Christmas Traditions

Christmas 2011 was good... great really.  After church in the morning, we pretty much took the entire day to enjoy some Christmas chill.  We unwrapped stocking presents, ate Swedish pancakes, listened to Christian read the story of the birth of Jesus and then opened the big presents.      

During the first six or so years of our marriage, we spent our Christmases with our families.  Some years were spent in Seattle, and some in Michigan.  It was always such a blessing to be with grandparents, great grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins.  We also loved participating in the various Christmas traditions that Jer and I each grew up with.  

Seattle Christmas traditions always include a big trip downtown to visit favorite destinations including Pikes Place Market and the Space Needle.  We always loved being at Papa and Nana's home too, which always just glows with extra love and warmth around Christmas time.  I'm sure it has something to do with Nana's delicious homemade Christmas cookie treats and her beautiful Department 56 Christmas village pieces set up all throughout the house.  We have some great memories of the Christmases that we were able to spend out in Seattle.

Christian as a baby getting to meet Great Grandma Carol.

Downtown Seattle

Pikes Place Market

Chilling with Uncle Justin

Jammies and Jerseys

A special carousel ride with Nana

A White Christmas!

We've also been able to enjoy quite a few Michigan Christmases too.  Most of them included snow, which always brought on a festive Christmas feeling.  Getting together with our extended family for Christmas Eve was always a highlight too.  There was always plenty of delicious food and tons of great company.  Christmas mornings included Great Grandma, making her delicious Swedish pancakes and then the fun, but chaotic time of opening all of the wonderful presents that Grandpa and Grandma picked up for all of the grandkids.

Grandpa and Grandma

Grandma's favorite Christmas tradition where there are so many gifts that they don't even fit under the tree.

Meeting second and third cousins at the big family Christmas Eve party.

Back when she only had two :)

My Baby ornament that still hangs faithfully on my parent's tree.

Great Grandma making Swedish pancakes.

It has always been such an incredible blessing to spend Christmas with our extended families.  

However, for the past few years, we have enjoyed starting our own family traditions here in New York.

Our last all together Christmas picture...  after that year, it was just the kids.

Post-present apocalypse.

Eastport Bible Church Nativity

Sharing present with some of our favorite people ever.

 One special tradition is setting our "Jesus box" out in front of our Christmas tree and all the presents.  We keep special ornaments, one for each member of our family inside of the box, and the reminder is that the most important gift that we'll ever receive is Jesus and His love for us, and the most important gift that we can give back to him, is our hearts.  Ellee also loves to use the box as her personal storage space for things that she thinks Jesus would like for Christmas.  This year's treasures included some of the ornaments that she made at her Preschool and also a handful of random beads.  

Traditions are good.  Talking to family yesterday and today, I realized that a part of me missed being able to enjoy childhood home traditions this year.  But mostly I was thankful to be able to participate in the traditions that we have made up for ourselves here.  I'm happy to be where I am, with a wonderful husband and two amazing children.  I'm thankful for the job that God has provided and for the ministry that we love so very much here.  And whereas sentiment sometimes makes me miss the days of old, living in the here and now reminds me that I am incredibly blessed and so thankful for all that God has provided here.