Christmas Traditions that Last Forever
By Tracy "Bobo" Banks
My family has Christmas traditions that we include
during every holiday season. Many of these traditions include decorating and
cooking wonderful recipes that have been passed down for generations.
The first family Christmas decorating tradition
that I can ever remember is a clear glass golden ornament that belongs
to my mother. She got this ornament when she was 4 years old and it has hung on
her Christmas tree for the past 69 years.
Ever year since I was knee high to a grasshopper,
I can remember my sisters and I carefully unwrapping mom’s golden ornament and
placing it delicately on the Christmas tree. It always brought about such a
special anticipation for us girls; just knowing that mom had kept it all those
years.
Another decorating tradition is one that mom for
some reason gladly passed on to me when I grew up and moved out on my own. I’m
not quite sure why this family Christmas heirloom decoration was one that mom
felt she could part with. It’s a beautiful Christmas tree that stands 12” tall
and 6” wide.
It’s one of those “must be out” Christmas
decorations that I carefully place in a special location every year. After
seeing it, I’m sure you’ll understand why mom so graciously passed it on to me.
Okay, I admit it; it wasn’t purchased from
Dillards or Macy’s Department store. I can’t even tell you that it came from
K’Mart or Wal-Mart. The truth is I made it over 40 years ago, when I was in the
5th grade.
It’s a piece of rolled up poster board in the
shape of a tree and it’s covered in rolled up pieces of brown paper towels that
I painted with green tempra paint. (Yes, I’m fully aware of the fact that those
brown paper towels and tempra paint kind of hints at my age.)
I also used foil-wrapping paper that was cut into
different shapes for shiny ornaments. Merry Christmas is spelled out along the
bottom of the tree with sparkling glitter. For a 5th grader, that tree was
definitely a work of art.
That hand-made gift given to mom when I was eleven
years old was one of those rare priceless gifts that she felt should be shared
with one of her children. The actual truth is mom insisted that I take the tree
or else…
I guess every family has traditions that bring
smiles, laughter and sometimes-even tears.
When the holidays are in full swing, it's so
easy to get caught up in the material part of Christmas. At times, I
get overwhelmed with the hustle and bustle of the season. When that happens, I
have to stop, take a deep breath and remind myself of the true meaning of Christmas and
also of the traditions that are most important to me.
The greatest Christmas tradition that I have ever
been given was passed down to me from my Grandma and Grandpa Banks. I’ve
found over the years that not many families
share this gift that my Grandparents
so wisely gave.
When I was
a little girl, my family, which included aunts, uncles and lots of cousins
gathered in Grandma and Grandpa's living room. All of us kids were
scattered in the floor under our parent’s feet with lots of presents scattered
under the Christmas tree. Needless to say, us kids couldn't wait to get our
hands on those pretty wrapped packages. We learned quickly, however, that
opening presents was not top priority in Grandma’s Christmas plans.
My Grandma
Lois (yes, just like Timothy’s grandmother in the Bible) was
the greatest woman of faith I have ever known. Grandma instilled that
faith in her children and grandchildren everyday of her life and Christmas time
was no exception.
Grandma
wouldn’t allow us to open any present without first taking time for Jesus, the
true meaning of Christmas. Grandpa would take out
his big black Bible and read from Luke the 2nd chapter. All of us kids listened
intently as Grandpa told the Christmas story about Baby Jesus being born in a
manager in Bethlehem.
After
reading God’s word, we would pray. Sometimes, it was just a short prayer. Other
times, however, it was a long prayer... and for a kid waiting to open up
presents, it seemed like eternity.
We finally
got to open presents, but not until Grandma felt like we had truly praised,
worshiped and thanked God for the wonderful gift of His Son.
As our
family grew, we had to move our Christmas gathering to a community center. The
number of presents under the Christmas tree grew too along with Grandma’s
family tradition.
Many times, it was still Grandpa reading from the
2nd chapter of Luke, but other times, we had a real church service.
Coming from a family with several ministers and one Missionary often meant our
family gatherings would include a family church service. Singing, preaching,
sharing a testimony, praying for the needs of our family and praising God
became a regular part of every Christmas.
We learned
at a very early age that Christmas time with our family would never be
about presents under a Christmas tree, but about
the PRESENCE OF OUR LORD AND SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST.
Grandma went home to be with the Lord in 1998 and
Grandpa, 95, went home to be with the Lord this year. The legacy they gave to
our family is a truly a rare and priceless gift.
I can't begin to tell you what an impact that
Christmas tradition has meant to me. Grandma’s Christmas tradition was
instilled deep inside of our hearts and it continues every Christmas season. We
all know that inviting the presence of our Lord and Savior to our Christmas celebration will be the first priority
before any present under the tree is ever opened.
The gift that my Grandparent’s gave me, I now share with you. I hope they
become a part of your Christmas traditions.
Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the
traditions which you were taught, whether by word or our epistle. 2
Thessalonians 2:15 NKJV
Friend,
the presence of our Lord and Savior is the greatest present of all that you can give to your family.
May God Bless You and Yours during this blessed Christmas Season!
