Christmas Eve

While we missed our extended families terribly this Christmas, I must say, it was nice having some quiet time with just our own little family; especially since the Mr. was able to be home for it!

After finishing the Yule Log on Christmas Eve, we donned hats/scarves/gloves and our little candles and went caroling to deliver some simple treats to our friends and neighbors.  We were graciously received and had a LOT of fun!  After 10 houses, the children, though freezing, still wanted to continue!  But we reminded them that there were still more Christmas Eve activities waiting at home!

As soon as we returned home, we began dressing in our Nativity "costumes".  Angel wanted to be the angel, Grins, the innkeeper, shepherd and wiseman, and Wiggles chose to be Baby Jesus.  That is, until she learned that her part involved simply lying in the manger; at which point she decided to play the part of Mary, "if Daddy is 'Thoseph' ".  I was the narrator and photographer.  We read Luke 2 and acted along, pausing for hymns in the appropriate places.

Tell me that's not the cutest little Mary you've ever seen - with the Baby Jesus in her tummy poking out the top of her shirt.

 1 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Cæsar Augustus, that all ^athe world should be ^btaxed.

 2 (And this ^ataxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)

 3 And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.

 4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judæa, unto the city of David, which is called^aBethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)

 5 To be taxed with Mary his ^aespoused wife, being great with child.

Mary rides the donkey to Bethlehem.

6 And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.

 7 And she brought forth her ^afirstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the ^binn.

 8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

 9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the ^aglory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

 10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you ^agood tidings of great ^bjoy, which shall be to all people.

 11 For unto you is ^aborn this day in the city of David a ^bSaviour, which is Christ the ^cLord.

 12 And this shall be a ^asign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

 14 ^aGlory to God in the highest, and on earth ^bpeace, good will toward men.

 15 And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.

 16 And they came with ^ahaste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.

19 But Mary kept all these things, and ^apondered them in her heart.

Matthew 2: 9 When (the wise men) had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was.

 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.

 11 ¶And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and ^afrankincense, and myrrh.

   

After completing our little Nativity performance, we enjoyed a delicious Bethlehem feast seated on the ground, with our hands, the way Mary and Joseph would have eaten.  We enjoyed lamb, couscous, pear and goat cheese salad, and some figs for dessert.

After finishing our feast, we changed into our pajamas, quickly sprinkled "Reindeer Food" on the front lawn, left some cookies and notes for Santa Claus, and were off to bed!

Christmas Yule Log

One of my favorite Christmas traditions, passed down from my mother, is the Yule Log.  I'm sure there are a multitude of ways in which this tradition is celebrated, but in our home, it goes something like this:

Five nights before Christmas, the Mr. and I light the first candle on the log and talk about our first meeting, our courtship, engagement, and marriage.  We speak of how we fell in love and made the decision to be married, and of our wedding and early years of marriage.  We then present each of the children with a gift we've selected or made specifically for them.  Everyone in the family then says something they love about us (so fun to hear what the children come up with!), and then we sing our favorite Christmas song.  We then present the family with an ornament we've chosen for the year, by which we will remember 2011.  This year we selected a Santa Clause, since we visited Santa's Village this year.

Four nights before Christmas is Angel's night.  Angel lights her candle with the light from ours, symbolizing how our love increased with her arrival.  We tell the story of how we longed for a baby, how we learned that we were expecting Angel and how we announced it to the world.  We tell of my pregnancy with her, her birth story, and her personality as a baby.  Each family member then takes a turn sharing something they love about Angel.  Grins said he loves how silly Angel is with him.  And Wiggles loved how Angel helps her get dressed. Angel then presents each family member with a gift she has made or selected for them, and we then give her an ornament representing her year.  This year she was given a ballerina, in memory of her first ballet lessons.  She then led us in "Oh Christmas Tree", her (current) favorite Christmas carol.

The following night we celebrate Grins.  We repeat the process with Grins, and this year, he was given an apple, symbolizing his beginning school this year.

The night before Christmas Eve is Wiggles' night.  I had wanted to get her a "Yoda" ornament, since that was her Halloween costume this year, and she enjoyed it immensely.  But since I couldn't find one, she was given a teddy bear, symbolizing the fact that (as I've mentioned previously) her stuffed animals and toys have become her dearest friends since Grins and Angel are both in school.

This is not the best picture - but I couldn't pass up the opportunity to document Angel dressing up her puppy (note the snowflake barrettes) and setting her comfortably in the yule log circle. 

 Christmas eve, our final night of the Yule Log, we light a white candle for Jesus.  We read scriptures of His life, speak of the many miracles He performed, His teachings, and His sacrifice.  Then we each offer up a gift to Him for the coming year; mostly a way in which we will follow His example and improve ourselves.  This year, Wiggles offered sharing, Grins promised to be obedient, Angel promised kindness, I offered patience and the Mr, devotion.

As you can tell - we are all very tired in this picture!  Don't worry - we went straight to bed after this photo was taken!

I will say, the ornaments are the most difficult part of this tradition, as it's often hard to find ornaments I'm looking for (such as Yoda).  But, looking back at the 30 ornaments I've collected over the years and reminiscing on my first year playing the violin, my first car, and first time to Disneyland, etc, makes me want to carry this tradition on with my own children, and makes the hours of ornament shopping all worth it in the end!

Throw the Yule Log On, Uncle John!*

(*For those of you unfamiliar with this "classic" yet unconventional Christmas Carol, please click here for a sample. One of my favorites!)

Tonight began our family YULE LOG tradition. For lack of time (and because it may bore some of my readers) I won't get into the history behind the Yule Log tradition, but you can learn more about it here if you are so inclined. Suffice it to say, it is one of my favorite Christmas traditions, implemented during my childhood by my sweet mother, and one Jon and I have carried on in our own little family these past 6 years.

Here's a little rundown on how it goes in our house:

Evening 1 (tonight)-Jon's Special Night: We begin with Jon's favorite Christmas Song (for the record, he chose "Silent Night"). He then gets to light his candle on the yule log. Next we go around the room and each tell something we love about Jon. (Makea's was "because he lit the candle" - talk about short-term memory :) Kai's was "pa-pa!") Then Jon gives each of us a gift he has personally made or selected for us individually (ie - he gave Makea a book about a Daddy and daughter's conversation about how much they love one another). The evening finishes with Jon opening a gift - an ornament representing a highlight of the year (this year he got a runner, symbolizing his first marathon). We close by singing another Christmas hymn, family prayer, and blowing out the candle.

This is repeated each night thereafter - Sarah on Friday, Makea on Saturday and Kainoa on Sunday. Then, Christmas Eve, we light a candle for Jesus, paying tribute to Him for His birth, His life and His sacrifice for us. We then take a few moments to ponder on a gift we can offer to Him - some way in which we can better ourselves and, by doing so, please and honor Him. We then open one last present (Christmas pajamas), drink hot cocoa, eat our Yule Log Cake, and sing Christmas hymns by the light of the candles.

Other traditions we still hope to get to this year (better hurry - time is running out!): caroling party, Zoo lights, Lights on Temple Square, acting out the Nativity.

What are some of your favorite Holiday Traditions?