tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8696496724271056053.post4427913571441389072..comments2023-09-28T03:06:31.614-07:00Comments on Between the Lines: Traditions -- from scratchShawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16038370158284663729noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8696496724271056053.post-70167104152081972112007-11-20T18:40:00.000-08:002007-11-20T18:40:00.000-08:00I know how you feel. It is hard to start new tradi...I know how you feel. It is hard to start new traditions. We are actually getting our wish this year, both sides of our families will be joining us for Thanksgiving and Christmas. <BR/><BR/>I love hand-made gifts too, it is nice when someone takes the time to give from the heart. My only problem, I get heart-broken when someone doesn't seem to appreciate it - as much as I had hoped. <BR/><BR/>The past few Christmas' I have made both grandmothers and one great grandmother mini scrapbooks of my daughter. They took a lot of time to put together, but overall, they loved it. This year I am cheating...I hate to admit it...but it will still be special.<BR/>:)Careyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08087013090246008409noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8696496724271056053.post-19303162700664661982007-11-20T17:23:00.000-08:002007-11-20T17:23:00.000-08:00I'm eager to start a Christmas tradition as well, ...I'm eager to start a Christmas tradition as well, but I don't know what to do but update things that have come before. <BR/> <BR/>Christmas really does hold some of the most peaceful memories of my life. When I was growing up our only family tradition was that we'd all sit down in front of the TV on Christmas Eve and watch the classics together. We were all delighted by Rudolph, Frosty the Snowman and Santa-Claus is Coming to Town as children. <BR/> <BR/>All three of my favorites plus four more are in a Christmas Classics DVD Box-Set this year and I can't wait to sit down with my family again after our dinner and watch these movies that made me feel so joyful as a kid. Now my tradition is technologically up to date. And it even comes with a bonus seven-track CD of holiday songs. I only know about this because I work with the company but you can find the DVDs at any store where you do your Christmas shopping.Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05827889520890633332noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8696496724271056053.post-9300042230476294322007-11-20T11:41:00.000-08:002007-11-20T11:41:00.000-08:00The thing is . . . nothing is ever quite like it u...The thing is . . . nothing is ever quite like it used to be, quite as magical as I remember as a kid. But I've seen that children make whatever there is magical by themselves. In our home, we celebrate everything in every way. We exclude nothing, not commercialism, not spirituality, not kitsch, not hype. We do it all. It just gets done differently because every year things are different. Sometimes we travel, sometimes we don't. My husband is Jewish, but since he's gone a lot, many times I've fumbled through the 8 days of Hannukah by myself! This year, my sister has given us a family reunion in Hawaii. No sleighbells but who could refuse? I focus on tradition as the sentiment and not the scenery. And let your children lead the way. We teach them far less than they teach us. If we could only be as generous as they are with their enthusiasm!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8696496724271056053.post-42780061632088347392007-11-20T08:52:00.000-08:002007-11-20T08:52:00.000-08:00My husband and I got married in early November and...My husband and I got married in early November and there was already a flurry of emails going around about Christmas ideas. Our close family really doesn't need more stuff, so we took all the money we would spend on presents for family and bought a cow from Heifer International instead. We wrote up nice letters to our family with info on the cow.<BR/><BR/>I know everyone thought we were crazy, but we've continued that tradition. The year I was pregnant, we funded a field trip for the entire first grade of a low-income school to go to a kid's museum through Donors Choose. We gave the thank you letters and pictures from the kids as gifts to family. I cried, seeing that our Christmas money went to give 100 kids an experience they wouldn't get otherwise.<BR/><BR/>Last year, our boys got one big gift from us and the rest went to charity. This year, they will get one big gift from us and I think we're donating money to UNC Children's Hospital since they helped us so much with Alex's helmet (haven't finalized).<BR/><BR/>I want to teach our kids that there is more to life than possessions. That what you give in this world, you more than get back. <BR/><BR/>Oh, and the other tradition is that we will always spend Christmas morning at home as a family.LauraChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14322568136833382134noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8696496724271056053.post-39620922120662877552007-11-20T08:42:00.000-08:002007-11-20T08:42:00.000-08:00oooo, I love the book idea, I'm stealing that one!...oooo, I love the book idea, I'm stealing that one! I know this sounds really cheesy but I really want the boys to learn to give more than recieve so I'm looking for a place where they can give a child a gift in person instead of just pluck a name off a tree.Shannonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14638088901866929061noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8696496724271056053.post-67149049273799412122007-11-20T06:57:00.000-08:002007-11-20T06:57:00.000-08:00I have been struggling with this issue of holiday ...I have been struggling with this issue of holiday celebration for years now. My husband and I grew up in Christian households, but no longer consider ourselves Christian. We end up celebrating holidays like Christmas for cultural reasons, but they then become relatively devoid of meaning. We're still working out what Christmas means to us other than commercialism and gifts we don't need or want as we try to pare down what we already have.Mary P Jones (MPJ)https://www.blogger.com/profile/10251787926841410344noreply@blogger.com