Tuesday, December 21, 2010

A White Christmas





My new ornament that helps feed my Alice addiction



Working and preparing for the holiday is always a lot of work. Thankfully I can now say I am catching up on my to do list ,and that feels heavenly. The latest weather report says we should get about 2-4" of snow by Christmas day,and it has been years since we've had a white Christmas.
 With the cleaning,shopping and decorating behind me I can now concentrate on wrapping the final gifts. As I was cleaning up after a marathon of decorating I realized I had created a small shrine on a shelf in my family room. Looking at it makes me smile and just feels right. This way my Mother and my husbands Father will be here with us as we celebrate the season with our family.


There are only a few minor details left to complete. Like our new "sacks" as my Mother called them. As our family grew, stockings became to difficult to use. So many years ago my Mother took small paper sacks and decorated them with stickers and old greeting cards. Over the years, these much used cherished paper sacks have become very fragile. So we decided a few years ago that each family would make their own new ones,decorated in the style they want, being as creative as possible. Some years we have had as many as 19 to 23 decorated paper sacks. They are always such fun to see.Each as diverse as each family member.

This has created some competition. One year my brother Brent put his on an elaborate stand and added Christmas tree twinkle lights,that continually flashed his name. He substituted my paper sack for one about the size of a sandwich bag. I wish I had a photo because it was the most obnoxiously, comical moments we've enjoyed together.

So now you just never know what kind of sack each person will show up with. The main problem has been where they end up each year. In the beginning we would hand them over to the family who we believed would host the following year. But that has become a problem because everyone seems to remember a different person or family having taken them.


Two sacks from last year that are being retired
 So this year we start fresh. Everyone must bring a new decorated sack, and I am now keeping a Christmas journal with all of the details. As the oldest sibling I feel this is my duty, or maybe I'm just bossy.

Isn't it funny how family traditions develop over the years and become very important,almost sacred in a way. They may seem silly to others but to that family it can be the threads that hold the celebrations together. To our family our decorated Christmas sacks are the most fun of our day.Everyone gets excited, young or old when it is time to dive in and open all of the tiny little gifts from each other.


With so many family get-together's on the horizon, I will be taking a short break from my much loved blogging world. My plan is to be back on the 27th with some interesting stories to tell, and a few photos to share.

Please if you have a moment when stopping by,share a few of your much loved family traditions. It is such a treat for me when someone takes a moment from there busy day to leave me a message.




 I wish everyone a safe and happy holiday.I hope that everyone has the opportunity to be surrounded by their family and friends.Let us all keep the birth of Jesus in our hearts and minds as we move through these last few busy days.
Merry Christmas!

A precious moment sharing the magic of Christmas

3 comments:

  1. The sack idea is great! I only have one son, a DDIL and 2 g'kids...and they already have their own traditions...which is stockings! Before my husband Don passed, he and I hung our stockings (I did it when he wasn't able), I've got them hanging this year and one for Baron, my Dachshund...I like the photos of your Mother and your husband's father being included in the Christmas celebration! A very nice touch!

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  2. Hi Rebecca,
    I'm not a Christian but we celebrate Christmas like others do, afterwall it is a holiday and we take this as an opportunity to party, shop and give presents to someone we love. Every year i will put up a Christmas tree (although it is a mini one) and put lots of presents underneath... my daughter will be very happy to see all these presents on the Christmas day as she really thinks that Santa come visit her on Chirtsmas eve, and Santa only gives presents to Good Girl, she will be proud of herself when she gets so many presents from the Santa, lol.
    Merry Christmas to you and your family Rebecca!

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  3. Oh yeah, it's Christmas bags at my house next year. There's nothing better than a good competition on Christmas morning. Especially when the hubby is crafting challenged! I never have enough room for all of the goodies and this will just add to the fun! How do you pack them for Christmas morning without everyone seeing?

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