I recall when I was first married in 1982 and the first Christmas was coming on. As a newlywed I had not given much thought to Christmas preparations much like when I first went to the grocery after getting back from my honeymoon and having to buy EVERYTHING to stock the kitchen cabinets. I didn't have to pick up just replacement things I had used to fix meals. I had to pick up anything and everything I would need to fix anything. I had to use more than one grocery cart. Do you know how people look at you when you are pulling two grocery carts around the store? Do you know how high the bill is? Of course I would hate to have to do it today. That is something to keep in mind when doing bridal showers these days....spice baskets....condiment bundles, and staple set ups... These might seem boring but I've noticed individuals do some very creative things with baby shower items like making diapers into a wreath. My point is this. I was starting out on my own with my husband and I learned as I went. Life is not a fairy tale. I had to make decisions. I had freedom. I had responsibilities. This is to be "Newly Wed".
Back to Christmas... somewhere around Thanksgiving my husband's Aunt approached us and presented us with a package. In the package were new ornaments. She told me the story of when she and her husband were first married. Christmas came and they had no ornaments and she did not want that for us. She was right. I had not thought about that. We would have had to start from scratch just like the grocery shopping. This was such a special gift on her part. Because of her thoughtfulness, I determined to begin a tradition with my children. Each year starting with the year they were born I would purchase an ornament we would put on the tree for them. When they married I would pack up those ornaments as well as all the ones they made through the years and give them to them. This way when they experienced their first Christmas they had ornaments to start their own traditions with. I don't know if it happened that way. My marriage ended in divorce when my youngest was ten years old. Somewhere, there should be 16 ornaments for my eldest, 13 for my middle child, and 10 for my youngest as well as all the ones they made at church and school. That was a tradition I started for my children. I know others now that have the same. I find it to be a way to pass on memories and a connection of love to the next generation that will last long after we are gone. One of my favorite traditions was the Advent Calendar...the one where we would often have to search for the mouse in the morning because the cat would steal it out of the little pocket to play with it during the night. This Advent Calendar was also a gift to us make it all the more special. Christmas always meant a picture in front of the tree... as a family we gathered in front of the tree. My Christmas tree is symbolic to me...as the tree of life. Jesus is the tree of life. What do you think of when you gather around your Christmas tree? ....
Back to Christmas... somewhere around Thanksgiving my husband's Aunt approached us and presented us with a package. In the package were new ornaments. She told me the story of when she and her husband were first married. Christmas came and they had no ornaments and she did not want that for us. She was right. I had not thought about that. We would have had to start from scratch just like the grocery shopping. This was such a special gift on her part. Because of her thoughtfulness, I determined to begin a tradition with my children. Each year starting with the year they were born I would purchase an ornament we would put on the tree for them. When they married I would pack up those ornaments as well as all the ones they made through the years and give them to them. This way when they experienced their first Christmas they had ornaments to start their own traditions with. I don't know if it happened that way. My marriage ended in divorce when my youngest was ten years old. Somewhere, there should be 16 ornaments for my eldest, 13 for my middle child, and 10 for my youngest as well as all the ones they made at church and school. That was a tradition I started for my children. I know others now that have the same. I find it to be a way to pass on memories and a connection of love to the next generation that will last long after we are gone. One of my favorite traditions was the Advent Calendar...the one where we would often have to search for the mouse in the morning because the cat would steal it out of the little pocket to play with it during the night. This Advent Calendar was also a gift to us make it all the more special. Christmas always meant a picture in front of the tree... as a family we gathered in front of the tree. My Christmas tree is symbolic to me...as the tree of life. Jesus is the tree of life. What do you think of when you gather around your Christmas tree? ....