What are some of your Christmas Traditions?
Every year the feeling of excitement, anticipation, giving, loving and blissful joy, rules our little world over the Christmas season. Can you feel the heightened energy change within you which always comes over Christmas season?
Christmas Collection: Jingle bell rock - Bobby helms
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All our senses are overly stimulated during this festive season by Christmas songs being played in all the shopping malls and over the radio, Christmas TV programs and movies are broadcast on every channel, irresistible goodies displayed wherever you turn, Mistletoe and decorations hanging all around you. Who cannot be influenced and resist the tickle of Christmas cheer? Pure Christmas Joy at its best!
That’s Christmas To Me – Pentatonix
My fondest memories still today are those of Christmas. My entire family used to get together on the 24th at my Aunts house, we sometimes reached a total of 56 people. It was great fun for all the children because we got to see our cousins, watch Christmas movies and programs and the highlight of the two days was by far the opening of our Christmas presents at midnight.
The adults used to send us to bed at 8pm so that they could start the wrapping of the presents. Every year, hyper-active with excitement and an overdose of sugar, we will try to pull out every possible trick in the book to have a peak to see what we are getting and not to sleep. None of us ever closed an eye and by midnight we caught our second breath, ready to play with the presents till 3-4pm in the morning.
King Cole - The Christmas Song
We would sleep till about 10am and then had to help with the final preparations for the huge Christmas meal. This was the time for overindulgence as you could not resist to have a scoop of every treat available, often feeling by the end of the day that you could easily pull in your arms, legs and head and roll off to home. These were the best years of my life!
When I started my own family, I had a hard time convincing my husband to stay awake till midnight so the children can open their presents as their family used to do this first thing in the morning. Luckily as the children got older they convinced their dad that this tradition was an absolute must. We also enjoy driving to go see all the different decorations of the houses in our area on Christmas eve.
Most families in South Africa go to the coast for their Christmas holidays. At the top is a photo I couldn't resist adding. How often will you find surfer Dude Santa standing with a Surfboard and flops on his feet? This was taken at our King Shaka Airport, Kwazulu Natal.
I know it will be a never ending list to mention all the traditions families do but I will highlight a few that stood out for me and we tried as a family.
One of which I am sure, are the most famous and done by nearly all families is: “That Famous Christmas meal”. A table covered with the most delectable and mouth-watering dishes like Roasted Turkey, gammon, Christmas pies, pumpkin fritters and I am sure you can imagine the rest. A sin which no one can resist and gaining a few pounds is inevitable. A time reuniting families from far and near, putting aside their differences, embracing the spirit of giving, love and joy. A total must!
Picking out and Decorating the Christmas tree are always great fun:
Each family member makes a decoration every year to hang on the tree, this makes it more personalized, exciting and memorable. Some people hang money boxes from the tree, others Christmas stockings from their fire place. In many countries it is a belief to have the nativity scene next to the Christmas tree not to lose sight of what Christmas is really all about. Reading the story of Christs birth and singing Christmas carols before opening the presents.
As Christmas is the season for giving, there are many things we can do:
Some families help at the shelters to feed the poor on Christmas eve, others offer their Christmas meal to a less fortunate family, children giving away one of their presents they have received, caroling to the elderly and giving them a little gift consisting of cookies, visiting the sick in hospital with a gift to lift their spirit, handing out food parcels to the hobos on the street.
Here are some links for more Christmas ideas:
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6471920-oh-what-fun
http://www.iheartartsncrafts.com/12-christmas-traditions-to-start-with-your-kids/
https://za.pinterest.com/explore/christmas-eve-traditions/
Where are you Christmas? Faith Hill
If you are not in the Christmas Spirit yet and feel like the Grinch, go out and serve others and you will quickly see how your heart will change!
The challenge is: Whatever you do this Christmas, make it count!
Enjoy all the preparations!!
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good work :)