small four feet tree, placed it next to the family tree, strung some lights on it, and then put ornaments that were unbreakable on it. These were ones like fabric ornaments, plastic, and ones they made at home and church.

This would allow my children to play and redecorate their  own little tree whenever they wanted. Nobody told them, “Don’t touch,” or “Leave that alone.” We did teach them to leave the ornaments on the big tree alone. Whenever we noticed they were tempted to bother the decorations on the big tree, we redirected them to their own tree. This worked beautifully for us until the children became old enough to graduate to the “big tree.” To this day, our two youngest children still enjoy decorating their own little Christmas tree in each of their bedrooms.

The other thing I did was to purchase a nativity set that was kid friendly. Nowadays, there are many that are  made of resin, wood, and even plastic. Ones like those designed by Fisher Price allow children to enjoy learning the story of Christmas without you worrying about Jesus losing his head! To this day, I place the resin nativity scene in the wooden stable, under the edge of the Christmas tree on the floor. Then I place my Willow Tree nativity scene in a place where little ones are not tempted to bother it.

By taking the time to think through a few of the important issues such as presents, trees, and ornaments, the holiday season can be much more enjoyable and relaxing for everyone–especially you!

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