Christmas Traditions

I was having one of those inner struggles the other day, it only lasted for a minute, but it was about Christmas décor. I keep seeing sooo many articles about “why you should only use white Christmas lights” or have “real trees only” in your house, because God forbid you have a fake tree… but I think at the end of the day, Christmas is for YOU.

There are very few things as innocent as my memories of Christmastime in Indiana. Not because of gifts, well partly because of gifts, but also because of the traditions that our family had and some of which I still have to this day. My mom’s rum balls (I was only allowed one), my homemade stocking from my grandmother, opening up the advent calendar each day and lighting the candle on the wreath each night, all taking turns with my little sister of course, the super old Nativity scene, and falling asleep under the lighted Christmas tree.

For me, getting a Christmas tree meant climbing up into our freezing cold attic with footed pajamas on with my dad. It was the one time of year I was allowed up into one of the coolest places in our house (to me) as it was like undiscovered territory and we brought down our (gasp!) fake tree. It had that Christmas smell to me, albeit different than pine, and it was perfect.

Next was choosing the lights. As children, my sister and I got to take turns each year choosing which strand of lights we would put on the tree, multi-colored or white. What do you think we chose 90% of the time? Of course the multi! What is so wrong with multi-colored lights? Are you a white supremacist?

After church on Saturday nights preceding up to Christmas, sometimes we would drive around to the neighborhoods that had the most brightly decorated houses, and my favorite was the corner house on Ohio Street where this family had a field of large pines, the tallest of them decorated in all blue lights. It was the most magical of all the decorated places in my memory, and I wonder if it would have been the same had they read the “white only” light article.

So, you know what I say? If you want a big huge giant dang blow up snow globe in your front yard… go get one! If your Christmas is more like Honey Boo Boo than Martha Stewart, so be it. There are very few things in life that I don’t judge, just being honest here, and one of them is your Christmas. Create those traditions with your family, because at the end of the day that is what it is all about.