The Most Important Gift

Angela — Mon, 25 Dec 2023 15:35:12 +0000

Christmas 1949 was likely an ordinary holiday, but for one particular couple, it was the beginning of a lifetime of tradition. This was their first Christmas as a married couple, one month before their first anniversary. A couple of eighteen-year-olds exchanged gifts. I don’t know what those first gifts were. His gift to her was wrapped in plain brown paper. She was so mad! How could he wrap it in plain paper? Was it just not worth the effort to find proper wrapping?

He got a kick out of her reaction, thus beginning a 70+ year tradition. He not only wrapped her gifts in brown paper, but he hid them, pulling them out as the last gift of the day. Her anger transformed into expectation. The contents of the humble packaging were often very valuable, usually jewelry or something special he knew she wanted but didn’t get for herself. In the later years, when the gathering family grew to 25–30 people, he discreetly added the brown box to her matriarchal pile of gifts. She still opened it last.

If you haven’t figured it out, this is another story about my grandparents. I learned so much from them. This brown paper packaging is no exception. It may even be one of the most important lessons. The best gifts are often hidden or disguised. After all, the Savior of the world entered the world in humble circumstances, born to a young woman and raised in a carpenter’s home. He lived without earthly wealth or status, even while teaching the crowds about the coming Kingdom. Isaiah 53 tells us He had no outward beauty to attract people, and He would be despised by many.

As the world remembers His birth, let us also remember the greatest gift of all: His sacrifice for our sins. Through Him, we can die to sin and be raised to walk in newness of life through baptism (Romans 6:3–4). Do you need to open His gift?

Traditions Change

Angela — Wed, 06 Dec 2023 23:05:07 +0000

Holiday tip (not a rant or directed at anyone, simply a life lesson): When you make plans for the holidays, it’s okay to start your own traditions. It’s even okay if those traditions change from year to year. In our family, we not only blended two different traditions but added a deployment cycle for the first several years of our marriage. With my husband gone for roughly half of our holidays, consistency wasn’t really possible. It’s only been since separation from the military that we’ve been able to start creating consistent family traditions. Some couples choose to alternate holidays between extended family. We did this for a while. Grandmama was the queen of Thanksgiving, with real homemade dressing, one of my husband’s favorite foods. One year, she even did Thanksgiving at a completely different time so he could have it before deploying. In my family, the extended family Christmas gathering rarely occurred on Christmas Day, so we would spend it with Peter’s family. Then we moved across the ocean. Adapting our traditions became necessary. Taking elements from each of our histories and adding new things just for our little family became an adventure of its own. In the years since we returned stateside, all of our grandparents have passed away. We still make it a priority for our kids to have quality time and relationships with their grandparents (our parents), but we’ve also decided that doesn’t have to include ALL of the extended family EVERY time. What matters most is time spent together and making memories. Traditions should fit the family and season of life you have now. This year isn’t the same as last year, and next year will be different, too. Traditions can change with you. Making memories happens in the most ordinary of moments: decorating the tree, cooking together, or sharing gifts. In recent years, we’ve added serving the less fortunate to our Christmas Day activities. On Christmas morning, instead of rushing to open presents, we go to the church building and serve members of the community. We look forward to sharing this time as a family before celebrating our own gratitude later in the day. Life is a journey filled with twists and turns—an understatement for a military family. Holidays can also have twists, turns, and even drama. Acknowledging that your traditions may change from year to year may include setting boundaries, yes, even with family. Changing a tradition doesn’t mean the old tradition was wrong or unimportant. Sometimes life simply changes. If you need to make changes for a healthier, happier holiday, consider these questions:

Who do you want to include?
What brings you joy?
What allows you to feel most connected to your loved ones?
How can you intentionally interact with others to make the most of every moment this season?

Traditions serve our families, not the other way around. It’s okay to start new ones, hold tightly to the ones that still matter, and let others change as life changes.

family traditions – Growing Up in the Lord

The Most Important Gift

Traditions Change