26 December 2012

Now that it is the day after Christmas, I have a bit of time on my hands so I thought I'd write a little about holiday traditions.

There are certain things I can always remember about Christmas as a child.  I always got a Lifesavers book of candy in my stocking, for example.  I love traditions and have begun many of my own since starting my own family.  My children always get pajamas on Christmas Eve. Always.  They also get a Lifesavers book in their stockings, just like I did. We always read the story of Jesus' birth from the Bible, because it's very important to me that they do not forget the true meaning behind Christmas.

This year, even though my children are teenagers, we decided to add the fun of an Elf on the Shelf.  I'm sure many of you are tired of seeing these elves on the internet, but we just couldn't resist. My kids decided they'd play along and follow all of the 'rules' of the Elf on the Shelf.. and so "Figgy" came to live with us.

Figgy got into much mischief.  He redecorated a few things, TP'd the tree, took a marshmallow bath in my gravy boat and so on.  I had a wonderful time coming up with new things for him to get into, and the kids loved seeing what silly thing 'Figgy' had done every morning when they got up.  I think a true highlight was when Figgy wrote "Go Blue" all over my husband's large Ohio State University wall hanging. You should've heard the gasps!  It truly kept a little Christmas magic around the house. That is something that I've felt slipping away as my children have grown up before my eyes.

So, in closing.. no matter how silly a tradition seems, it isn't. I've found many of my friends on Facebook looked forward to seeing my posts about our elf, and I really enjoyed everything to do with it.  Traditions are part of family, so embrace them and carry them on year after year. Your children will thank you for it and your heart will be full.

So until Figgy returns next year… here's a few memories of him!