For such a time as this.
I haven’t put a lot of rules out there on this little blog because I fancy it to be a non-threatening place in which you stop by, read my ramblings about God and how He guides these little lives of ours, and hopefully, leave with your cup filled even just a tiny bit.
I’m by no means a “big blogger” and that’s OK. There’s really only one follower I would worry about unsubscribing and luckily, I know He never will. Whew.
However, recently some stuff has popped up that I feel I’m going to need to address so we are all on the same page and can move forward, thankyouverymuch.
I love to hear from you. I don’t always get the chance to respond to your words but rest assured, you all teach me so much. You force me to think beyond my box and you’re quick to throw out a “me, too” when I feel like I’m alone.
Since I don’t want ONE SINGLE READER to feel a threat when they visit “Mommy on Fire”, I am going to issue the following stance on comments. Then, we’ll move on to happier things:
Here at “Mommy on Fire”, I value each of your thoughts, ideas, and opinions. I believe that God knit us together beautifully and uniquely which accounts for our different views on various happenstances in life. However, please note that I will remove any comments that I deem to be hurtful to anyone else in any way. This includes blatant criticisms of another person as well as subtle (in which only other readers know the comment is directed at them but still hurtful nonetheless). Please also note that I do believe in free speech; however, not here. I will fiercely protect my readers and if “free speech” causes someone to not want to visit this site, that “free speech” will be removed for the overall good of the cause.
Glad we got that out of the way. Moving on.
The Advent Season is one I readily welcome every year on the day after Thanksgiving. I love to “deck the halls”, start playing our Christmas music (it’s official when my husband plays “Mele Kalikimaka”), and adorning the outside with white (yes, sweetheart. White.) lights.
Establishing traditions in my young family is critical to me. I have wonderful memories from childhood holidays and I know it’s due to the magic in which my mother shrouded each one.
In her article on “Christmas Organizing”, Allison Wood’s writes “traditions provide stability. Activities that are observed year in and year out become a means by which family members can build trust and security. Regardless of what else may happen, the traditions will not change. So much in our lives these days is temporary. Family traditions provide something for every person to hold on to and to rely upon.”
As we embark upon this season, here are a few holiday traditions the Snapps are enjoying – I so want to hear about yours as well so please comment and share today:
Type “Elf on the Shelf” on YouTube and watch some great elf footage as well.
And yes, Virginia. We do Santa. Proudly. But we emphasize the real “St. Nick” through books like
Saint Nicholas: The Real Story of the Christmas Legend
I discovered this book last year and we started a new tradition of celebrating “St. Nick’s Day” on December 6 in which the kids leave their shoes out and chocolate coins are left inside for a morning treat. Yes, I’m slightly crazy to allow chocolate coins first thing in the morning but it’s just once a year…
Though we do indeed do the Santa thing, I will say that we de-emphasize him a bit so our children get that it’s not about Santa but about Jesus. Later this week, I’m going to share some of my favorite children’s books for teaching the “reason for the season.”
And lastly, Christmas jammies. New ones. On Christmas Eve night.
What traditions do you have with your family during the season of Christ’s birth?
My list of 1,000 things continues…I am so thankful for:
200. A Thanksgiving with loved ones and fun
201. Time to slow down. Really.
202. A night out to see “Tangled” with my sweet girl and some other pals
203. Listening to Sawyer sing “Jesus Loves Me”
204. A great book – “Room” by Emma Donoghue (thanks for the recommendation, Susan!)
205. Plum Bread season is back! Recipe to follow…
206. Decking the halls
207. The smell of “Christmas Tree” in my Scentsy burner
208. Being able to eat at a restaurant without everyone having a meltdown, vomiting, throwing food, screaming, annoyed stares from child-free patrons. Life DOES get a little easier as the kids get older.
209. Drinking water at said restaurant to make our own sacrifices so we can give to others – no one seemed to suffer much and we saved $10 off our bill.
