Kelly’s Christmas Shop

Posts Tagged ‘Christmas Traditions’

It’s just a small, white envelope stuck among the branches of our Christmas tree. No name, no identification, no inscription. It has peeked through the branches of our tree for the past 10 years or so.

It all began because my husband Mike hated Christmas — oh, not the true meaning of Christmas, but the commercial aspects of it overspending… the frantic running around at the last minute to get a tie for Uncle Harry and the dusting powder for Grandma — the gifts given in desperation because you couldn’t think of anything else.

Knowing he felt this way, I decided one year to bypass the usual shirts, sweaters, ties and so forth. I reached for something special just for Mike. The inspiration came in an unusual way. Our son Kevin, who was 12 that year, was wrestling at the junior level at the school he attended; and shortly before Christmas, there was a non-league match against a team sponsored by an inner-city church, mostly black. These youngsters, dressed in sneakers so ragged that shoestrings seemed to be the only thing holding them together, presented a sharp contrast to our boys in their spiffy blue and gold uniforms and sparkling new wrestling shoes.

As the match began, I was alarmed to see that the other team was wrestling without headgear, a kind of light helmet designed to protect a wrestler’s ears. It was a luxury the ragtag team obviously could not afford. Well, we ended up walloping them. We took every weight class. And as each of their boys got up from the mat, he swaggered around in his tatters with false bravado, a kind of street pride that couldn’t acknowledge defeat. Mike, seated beside me, shook his head sadly, I wish just one of them could have won, he said. They have a lot of potential, but losing like this could take the heart right out of them.

Mike loved kids — all kids — and he knew them, having coached little league football, baseball and lacrosse. That’s when the idea for his present came. That afternoon, I went to a local sporting goods store and bought an assortment of wrestling headgear and shoes and sent them anonymously to the inner-city church. On Christmas Eve, I placed the envelope on the tree, the note inside telling Mike what I had done and that this was his gift from me.

His smile was the brightest thing about Christmas that year and in succeeding years. For each Christmas, I followed the tradition — one year sending a group of mentally handicapped youngsters to a hockey game, another year a check to a pair of elderly brothers whose home had burned to the ground the week before Christmas, and on and on. The envelope became the highlight of our Christmas. It was always the last thing opened on Christmas morning and our children, ignoring their new toys, would stand with wide-eyed anticipation as their dad lifted the envelope from the tree to reveal its contents.

As the children grew, the toys gave way to more practical presents, but the envelope never lost its allure. The story doesn’t end there. You see, we lost Mike one year due to dreaded cancer. When Christmas rolled around, I was still so wrapped in grief that I barely got the tree up. But Christmas Eve found me placing an envelope on the tree, and in the morning, it was joined by three more. Each of our children, unbeknownst to the others, had placed an envelope on the tree for their dad. The tradition has grown and someday will expand even further with our grandchildren standing around the tree with wide-eyed anticipation watching as their fathers take down the envelope.

Mike’s spirit, like the Christmas spirit, will always be with us. May we all remember Christ, who is the reason for the season, and the true Christmas spirit this year and always.

Author Unknown (Please notify me if anyone can identify the author. Thanks!)

I am a mom of five kids. And we have started a number of family Christmas traditions that we enjoy during Christmas time. Often, I find myself remembering and sharing with my children the things that I enjoyed so much that were Christmas traditions at our house.

This idea is NOT a tradition at our house, but it might become one as my children grow older. Apparently, the idea came from Mary Hunt, creator and editor of Debt Proof Living (formerly Cheapskate Monthly).

This cute video shows how to start this tradition and was created by Lynnae of BeingFrugal.net – I think she did a great job with it!

Some of my favorite Christmas books that would work with this simple, frugal, Christmas tradition would be:

• The Sweet Smell of Christmas by Patricia M. Scarry and J.P. Miller – A scented storybook, I used to have this as a child.
• How the Grinch Stole Christmas! by Dr. Seuss – A classic!
• Christmas in the Manger: A Pat-and-Peek Book by Nola Buck and Felicia Bond – This would be a great book to use with very young child that love to touch things.
• Merry Christmas, Curious George! by H.A. and Margret Rey, Cathy Hapka, and Mary O’Keefe Young – Who doesn’t love Curious George?
• The Night Before Christmas by Clement C. Moore – The Little Golden Book version is one of my favorites.
• The Christmas Story by Jane Werner Watson and Eloise Wilkin – Eloise Wilkin was my mother’s favorite illustrator of children’s books.

What are your favorite Christmas book suggestions for this family tradition?

Almost everyone is experiencing some toughs times. So scaling things back during the holidays is one of the best ways to cope.

Don’t stress about it!

Being with loved ones is all the holiday you need. Anything beyond that should be considered a bonus.

Here’s some ideas on having fun with your family during Christmas without a lot of expense:

• Pull out those games you haven’t played in a while, like Monopoly, Trivial Pursuit, Uno, card games, etc.
• Most libraries have a video section where you can check out movies. Find some Christmas movies, if available, and plan an evening or two with some popcorn, hot chocolate, and maybe even some Christmas cookies.
• Speaking of Christmas cookies, when was the last time you MADE homemade cookies with your kids or family?

What are some of the inexpensive ways you enjoy celebrating Christmas with your family?