And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.
Deuteronomy 6:6-7

Treasured Traditions

My family treasures our traditions and can confirm that they create lasting memories and form the basis for generational connections. We sometimes make good-natured fun of ourselves by saying something becomes a tradition once we’ve done it two years in a row. Take, for example, our now annual visit to see the magnificent light display at the Atlanta Botanical Garden. It took seven years after the initial opening before my younger daughter and I fit the first visit into our busy holiday schedule, but by our second visit, we were hooked, and we’ve been back every year since. This year, our eighth, my grandchildren joined the fun.

Still, despite our love of traditions, we’ve had to accept that there are times when circumstances intervene and precious customs must be modified or set aside entirely.

My husband Ray’s sudden death when our daughters were still in elementary school ushered in significant changes to our Christmas celebrations. Years later, our eldest daughter married her high school sweetheart, bringing about another shift in the flow of holiday events, as did the births of her children. Not only were there in-laws to visit, but she and her husband sought to develop their own blend of old and new traditions as Ray and I had done decades earlier.

One thing that hasn’t changed over the years is our oft-uttered proclamation, “Being together is the best gift.” Reiterated on various gift-giving special occasions, the truth of that statement has been confirmed as family members have gone Home, leaving their seats around the holiday table empty, and our hearts longing to be with them again.

Treasured Connections

Perhaps that’s why several of my most cherished Christmas traditions are connected to beloved family members:

One of the first decorations I pull out each year is a small plastic, light-up Frosty my maternal grandfather, PaPa, gave me for my first birthday. PaPa was a kind, godly man, a deacon in the small country church within sight of his house. Even though he passed away a couple of months before my 7^th birthday 59 years ago, I can still feel his love and cherish the memories of the brief time we had together. That enduring connection gives me hope that my grandchildren will feel my love for them long after I’m gone, too.

Unlike the few minutes it takes me to free Frosty from his box and plug him in, setting up my Dickens Village requires many hours across several days. Ray bought the first pieces for me in 1989 and continued to add pieces each year until he died. I kept adding to the collection after he passed and it now resides in three rooms of my house from late November through mid-January. Each year, when I set up the village, I hope Ray somehow knows how much it’s grown and how thankful I am that he started it for me. My grandchildren look forward to the annual display and finding pieces that represent them throughout the sprawling town, including a young boy riding a pony, a little girl putting her letter to Santa in a mailbox, and children gathering around the toy vendor’s cart.

Then there’s baking. For years Mom and I made “goodie boxes” full of an array of homemade cookies and candies. The list of recipients evolved depending on our life stages and included teachers, friends, family members, neighbors, and work colleagues. Mom and I set a record one Christmas by packing and delivering 100 boxes of sweet treats! When my daughters graduated, and Mom and I retired from our jobs, the list of potential benefactors dwindled, as did the number of goodies we prepared, but Mom still made her fudge and rum balls each year. I treasure the memories from our last baking day together, when my daughters and grandchildren joined Mom and me, stirring batter, shaping run balls, baking cookies, and sharing recollections of past goodie box preparations. Those memories will remain for three generations and fuel fond reminiscences as we continue the baking day tradition.

Forever Connections

These precious traditions have meaning because I associate them with people I love. Sharing those connections with my grandchildren gives them a fuller picture of my relationships with those people and creates a connection for them as well.

Christmas is about a Person too – the most important Person in my life. Just as I delight in telling my grandchildren about the loved ones connected to my treasured traditions, I delight in telling them about Jesus, my Savior, Lord, and Friend, and His faithfulness to our family. But unlike the conversations that center around Christmas traditions, I endeavor to weave stories about God’s goodness throughout all of our times together, when we sit around my table or go for a walk in my neighborhood, when I tuck them in on sleepover nights and when I get them up for church.

Family traditions can cultivate a strong sense of belonging and lay a foundation for future connections when children and grandchildren grow up and have families of their own. But there’s no firmer foundation and no stronger connection than knowing Your heavenly Father loves you and chose you before the creation of the world to be adopted into His forever family (Ephesians 1:4-5).

My grandchildren have visited the small country cemetery in North Carolina where PaPa, Ray, and Mom are resting, awaiting the glorious resurrection day. Because God gave us the priceless gift of His Son, we can be assured that when Jesus returns, we will once again experience that “Being together is the best gift” –  with Him and our loved ones, eternally secure in His presence.

I pray that until that day, one generation after another of my family will carry on the tradition of telling their children about the glorious deeds of the Lord, and His might, and the wonders that He has done (Psalm 78:4).