210. Good wine – enjoying the season of reds…
211. Family traditions that bond us together in His name
212. No mice in our Christmas boxes this year!
213. Solomon’s precious two year old speech – “C’mon, Bro Bro”!
214. A baby who is thinking about using the potty and a mommy whose heart hurts a bit to not have one in diapers (Yes. It’s official. I’m nuts.)
215. Hot chocolate and marshmallows
May your week be filled with traditions – new and old. May your heart be open to hearing Him and remembering why we celebrate this time of the year in the first place.
Good a.m. Natalie,
I enjoyed learning about your Family traditions at Christmas time. I wasn’t aware of the St. Nick story tradition. Cool!
Yes, it is hard to see all of your ‘babies’ grow up. I still wish I could rock my 28, 29 yr. olds….Miss holding them and loving them any tme I want.
Wishing you a great week!
Lana
Oh gosh…I can only imagine. Sawyer sometimes pushes me away when I try to love all over him and it kills me…Is he outgrowing his mama at the age of 3? I think he is just a busy boy that doesn’t want to slow down long enough to let me love all over him but still…I just want to smell his head every now and then, you know? Do you think it would be weird to do that to him when he’s 25?
I totally get that mother in “Love You Forever”….:)
Our kidnicks get new jammies every Christmas Eve as well. I just set up our Advent wreath and enjoy the significance each and every time we light it. With 3 kidnicks from 16 to 6 in the house, it helps us slow down and reflect on our family and the true meaning of Christmas. Continued Blessing, Natalie and yeah for no mice in te Christmas boxes!
.-= Jen´s last blog ..Sunday Summary =-.
Yes, I was overjoyed by that as well… Mice make me shudder.
Love that you call your kids “kidnicks”, Jen…
Nat…I love that Solomon uses Bro Bro for his brother. That is what Sadie used for Parker…I haven’t heard many people use that before. We are also using it for Dacey, if she ever talks. :) Another good book about the real Saint Nick is “The Legend of St. Nicholas, A Story of Christmas Giving” by Dandi Daley Mackall. We read this every year to the kids it is really good.
Love ya.
Melinda
Natalie, I love your traditions! And you are so right….now that I have a 10 year old it’s amazing to hear him tell the younger ones about what they can expect….he’s sharing our traditions with them!
We bake a birthday cake for Jesus and read the Christmas story from the Bible. My kids each get 3 gifts (for the wise men-each with significance) and the older they get the more we link Christmas with Easter-without Christmas there would be no Easter and we ALL really need an Easter! :) We put crosses near our nativity sets (we have several) reminding us all that this baby came to die for us.
love you friend
jen
Love the three gifts idea! I heard this idea for the first time last year and thought…Why didn’t I think of this before! It simplifies Christmas and makes less about the “receiving” so you can focus on what Christmas is really about. Unfortunately, I haven’t fully cut back to three…yet. Working on it. We also do a birthday cake for Jesus on Christmas Eve…a great tradition!”
Yep, we do that as well. Forgot to mention that – I love it because my kids know to only expect three gifts and it keeps me from going out of control! :)
Love your traditions…some of the same here (big surprise…we have somuch in common, don’t we?).
Have never done the Elf, but I think the kids would love it. Going to look into this one.
Already have the pj’s bought for the Eve gift. I usually put a book or some new stickers in there, too, as a little preview for the morning. I almost always do a new fancy toothbrush in the stockings (Santa loves clean teeth) and they each get a new ornament every year, too.
Hope you have a great week, Natalie!
.-= Heather´s last blog ..On my mind =-.
