Family Christmas Holiday Tradition gives us freedom and guidance in an occasion that’s otherwise hectic and stressful, and often unorganized. Tradition gives us a blueprint of how our family anticipates and loves the holiday season, what they expect, how they love to celebrate.

7. When the holiday draws nearer, we children got more and more excited. Whenever we were high-spirited and tempestuous, mom just needed to say. “Look, an angle’s hair!” And we would try looking in awe and see a really golden hair. Little did we know that mom should have made some gift packages and the golden threat should have fallen on the floor. However for us children this is a positive sign that Christmas was near. Mom left signs of the coming holy night everywhere for all of us, so we would remember to be good, and patient, and kind. This made it easier for all of us children, who yearned for that long awaited Christmas Day!

8. Then, 1 day the wait was over – the 24th of December dawned. We children had to have a little afternoon nap – I am sure mom needed the time to make last adjustments to the Christmas tree and the arrangement of our Christmas presents. In Europe the Christmas tree could be the highlight of the 24th. The tree is hidden from view for kids, and for the first time noticed in the holy night when the doorway to the Christmas room magically opens. The area is locked already the night time before Christmas. We children were especially attentive – maybe we would hear a movement in the Christmas room – maybe an angle came by – or the Christkind personally – to create presents!

9. The nap on the 24th was quite difficult for all of us kids. Who are able to sleep when this kind of excitement is based on the air? Whenever we finally got up, we laid on our best clothes. Then mom included the standard Christmas storybook! It was a tale of a little boy named Heinele, who’s mother had sent him out in rags in to the bitter cold winter night to market toys to the busy people on the streets – who rushed home for their family celebration without even noticing him. The boy went in to the woods and as he looked in the snow – lonely and ice cold – he found the Golden Star of Christmas.

At once in heaven, the angles were hectic, searching for the Golden Star that Christkind had lost because it flew over winter months world on earth. Finally they found the frozen boy, holding the Golden Star tight in his hand. He was dead. They took the boy into heaven. Here it was warm. It gave plenty to consume, and Heinele was truly happy – probably for the first time in his young life. But the good boy, as he saw that his mother in the cold house down on the planet was crying because her child didn’t come home, returned to earth to comfort his mom, bringing her true Christmas love. Love reigned on the joy and comfort of remaining in heaven. A genuine sacrifice.

And while we children hold on every word that came from mom’s lips, suddenly – first faint but then louder – we heard the clear Christmas bell. It signaled that Christkind was here! We would rash to the Christmas room. The doors silently swung open. And we would stand there in awe, still and devout, our wide open eyes reflecting Christmas Spirit. The Christmas tree would stand in all its magic beauty – brightly shining with many real candles and magic stars. We would sing Christmas carols and dad would read the Christmas story from the Holy Bible.

Finally we children could rush to our Christmas presents – many big and little gift-wrapped boxes in all colors, decorated with beautiful ribbons and a fir twig on each gift box. We’d each a little extra corner right under the Christmas tree, and near the crib where Maria and Josef and the beautiful baby would remind us of the reason for our joy. To get our space, the packages had little cards with your names on them. And the Ah and Oh was great!

10. And mom didn’t forget the lonely people outside. She put a warm shining candle in each window to greet those who were lonely and cold this night.

11. The Christmas dinner was another highlight of the day. We’d our traditional fish dinner with potato salad which I loved. The table was set with grace and glister. Each set had a mandarin that held a Christmas candle. Fir twigs were decorating the table. It was festive and the candle light reflected within our smiles!

12. The Midnight Christmas mass was for the older kids. I recall sitting in church and seeing the happy smiles on every face. about the Christmas holidays This alone showed me that in this special night a miracle should have occurred. I really could see the new hat, the new shawl, new boots that people were wearing. Everyone had something new this night. And if it wasn’t a brand new piece of cloth, it was the renewed hope and light inside their heart that held the promise that life is good and all is well, irrespective of the life span circumstances.

Today I am old. My children are out of the house and I am alone again. But at The holidays are, I still remember my family’s holiday tradition: the haunting scent of Christmas; the dazzling light that lightens the eye that looks into the planet with hope; music and laughter that fills the hearts and the space at Christmas eve. I thank my parents for the wonderful Christmas tradition that they had given us – a tradition that lives on …

When Christmas holiday draws near, don’t let yourself be burdened by stressful last minute holiday preparations. Follow your own time proven family holiday tradition – and in the event that you don’t have a vacation tradition yet, manifest your own! Utilize a few of the suggestions I shared with you from our own family Christmas holiday tradition.