I was born into in an all Dutch family in a small Dutch community, where if you grew up to marry a "nice Dutch boy" in the Christian Reformed church, you would be considered a success in life. Both my grandmothers did, and my mother did, too. The Dutch are a people steeped in tradition. I never realized the connections until last year when I read "The Winged Watchman" and "Hans Brinker or the Silver Skates" aloud to my children. Every Saturday for as long as I could remember, the house was cleaned and scrubbed from top to bottom. Hot tea with milk and sugar was served with homemade biscuits every Sunday night. Church and all of its regulations were an expected part of life. Maybe it was a result of Holland living through World War II on tulip bulb soup, or maybe it came from way before that time, but pinching every penny was in my family's blood. The Dutch are well-known for their intelligence and also for their stubbornness. I thought it was just the Bosje family that put value on those things, but now I know that it is all part of a greater heritage.
And then I grew up and married an Italian. A big taboo in my grandmother's eyes, although she did eventually admit that he was "a nice boy for being an Italian." The Italians are extremely family oriented, celebrating life with large family gatherings and a fierce loyalty for one another. And, of course, an over abundance of good food. I was used to a quiet, scheduled life, where my husband grew up with a house always open to entertaining.
And so, our first Christmas as new parents was approaching and I wanted to make it special for our precious daughter. I thought long and hard about which traditions we should begin to practice for her sake and for the sakes of our future children. Over the years, I made many elaborate plans to do spiritually significant activities at specific times with just Daddy, Mommy, and our little ones, but I only seemed to meet with frustration. Finally, one year, my husband broke into my idyllic daydreams and grounded me with just a few words. "Honey," he explained, "Holidays are family (as in all of the family). Make family your priority."
Over the years, as our own personal family has grown and the children are old enough to participate in things and we are home together, we have added in many more things. Did you know that if you do something fun one time, that your children will remind you of it every year and request it again? That is how almost all of our family traditions have come to be.
Christmas is coming, and all they talk about is Christmas Eve when they follow the clues for a treasure hunt which resulting treasure is beef jerky and Klondike bars, and then we sit around and watch "It's a Wonderful Life" with Daddy. And on Christmas morning, we eat oranges and cinnamon rolls for breakfast downstairs with Papa. Silly little traditions, and only a few of many that we now celebrate, but dear to the hearts of those I love because we celebrate together.
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This is the time of year when traditions in our lives are more obvious than ever.
Tell about one of your favorite holiday traditions...























