| It's time to start thinking about Christmas again and | | | | day or evening creating and displaying Christmas craft |
| how to make it even more special. If you are like the | | | | projects, or simply decorating, or just spending |
| typical American that celebrates this wondrous | | | | quality time together, these can all become treasured |
| holiday, you will be pulling out your favorite and best | | | | Christmas traditions. And great memories will be a |
| loved decorations from past Christmases and adding | | | | part of each Christmas as the tradition is continued. |
| to them. Most people seem to continuously build that | | | | My family's Christmas traditions include putting our |
| arsenal. After all, there are always new and gorgeous | | | | Christmas tree up on Thanksgiving Day. Afterward |
| ornaments, wreaths, garlands, and other decorative | | | | we work on a few Christmas craft projects - a |
| embellishments we can add. The truth is that having | | | | family favorite is creating snowmen out of |
| a great variety offers the opportunity to either have | | | | Styrofoam balls. It's easy enough even for the |
| a themed oriented decorating scheme, or a free for | | | | youngest members to do and fun for all. |
| all style. | | | | When the craft projects are finished it is time to |
| Decorating the home is usually a Christmas tradition | | | | write our letters to Santa Claus. The children love |
| that all family members participate in. Even the very | | | | this. I always enjoy learning what it is that they really |
| young get into the act. And of course, us older folks | | | | want for Christmas. When the letters are finished we |
| sometimes get a little sentimental at Christmas time. | | | | put them in envelopes addressed to Santa Clause at |
| It's not hard to do as we reminisce about favorite | | | | the North Pole. And when the kids receive a genuine |
| Christmases from years gone by. And if we are really | | | | letter back with a Santa Claus postmark from the |
| lucky we will even have some keepsakes from those | | | | North Pole they are ecstatic. As soon as their eyes |
| times that seem to keep us in touch with our past. | | | | take in the postmark from Santa Claus they are |
| Christmas traditions are a great way to bridge the | | | | overjoyed, and I get to share in their delight. |
| gap between old and new, and young and old. The | | | | No matter what activities you and your family enjoy |
| handing down of traditions keeps a bond of sorts | | | | together, the most important thing is to make it fun |
| between the generations. Just as our parents did | | | | and make it special. There's something about |
| certain things during the holidays, we have followed, | | | | Christmas that is magical and I believe that magic |
| and our children will too. | | | | lives in our hearts. It just takes the magnificence of |
| Whether your family traditionally spends a particular | | | | Christmas to bring it out in each of us. |