The last couple of years, Christmas Day has been a bit quiet at our house. We've been doing our gift exchange on Christmas Eve (you can see my pictures if you are friends with me on Facebook), so after church we eat some lunch, open our stocking stuffers, take some family photos, perhaps play a game and then go to the Cedars for out big Stieglitz Family Christmas hosted by our Aunts Lavada and Imogene. Since moving the event to the Cedars there is a lot of help rendered from the younger generation.
A couple of side notes about that last paragraph....
Stocking stuffers have become a tradition of receiving something to read, something to wear, something to eat and something for fun. Perhaps my next post will be about the book I am reading by Nancy Leigh DeMoss.
Steve's dad had nine brothers and sisters. Two of the aunts never married and they have continued the tradition of having Christmas dinner for all of the family. There were about 70 of us this year. We have turkey, dressing, potatoes and whatever else gets carried in by each family. After we eat, we have a tradition of lighting the candles and singing Christmas carols for awhile. Then we might play games before going home.
The candles also have a side story. We have received a new candle holder each year that we have attended a Stieglitz Family Christmas. For me, that is 27. Often they have been hand made, sometimes purchased locally, other times brought home from a trip overseas. This year for the first time, they were tiny kerosene lamps. Steve's cousin Marlise has taken over preparing the candles. Aunt Imogene still makes a homemade coffee cake to gift each family with. Together they give us a towel for the married couples and an envelope with cash for the children. What dear aunts! Both are past 80 years old--well past. Non-Stieglitz guests are often welcomed into the family circle too. My parents attended a couple of times when they were in town and they too took home one of those special candles.
After having our Oliver Stieglitz family Christmas today, our celebrations of 2009 have come to an end. Family is wonderful beyond description, but unlike what many of the songs I heard on the radio saying, that is not what Christmas is all about. It is about the Hope that we have because of Jesus. We celebrate His birth and the fulfillment of many prophecies and that is the focus I want to keep in Christmas!
The last couple of years, Christmas Day has been a bit quiet at our house. We've been doing our gift exchange on Christmas Eve (you can see my pictures if you are friends with me on Facebook), so after church we eat some lunch, open our stocking stuffers, take some family photos, perhaps play a game and then go to the Cedars for out big Stieglitz Family Christmas hosted by our Aunts Lavada and Imogene. Since moving the event to the Cedars there is a lot of help rendered from the younger generation.
A couple of side notes about that last paragraph....
Stocking stuffers have become a tradition of receiving something to read, something to wear, something to eat and something for fun. Perhaps my next post will be about the book I am reading by Nancy Leigh DeMoss.
Steve's dad had nine brothers and sisters. Two of the aunts never married and they have continued the tradition of having Christmas dinner for all of the family. There were about 70 of us this year. We have turkey, dressing, potatoes and whatever else gets carried in by each family. After we eat, we have a tradition of lighting the candles and singing Christmas carols for awhile. Then we might play games before going home.
The candles also have a side story. We have received a new candle holder each year that we have attended a Stieglitz Family Christmas. For me, that is 27. Often they have been hand made, sometimes purchased locally, other times brought home from a trip overseas. This year for the first time, they were tiny kerosene lamps. Steve's cousin Marlise has taken over preparing the candles. Aunt Imogene still makes a homemade coffee cake to gift each family with. Together they give us a towel for the married couples and an envelope with cash for the children. What dear aunts! Both are past 80 years old--well past. Non-Stieglitz guests are often welcomed into the family circle too. My parents attended a couple of times when they were in town and they too took home one of those special candles.
After having our Oliver Stieglitz family Christmas today, our celebrations of 2009 have come to an end. Family is wonderful beyond description, but unlike what many of the songs I heard on the radio saying, that is not what Christmas is all about. It is about the Hope that we have because of Jesus. We celebrate His birth and the fulfillment of many prophecies and that is the focus I want to keep in Christmas!
No comments:
Post a Comment