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Wednesday, 6 Dec 2006
One of my favorite Christmas traditions is to pass around our Christmas journal each year. Everyone reads the previous entries and then they write an entry for this year. Some of them write a few pages. Others scribble just a sentence. All that matters is that everyone old enough to write participates.
We pick a topic for each year – what Christmas means, a favorite Christmas memory, a favorite moment with a relative who died right before the holiday. That holiday journal is becoming a cherished, but slightly battered, family treasure. Oh, and I think I love the entries from the brother who refuses to write the best. He draws funny little cartoons with captions instead.
December 6th, 2006 at 3:29 pm
If you ask my kids (now 9 and 18) what their favorite tradition is – they will undoubtedly say making gingerbread cookies. Now, in our house, this is not what you might envision!
First, I make a huge batch of gingerbread dough. We get out lots of cookie cutters, small knives and shaping tools and my husband and the kids get to work. My husband, a very good artist, turns the dough into lots of familiar shapes and people and I keep things going in and out of the oven. He has made all of our faces, out cats, our rabbits, his canoe, band logos and so much more. Some of these have been dried and placed on the tree as an ornament – some have been wrapped and given as gifts. The kids generally use cookie cutters, but do some free hand work as well.
We take an entire afternoon close to Christmas and then enjoy eating the more ’standard’ cookies – some iced and some plain – until New Years!
December 6th, 2006 at 7:21 pm
Lee,
That sounds so cool. I can’t imagine anything nicer than having ornaments of everyone and everything dear to you hanging on the tree.
December 11th, 2006 at 12:16 pm
That’s such an excellent idea, a kind of Christmas diary that can grow over the years. What a great way to look back at years gone by and remember family and friends. We’ll be starting the Christmas Journal this year for sure!
Thanks for the idea!
Rik
http://xmas-all-wrapped-up.com