Christmas brings many gifts. Of course there are those that come wrapped in ribbons but it’s usually the gifts without a box that mean the most. Such is the case with family traditions.
Whenever I hear someone tell of their family traditions my ears perk. I’m eager to learn what other customs families use to make their holiday’s special. A few I’ve heard of are as follows:
- Fondue dinner Christmas Eve
- Caroling as a family
- Christmas stocking for Jesus (everyone slips in a paper with something they’ve “done for Jesus” during the holiday)
- Family Ping Pong Tournament
Over the years our tribe has established a few Christmas traditions as well. One tradition combines several of our favorite things: food, books, and time in the kitchen together! We would frost sugar cookies (see previous post for Cut Out Sugar Cookies), make hot chocolate and then indulge in cocoa and a cookies while reading Margie Palanti’s Mooseltoe.
Here’s a a brief excerpt from this Christmas classic:
“Moose baked tons of tins of cookies. CHECK. Dozens of cakes, bread, and sweets. CHECK, CHECK, CHECK. He made jellies. Sticky jams. Moose roasted a goose and some chestnuts. He toasted marshmallows and yams. CHECK. CHECK. CHECK. TRIPLE CHECK. Yessirree. Getting ready for Christmas was an absolute snap. And so simple. So easy. And if he did say so to himself, Moose thought, totally, utterly, completely…PERFECTLY PERFECT.”
I won’t spoil the story in case you haven’t read the book but Moose did in fact experience one MAJOR oversight. The story is a terrific example of how love and sacrifice manifest themselves. Even if it’s in the life of a Moose!
These days our Darlings are a little too big for Moosletoe but we share the book as a gift as often as possible. And who knows…maybe someday Mooseltoe will manifest itself as Christmas tradition in our family through a generation that follows.
In the meantime…don’t be surprised to find this DoAhead tucked away in a corner, discreetly sipping hot chocolate as she flips through the shiny pages of a book that means so much more than ink and paper. Memories of three smiling faces, giggles and chocolate mustaches will rise with every turn of a page. Perfectly perfect.
Your DoAhead Friend,
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