A Snowman Tradition
Holiday traditions the whole family enjoys
Traditions are what set your family apart from any other and make the holidays special.
by Lena Vogelgesang
Dec 11, 2016
Traditions can make the holidays superb. They can be that anchor on which memories of joy and warmth derive.
Watching the movie The Snowman after the first snowfall of the year is one of my family's favorite traditions. What made this so fun as a child is there was no guarantee when we might watch the movie. Some years it would snow before Thanksgiving, and some years we would wait until January.
But no matter when it happened, when we awoke to snow on the ground, we knew we got to watch The Snowman.
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Since getting married and starting a family, my husband and I have enjoyed creating some new traditions (like baking German Stollen Bread together for Christmas breakfast) but also, keeping some traditions alive from our childhoods.
Our annual watching of The Snowman has remained.
Last week, it snowed in our little town for the first time this winter. At breakfast I told our two sons to look outside and see the fresh fallen snow. I told them that it meant we were going to watch a special movie because our world was white. My two-year-old was just tickled with excitement as he ran to the window saying, "there is snow in my yard!".
We sat down all cozy on the couch and experienced the wonder of a little boy building a snowman that comes to life and takes him to the north pole for a snowman party, then flies him back home. It was a simple joy.
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Being intentional about what traditions you have in your family can be rewarding and unifying. I find that they neither need to be complex or extravagant.
One of my brothers and his family give each other special pajamas to wear on Christmas Eve. Some friends of ours gather around as a family and assemble a new puzzle while sipping on homemade apple cider.
And even though the word "tradition" is in the mix doesn't mean that what you do has to be traditional. Another brother and his crew go out for Chinese food on Christmas Day. And my dad and mom serve up a fine array of appetizers instead of a main dinner and we play card and board games on Christmas Day.
It is never too early to model the power of giving for our children. There are many charities and non profits that are open to receive volunteers and gifts. Find one that touches your family's heart and donate either time or monetarily.
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Traditions are what set your family apart from any other as they can be unique to your clan. However, they also unite us to the families of the community. The key lies in that traditions bring family and friends together and create memories that are cherished and talked about year after year.
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Author, Lena Vogelgesang
Lena like's to define herself by the Seven C’s: Christ, Chris, Children, Comrades, Coffee, Cheese, & Cardio. Due to her love of coffee and cheese, she must also have a relationship with increasing her heart rate. The Lord has given her a wonderful husband in Chris and they have two young boys.
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Lena Vogelgesang
Lena likes to define herself by the Seven C’s: Christ, Chris, Children, Comrades, Coffee, Cheese, & Cardio. Due to her love of coffee and cheese, she must also have a relationship with increasing her heart rate. The Lord has given her a wonderful husband in Chris and they have two young boys.
