Christmas Eve traditions, still being tweaked
We're a great tradition family. Last night when we had two young families (six kids under six) along with our pastor and wife and J, our IV staff member/honorary daughter, Jenny said she could say the reading for the advent calendar symbol by heart, having read or heard it so often. Here are our Christmas Eve traditions, though they are not ossified.
1) Listening to "The Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols" from King's College, Cambridge while we make sweet rolls for Christmas morning breakfast. (In 2003, when we had E from Bosnia with us prior to her and Ellen's trip to Urbana, we did the semi-homemade kind...just wasn't enough time or energy). Making the sweet rolls is a Hampton family tradition. In our house we only do it for Christmas and Easter.
2) Ringing the Salvation Army bells outside a store in Wooster's busiest strip mall. This year we decided (because # 3 creates a time crunch) to do it today, one day early. K is the best coin attractor with her cheery "Merry Christmas, sir (or madam or cute kids)." However, she doesn't have much stamina for the work, especially when there are toys to check out in Wal-Mart. We saw many people we know, and I had an interesting exchange with an older man who told me he'd put some money in if I stopped ringing those d- bells cause they made him tone deaf...hard for an old-time banjo picker!
3) This probably isn't yet ready to be called a tradition because it will only be for the second time. We are having four international students stranded here on campus over for a light supper, Christmas Eve service, and then back for dessert and games. We did this two years ago when E was here...with 3 young men from Pakistan. I'll never forget them poking each other and under their breath wondering if they celebrated Mohammad's birthday too :) Because they also wished for presents (which I hadn't prepared), for the 3 (other) young men from Pakistan and one gal from Zimbabwe coming this year, I have filled four stockings with little token gifts. This is special enough to want to continue as long as there are i-students in our lives.
4) Christmas Eve service. Always very simple with scripture readings, music and candles. We often contribute something musical, and doing so as a family with Karen always comes off well but also with a huge psychic pricetag, so I am not upset that we were not asked this year. E couldn't find her recorder, in any case, in time to bring it home. She and J play a beautiful version of "Silent Night" and of "I Wonder as I Wander" on piano and recorder. Maybe we could do these at home with a plastic recorder?
5) Lighting the Advent log candles and pulling out the next to last symbol from the Advent calendar. Both of these are long standing traditions, our log--with one candle for every day of Advent--being an extension of the simple styrofoam/small red candles of the Settergren childhood. I have wondered aloud this year whether we will continue the log after we retire or whether we will replace it with four fat candles and a wreath, still lighting something every day. Chuck drilled the holes in the log with the physics department shop equipment so long ago he can't remember, and with K's vigorous late-month blowing, I usually am getting candle wax off the piano still in July.
6) I promised K that I would read her "Awful, Awful, Abigail," tomorrow night before she goes to bed, that great kids' retelling of the Christmas story. It's been some years since I have done that. Also resurrected last night was E's wonderful reading (with full sound effects by K) of Katherine Paterson's "Woodrow Kennington Works Practically a Miracle," an old favorite of ours. We introduced it to J, who laughed and sighed at all the right places. Perhaps it's not well known, but for us it is a Christmas classic (from "Angels and Other Strangers.") C was reminiscing about other favorites from that collection.
These are our traditions. What are yours? Enjoy them as we celebrate Jesus' birthday and gifts and challenges.
1) Listening to "The Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols" from King's College, Cambridge while we make sweet rolls for Christmas morning breakfast. (In 2003, when we had E from Bosnia with us prior to her and Ellen's trip to Urbana, we did the semi-homemade kind...just wasn't enough time or energy). Making the sweet rolls is a Hampton family tradition. In our house we only do it for Christmas and Easter.
2) Ringing the Salvation Army bells outside a store in Wooster's busiest strip mall. This year we decided (because # 3 creates a time crunch) to do it today, one day early. K is the best coin attractor with her cheery "Merry Christmas, sir (or madam or cute kids)." However, she doesn't have much stamina for the work, especially when there are toys to check out in Wal-Mart. We saw many people we know, and I had an interesting exchange with an older man who told me he'd put some money in if I stopped ringing those d- bells cause they made him tone deaf...hard for an old-time banjo picker!
3) This probably isn't yet ready to be called a tradition because it will only be for the second time. We are having four international students stranded here on campus over for a light supper, Christmas Eve service, and then back for dessert and games. We did this two years ago when E was here...with 3 young men from Pakistan. I'll never forget them poking each other and under their breath wondering if they celebrated Mohammad's birthday too :) Because they also wished for presents (which I hadn't prepared), for the 3 (other) young men from Pakistan and one gal from Zimbabwe coming this year, I have filled four stockings with little token gifts. This is special enough to want to continue as long as there are i-students in our lives.
4) Christmas Eve service. Always very simple with scripture readings, music and candles. We often contribute something musical, and doing so as a family with Karen always comes off well but also with a huge psychic pricetag, so I am not upset that we were not asked this year. E couldn't find her recorder, in any case, in time to bring it home. She and J play a beautiful version of "Silent Night" and of "I Wonder as I Wander" on piano and recorder. Maybe we could do these at home with a plastic recorder?
5) Lighting the Advent log candles and pulling out the next to last symbol from the Advent calendar. Both of these are long standing traditions, our log--with one candle for every day of Advent--being an extension of the simple styrofoam/small red candles of the Settergren childhood. I have wondered aloud this year whether we will continue the log after we retire or whether we will replace it with four fat candles and a wreath, still lighting something every day. Chuck drilled the holes in the log with the physics department shop equipment so long ago he can't remember, and with K's vigorous late-month blowing, I usually am getting candle wax off the piano still in July.
6) I promised K that I would read her "Awful, Awful, Abigail," tomorrow night before she goes to bed, that great kids' retelling of the Christmas story. It's been some years since I have done that. Also resurrected last night was E's wonderful reading (with full sound effects by K) of Katherine Paterson's "Woodrow Kennington Works Practically a Miracle," an old favorite of ours. We introduced it to J, who laughed and sighed at all the right places. Perhaps it's not well known, but for us it is a Christmas classic (from "Angels and Other Strangers.") C was reminiscing about other favorites from that collection.
These are our traditions. What are yours? Enjoy them as we celebrate Jesus' birthday and gifts and challenges.
posted by Barb @ 9:02 PM
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