Our Christmas Tradition ...

by Sara Waltz

My mom used to spend money and time making gift tags for each gift placed under our Christmas tree.  Then one year, the tradition changed and has stuck with our family ever since.  

Each family member has their own Christmas wrapping paper.  This began when my brother and I were younger and has continued on to my children.  

The kids help pick out their wrapping paper, or they help pick out each other's.  This eliminates the need for tags and prevents gift tags from being "lost."  It also helps younger children know which gifts are theirs.  Even when Eliana was a year old, she knew which gifts were hers simply by looking for her "special" wrapping paper.
 
We have continued the tradition at our house as well.  My husband has his own wrapping paper, and Nolan and Eliana have theirs.  Now, if I can just convince my husband to find some fun wrapping paper for me :)

Eggs Romano

"Eggs Romano is a dish that John’s family has had on Christmas morning for the past several decades. It is delicious. Especially if you like your eggs over easy/poached. YUM!" - Becky Boggio

Eggs Romano

2- 28 ounce cans diced tomatoes
2- 29 ounce cans tomato sauce
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
Grated Cheese (any type – pecorino Romano, Romano, parmesan)
Eggs

Place first four ingredients in Dutch oven. Bring to boil, and then reduce heat to high simmer. Poach eggs in tomato mixture.
Serve eggs on plate and include some of sauce mixture on side. Sprinkle with grated cheese.
Delicious with any breakfast accompaniment – bacon, sausage, toast/bread.


Thanks, Becky, for sharing your recipe and Christmas tradition with us!

Preparing My Heart

I thought this post that I read on the Chosen Families blog was so appropriate for how I was feeling and thought you might benefit from it also.

Preparing My Heart
December 11, 2011 By Lynn at Chosen Families

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given….he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.  Isaiah 9:6

Recently, the truth of “let every heart prepare Him room” from “Joy to the World” penetrated my heart, soul and spirit.

I love Christmas and celebrating the birth of our Savior, but not necessarily everything that comes with it.  Those of us caring for loved ones who are not neuro-typical are often overwhelmed by daily life and sometimes Christmas just feels like adding MORE to my already stretched life.

I don’t think it is uncommon for Christians, affected by a hidden disability or not, to be extra stressed during this season. It is ironic though, while we are celebrating the arrival of the Prince of Peace.

I struggle each Christmas with worry and anxiety over our finances and buying presents for friends, family, teachers and members of my daughter’s therapeutic team.  Every year the list of whom I wish to express my gratitude grows and my finances remain the same at best.  So I try to be creative and find meaningful, less expensive or even homemade gifts, but that tends to only increase my stress!
A few years ago, while in the process of finding a new church following a move, we started the tradition of making an advent wreath.  We found advent readings online to read each Sunday and used the advent Daily Bread for daily readings.  We printed out coloring pages for my daughter to color while we read and made a children’s nativity set available for play. It was the first year that I felt I had truly prepared my heart to more fully celebrate the birth of Jesus.  My husband and I both agreed it was such a meaningful Christmas and pledged to continue the tradition.

We were a few days late making our advent wreath, readings and coloring pages this year and I was already in full worry mode.  But that first night we gathered around the table to light the candle and pray, “Come, Lord Jesus, fill our hearts with hope,” I felt the stress and worry melt away.

Of course the battle to remain focused on Jesus continues as the calendar is full with special Christmas events and extra items on my to-do-list, but I can honestly say that as we take time to focus on the true meaning of this sacred season, I experience the peace and joy that we as followers of Christ are meant to experience in the midst of our busy lives.  It takes some work and intentional planning, but it is such a blessing.

May you and your family find practical ways to “prepare Him room” this Christmas season so that you are filled with the peace and joy that comes from knowing and being in the presence of the Prince of Peace Himself.

In His peace,
~Lynn
 
http://chosenfamilies.org/blog/

The Story of St. Nicholas

Hundreds of years ago, Nicholas lived in a seaside town named Myra, which is in the country we now call Turkey. Ever since he was a small child, Nicholas loved God more than anything. He studied hard, prayed often, and followed Jesus by helping the poor.

The people of Myra loved Nicholas so much that when their old bishop died, they immediately elected Nicholas to replace him. He served them well for a long time.

Nicholas was loved for one reason. He loved. He loved God and God's people so much that he would do anything for them.

Here is a story about Nicholas that has been passed down through many generations.

There was a man living in Myra who was very poor. This man had no wife, but he had three grown daughters who lived with him.

In those days, when a young woman got married, she had to bring money or property with her into the marriage. This is called a dowry. If a woman didn't have a dowry, she would never marry.

This man was so poor that he had no money for his daughters' dowries. And he didn't have enough money to support them either. He had, he believed, only one choice: to sell his daughters into slavery. Nicholas heard about this terrible situation. Late one night, Nicholas crept to the man's home and threw something through the window. It was a bag of gold—enough to pay the dowry for his oldest daughter.

The man was overjoyed, and his daughter was too. She married, but her father was still left with a problem. Two, to be exact. What about the two younger daughters? Sadly, he prepared to send them away.

Nicholas returned one night and again threw a bag of gold through the window. The father rejoiced. But he wondered who was helping him and why.

Of course, Nicholas didn't want the man to know. He knew that it's best to help others without letting them know we're helping them. If we help others in this way, we help because we truly want to and not because people will praise us for it.

But the father was determined. He had one daughter left and no money for a dowry. He certainly hoped he would be helped again, especially because he wanted to find out who was doing it. So he locked the windows and watched out the door.

Nicholas still wanted to help, but he didn't want to be seen. So, in the back of the house, far from the father's sight, he dropped the bag of gold for the third daughter right down the chimney!

The bags of gold are said to have landed in stockings or shoes left before the fire to dry. This led to the custom of children hanging stockings or putting out shoes, eagerly awaiting gifts from Saint Nicholas. Sometimes the story is told with gold balls instead of bags of gold. That is why three gold balls, sometimes represented as oranges, are one of the symbols for St. Nicholas. 

-taken from http://www.stnicholascenter.org/pages/st-nicholas-welborn/

Elf on the Shelf

This is Nick. Nick is an elf. An elf on the shelf. 

He comes every December 1 and stays through Christmas, with a nightly jaunt back to the North Pole to report good and bad behavior. 

Every morning, he ends up in a different spot "high up" in our house. The kids excitedly try to find him when they wake up.  

We started this tradition a few years ago and have had great fun with it. 

If you come over, see if you can spot him. But beware, he is watching ... ;)