It’s that time of the year when every bite of food, television show, or song on the radio invokes memories from the past. After all, that’s what’s promoted this time of the year – MEMORIES...
Simple Memories of Christmas Past:
As a child I recall sitting around an oak table cutting out sugar cookies at my grandmother’s house. I was accompanied by my brothers and all my cousins. We’d eat more of dough than we’d cut. The table would be coated with flour, sugar sprinkles of red and green, and cinnamon candies scattered everywhere. I remember picking out which Christmas ornaments were mine for the tree, and helping my mom set up our miniature nativity scene – angel hair and all! To this day I cannot eat a sugar cookie or set up our miniature nativity without thinking of those childhood memories. These are the simple memories of my Christmas past.
Simple Memories of Christmas Present:
As you might have guessed, we attempt to make sugar cookies every year. Some years they are made by scratch just as my grandmother made them, and other years we buy the pre-made dough. Kaitlyn sets out the miniature nativity scene, and Joshua lays out the ornaments just like my Christmas pasts. The kids pick out their favorite ornaments, and they love hanging their own Baby’s First Christmas. Kaitlyn climbs on the house with her dad to hang the lights, while Joshua helps me string lights on the tree. On Christmas Eve we read Twas The Night Before Christmas, and on Christmas morning we read the story of Christ’s birth, and pray together before the gifts are opened. These are the simple memories of our Christmas present, which will become their Christmas past.
Simple Memories of Christmas Future:
They are yet to be told. They will be written by my children and my grandchildren. It’s funny how every year, at least once or twice, I feel like I failed to create the fondness I remember about this holiday. Yet, every Christmas season it’s the simple things my children can’t wait to do like stringing lights, setting out the nativity, and making cookies.
Memories of a Christmas KISS:
The memory I’m focusing on this year is a Christmas KISS – Keep It Simple and Sweet (we don’t use the word stupid it’s not nice!) As moms we put so much pressure to hand make, home bake, and beautifully create memories during this time of the year. When it’s the simple things we remember from our Christmas pasts, and it’s the simple things our children will remember too!
Keep the simple things a priority, and let the rest go! So what if you fail to make from scratch every gift or piece of food put out! So what if the house doesn’t look like the Rockwell’s, or the family time didn’t go exactly how you’d planned! What they remember is how they FELT. It’s the feelings of the holiday which invoke the memories. Keep it simple and sweet… those are things that last.
Mom’s do your family a favor and give them a Christmas KISS this year!
Now Your Turn: What are some of your favorite memories of Christmas Past? What are some of your Christmas present traditions? Let’s Chat…
My family always gets cereal from Santa (the good sugary stuff) and then we eat as much as we can. The kids love it because it is the one time of year that they can binge on sugar cereal.
LA Acting Class Gal,
Hi LA!
I absolutely love that idea! My kids always get the lifesaver storybook in their stockings! They loves it. Thanks for stopping by and sharing your tradition.