Since I was a little girl, the anticipation of Christmas brought wonder and excitement.  I pour much energy into creating some wonderful memories for our children in hopes that they will experience that feeling, too.

What are some of the ways that we celebrate Christmas in our family?

Going Christmas Caroling is a great way to bring cheer to others.  We go to the homes of shut-ins or those going through a difficult time.  Most of the people we visit sing along with us, smiling from ear to ear.   We bring along homemade cookies to give to each person or family.

Like many others, we select items to fill Boxes of Love for needy children around the world.  It’s an easy but great way to help our kids think beyond their own needs.

During Advent, each one in our family picks the name of a another family member.  Then each person thinks of something special to do for or with that person, or buys or bakes them a surprise.  We call it “Secret Agents.”

Many times, we make an outing of selecting and cutting down a fresh tree.  Other times, due to circumstances, we choose to go to a local lot for our tree.  We have even resorted to having an artificial tree that we put up every other year for a period of time. It’s a good thing that my husband and some of our sons put the lights on the tree instead of me!   Decorating the tree and house are something I always look forward to. I cherish the homemade ornaments as well as those commemorating special events like the birth of a baby.

The Candlelight Service at church creates a peaceful atmosphere and renews my faith. There’s something about hearing the familiar story of our Saviour coming to this earth as a baby that gives a quiet sense of wonder.  At the end of the service, one candle is lit.  That candle is tipped to light the next candle and so on, until the place is filled with people holding their own candles and singing, “Silent Night.”

After the church service, we look forward to sharing Chinese food together.  This tradition started on the first Christmas that my husband and I shared as a married couple.  We were given a wok, so we decided to try it out on Christmas Eve.  We made Sweet and Sour Chicken and Rice.  As the family grew, it became more difficult and time consuming to make enough food in a timely manner, so we started getting take-out.  It is more relaxing and frees up  time and energy for other things.

When the kids were young, we had fun preparing for and acting out our homespun dramatization of Jesus’ birth.  We used simple materials for costumes like sheets  and a baby doll or even our own baby to play The Baby Jesus. We also set up a miniature creche’—minus Baby Jesus— in anticipation of Christmas day……  On Christmas morning, the children went on a search to find The Baby Jesus and place him in the manger.  Before opening gifts, we always read The Christmas Story from the book of Luke and continue to do so to this day.

Gift giving and receiving in our large family is something to behold.  There are presents every which way you look.  It takes so long that we usually take a break mid-way to get a bite to eat.

Favorite foods include homemade waffles, turkey bacon-wrapped mushrooms stuffed with goat cheese,  other finger-foods and desserts like Snow-Tunnel Angel Food Cake and homemade cookies.

We used to visit both of our parents’ homes on Christmas Day, but after we had our 4th child, we realized that it was getting too stressful.  At that point, we decided to stay home on Christmas Day and invite our parents and others who may otherwise be alone to share the holiday with us.

As the day goes on, we enjoy just being together and trying out a new toy, game or gadget while listening to Christmas music or watching a fun Christmas movie.  Eventually, one of the kids will ask, “Can we look in our stockings now?!”  There is much excitement over the small gifts and treats inside.

A tradition adopted from my husband’s side of the family is to have a birthday cake for Jesus in the evening.  It’s a highlight to sing “Happy Birthday, Jesus.”  We sometimes reflect on a special gift we will give the Lord Jesus in the coming year.  It’s similar to making a New Year’s Resolution.  We eagerly await a New Year and all of the joys that come along with it….and perhaps feel a bit of apprehension because of the unknown trials we might have to face.  All of it is a blessing because through the good times and the hard times, we learn and grow together.