I’m so laughing about the Elf on a Shelf. Bill’s mom has one and I always just thought it was one of her “old” Christmas decorations. I didn’t know there was a whole book and tradition that went with it. I’ll have to ask her about it… :)
And I love the idea of honoring the tradition of the real St. Nick on Dec. 6th and then spending the rest of the month concentrating on Jesus. I may start a new tradition of our own. Thanks so much Natalie! :) :)
Oh, those crazy mother in laws…I’ll be one someday…:)
I love Advent! I am so excited to get our homemade advent calendar up this year – my oldest is finally old enough to understand it a bit (http://rediscoveringdomesticity.com/2009/11/30/decorations-are-going-up/). I’m all about traditions. We had awesome traditions growing up (nobody was “up” before 7am, all brushed and dressed in robes/slippers, dad goes down first to put sheet over living room doorway, eat and clean up full breakfast to stave off crankies, open stockings, THEN take down curtain to see the tree and gifts and open one by one). We are still working on what traditions our growing family will have.
Hysterical! What smart parents you have, Audra! To fill you all with breakfast before the presents? Brilliant. Love that they hung a sheet up…
So it is funny you touched on the commenting thing…I’ve been wondering how to address this myself. It’s a struggle. I don’t expect everyone to agree with me or my writing…a little discussion is great, but…lately I’ve had a few comments that have hit me wrong.
Interesting. So anyway, months ago I read a post about this very thing. I think today I will search for it.
Love your words.
Well, how timely, huh?
I’m about to visit your blog for the sisterhood – a little slow today…:)
I found a solution to being sad about not having one in diapers anymore….Santa delivered a PUPPY to our front door this past weekend! hmmmm….. maybe I could put diapers on him????
Absolutely. Especially when he/she wants to get up and go outside at 3 a.m. Been there, done that.
BUT…HOW FUN!!!! We love our yellow lab, Ellie Rose. She is absolutely a member of our family and is the greatest dog. Enjoy!
Just added you to my blog roll so I can stay up to date with your posts! Love, Traci
Thanks, sweet friend. I will do so as well!
Oh, my daughter is doing Elf on the Shelve with our little Clancy this year and he is loving it. Our big tradition is our birthday party for Jesus each Christmas Eve. We did that throughout our children’s lives and will begin it with our Grandchildren this year. I can’t wait.
Natalie, I so enjoy our blog and appreciate your sweet spirit and strong stance for our Lord. May you feel very loved this day!
.-= Lea Culp´s last blog ..Miscellany Monday =-.
Lea, thank you so much for your sweet words. I like the idea of the birthday party for Jesus on Christmas Eve – I think we will do that this year. Thanks for sharing!
I think you ar just simply wonderful and fantastic!
Thank you for sharing all of your traditions and I too, will be checking out the “Elf on a Shelf”!
Maybe you can help me with this one…we are heading to Florida to spend Christmas with my husbands brother, sis in law, niece and nephew…mind you they are ALL about only Santa (if you know what I mean). We, yes, incorporate him a tad and NOW only on Jesus, as our 2 young ones ages 8 and 9 have “found out” who Santa is. My question is this…as we look forward to spend this time with “all the relatives” who are not Christ centered, how do we go about letting them know the “Real reason for the Season”? Mind you, we are not pushy, righteous people…just want it to be about the real deal (not all about the gifts)…promising you I’m also not a bah humbug either!
Thanks for allowing His light to shine through you~
Have a blessed day Natalie!
Stacy O’Neill
Stacy, first of all, thank you for your kind words. I am truly humbled by them.
Secondly, I don’t think you are alone in this challenge. I think many families face this so know you are in good company!
I would simply try to seize every opportunity to insert the “reason for the season”. Also,I would bring along at least one children’s book of the nativity to read on Christmas Eve.
What about making a cake to eat on Christmas Eve night for Jesus’ birthday?
I don’t think you are a bah=humbug in the least. I think you are working to keep Jesus as the focus in a world that wants us to concentrate on materialism. I say “good for you”!
Happy travels to you – I will pray that your time with them is transformative.
In Him,
Natalie
Insightful info! I will take a good amout of time to think over the site.