Christmas Tradtions and The Grinch by Gerri Brousseau

Once upon a time, not so very long ago, I enjoyed the experience of sharing the magic of Christmas through the eyes of my son.  When I was a child, my parents created wonderful Christmas memories for me, and I passed those on to my own child.  He is an adult now and working on creating his own Christmas memories and traditions, but I can’t help but smile when I remember what our house was like during the holidays when he was a child.

Here are a few of my most cherished memories.  The countdown to Christmas began on December 1^st.   Each year I would purchase a calendar for him.   Each calendar date had a little door that opened to reveal either a tiny ornament or a piece of chocolate.  We selected a certain time of day to open the door and reveal its treasure.  He loved it so much and was so excited to enjoy his sweet or to hang a tiny ornament on the tree.

One thing I always did was to tell him Santa had “big” magic and could always see him.  I told him Santa made a big snowball with magic, like a crystal ball, and he could see each child whenever he wished.  Talking about Santa’s magic was a very important thing and I will tell you why later on in this story.

Santa also used his elves to come and peek into our windows at night to make sure the girls and boys were behaving themselves.  Often times I would pretend to have seen an elf peeking in and ask my son if he had seen it.  He always looked at me, with eyes full of wonder as he said he had seen it.  Perhaps in his child’s imagination, he had.

Each year we baked Christmas cookies and it is a tradition we observe to this day.  These particular cookies are made only at Christmas and we relish them.

Another thing I always did was put certain items into his stocking.  No matter how old he gets, these items seem to always find their way into the toe of his grand sock.  No matter what other little gifts are in that sock, each year he gets the little cardboard book of lifesavers, a bag of the chocolate wrapped gold coins and fudgy bears.  My son always says it wouldn’t be Christmas without the gold coins.  I remember with sadness one year when thing were so tough for us, the only item in his stocking was a little bag of chocolate gold coins.  Lucky for me, he was a nearly an adult at the time and no explanation was needed.   Still, although it was a poignant moment, that year the true meaning of Christmas was our celebration.

There are many other traditions we have, but I promised you I would tell you the importance of continually reminding your child that Santa has magic.  This is a tidbit of info you may wish to use one day and I hope you find it helpful.  When my son was about 6 years old, he came to me and said one of the kids at school told him there was no such thing as Santa.  He asked me if that was true.  This was my answer.  I said, “Remember that I told you Santa has magic, big magic?”

“Yes, Mommy,” he answered with hope in his voice.

“Well,” I continued, “when you believe in Santa … truly believe with all your heart, Santa will feel your magic and he will come for you, and when he no longer feels that magic, he won’t come for you anymore.”

This answer worked like a charm because deep in my 6 year old son’s heart, he really wanted to believe.

It was such a magical time to see the wonder of Christmas through the innocent eyes of my child.  To teach him the story of Christmas and why we truly celebrate this holiday.

He has grown now and is a fine man, with a family of his own, but we still gather together at Christmas to enjoy the magic of the season.  No matter if our finances are abundant, or if they are lean, we keep with our traditions and hold dear the love in our hearts.  I think Dr. Seuss said it best in “How The Grinch Stole Christmas” when he penned he words, “Welcome Christmas. Bring your cheer, Cheer to all Whos, far and near.  Christmas Day is in our grasp, So long as we have hands to clasp.  Christmas Day will always be, Just as long as we have we.  Welcome Christmas while we stand, Heart to heart and hand in hand.”

This year, I invite you to clasp the hands of your family and friends, and enjoy a heart filled with love and the magic of the season.   On behalf of the entire group of contributors at Nights of Passion, I would like to wish each of you a Merry Christmas.

Please take a moment to share some of your holiday traditions with us.  What do you do to make your season bright?