Here are a few Christmas pics from December 2006. As according to tradition, we cut our own tree again this year. In October, we went to Kragel's Tree Farm in Ventura, IA and tagged a tree. Usually we cut down our tree and decorate it on Thanksgiving weekend. This year, because of our trip to China during the first 2 weeks of December, we decided to wait until we were home before we did the cutting. No sense putting up a live tree and then not being home to water it for 2 weeks!
Our family enjoys traditions. Our Christmas tradition is to have a Christmas Eve dinner (usually with at least 1 seafood entree), then go to Candlelight service at church in the early evening. After church, we open presents. Typically, Caitlin and Grace will seperate out the packages and then we open them one at a time, from youngest to oldest, then back to youngest etc until all are opened.
This year, we had a great dinner of ham and steamed shrimp. The Candlelight service was lightly attended, but was a good time of hymm singing and fellowship. When it came to opening presents, we elected to do things a bit different this year. During Christmas, we celebrate the gift of Jesus Christ coming to earth so that He could eventually GIVE himself up on the cross of Calvary to pay the penalty for our sins. This Christmas, we wanted to focus on the aspect of GIVING presents, rather than receiving them.
Each family member had purchased one present for each other member of the family. The girls seperated all the presents by the FROM name on the gift tag instead of who they were for. We then started by having the eldest family member GIVE a present from their stack to someone, and worked down from there until the youngest, Juliana, gave out a package from her stack. Then we started over again and continued until everyone had given a gift to each other member of the family. I think we may have a new tradition!
Our family enjoys traditions. Our Christmas tradition is to have a Christmas Eve dinner (usually with at least 1 seafood entree), then go to Candlelight service at church in the early evening. After church, we open presents. Typically, Caitlin and Grace will seperate out the packages and then we open them one at a time, from youngest to oldest, then back to youngest etc until all are opened.
This year, we had a great dinner of ham and steamed shrimp. The Candlelight service was lightly attended, but was a good time of hymm singing and fellowship. When it came to opening presents, we elected to do things a bit different this year. During Christmas, we celebrate the gift of Jesus Christ coming to earth so that He could eventually GIVE himself up on the cross of Calvary to pay the penalty for our sins. This Christmas, we wanted to focus on the aspect of GIVING presents, rather than receiving them.
Each family member had purchased one present for each other member of the family. The girls seperated all the presents by the FROM name on the gift tag instead of who they were for. We then started by having the eldest family member GIVE a present from their stack to someone, and worked down from there until the youngest, Juliana, gave out a package from her stack. Then we started over again and continued until everyone had given a gift to each other member of the family. I think we may have a new tradition!
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