God moves in traditions
Christmas. If you’re anything like my family, you have a long list of traditions that bring about the joyous feeling of the season.
My fondest memories are of baking cookies with my mom. We kids were the sprinklers at our youngest ages. As years went by, I graduated to rolling out, baking and eventually, more intricate decorating. Somewhere down the line, the boys dropped off and let the girls rule the kitchen. I was OK with that.
As Mom and I baked cookies of all kinds — sugar cookie cutouts, spritz, peanut butter blossoms and thumbprints (to name a few) — the boys could be found putting up outdoor lights with Dad. We delighted in having it timed so hot cookies would be ready for them as they stepped inside, peeling off their hats and gloves.
The tree usually went up just after Thanksgiving and we all had our roles: Dad would get the box and assemble, Kels threaded on the lights, Mom and I decorated with ribbon and ornaments, and Ryan usually played with the video camera. We laugh at the home videos highlighting his “creative” side as the tree slowly turns upside-down on the screen. It’s interesting how that in itself became a tradition of sorts.
And gifts. We were blessed to have the means to have gifts to open every Christmas Eve and Day. The anticipation we felt as the empty space under the branches shrank is etched in my spirit as some of the most exciting times shared with my brothers. I still smile remembering the joy I felt as I played store with the pile of presents, using a Christmas book as the “scanner” and gleefully sliding each wrapped gift across. My brothers, on the other hand, were more likely to shake each of their gifts while exclaiming “legos!” or “gloves ...”
In recent years we’ve simplified to buying for one person and added a competition for the most creatively wrapped gift. Many of you may have voted via Facebook to help decide the winner. The traveling trophy currently resides with Kelsey for his 2016 Christmas train. It was impressive (!) and it seems the proverbial bar raises each year.
And the music. Music has threaded throughout each tradition and provided a festive backdrop to the season. Hearing Amy Grant’s “Tennessee Christmas” or “Breath of Heaven” instantly brings about images of Christmases past and much joy to my already cheery heart. Christmas concerts have also been a tradition and we’ve attended many; my favorite being the Amy Grant/Michael W. Smith Christmas concert, which comes to Minneapolis each year. We’ve gone to that concert so many times that we started volunteering at it, collecting toys for kids in HUGE boxes on wheels. The years we volunteered, we missed most of the concert but made sure to get in our seats for our favorite song: “Emmanuel.”
Emmanuel, Emmanuel.
Wonderful, Counselor!
Lord of life, Lord of all;
He is the Prince of Peace, Mighty God, Holy One!
Emmanuel, Emmanuel.
For me, this song is the ultimate power-ballad; the love song between Jesus and me that even at my youngest, has been a beautiful reminder that I am and forever will be a daughter of the King. (Amen!)
Fast forward to 2017: a year when Grandma’s health has led to several hospital stays and renovations in our childhood family home stand delayed mid-project. Needless to say, the traditional Mattison Christmas isn’t happening.
No Christmas baking weekend with Mom.
No creative-wrapping contest.
No Christmas concert.
No volunteering together as a family.
But you know what?
We also don’t have anyone with cancer.
No one with financial problems.
No broken relationships or heartaches.
No surgeries on the schedule.
Everything about our traditional Christmas is on hold but the celebrating hasn’t stopped.
I thought I’d be bummed. Turns out, I’ve had just as much joy in my heart (ask my colleagues) as any other Christmas season. I may not have had my annual baking weekend with Mom or carved out an entire day to work on my creative-wrapping project but pressing pause on those traditions has made room for other things. It’s made me reaffirm why and how I celebrate.
Christmas still came. Jesus still saves. And the Mattison celebration will still be just as joyous because God moves in traditions ... or the lack thereof.
Merry Christmas!
My fondest memories are of baking cookies with my mom. We kids were the sprinklers at our youngest ages. As years went by, I graduated to rolling out, baking and eventually, more intricate decorating. Somewhere down the line, the boys dropped off and let the girls rule the kitchen. I was OK with that.
As Mom and I baked cookies of all kinds — sugar cookie cutouts, spritz, peanut butter blossoms and thumbprints (to name a few) — the boys could be found putting up outdoor lights with Dad. We delighted in having it timed so hot cookies would be ready for them as they stepped inside, peeling off their hats and gloves.
The tree usually went up just after Thanksgiving and we all had our roles: Dad would get the box and assemble, Kels threaded on the lights, Mom and I decorated with ribbon and ornaments, and Ryan usually played with the video camera. We laugh at the home videos highlighting his “creative” side as the tree slowly turns upside-down on the screen. It’s interesting how that in itself became a tradition of sorts.
And gifts. We were blessed to have the means to have gifts to open every Christmas Eve and Day. The anticipation we felt as the empty space under the branches shrank is etched in my spirit as some of the most exciting times shared with my brothers. I still smile remembering the joy I felt as I played store with the pile of presents, using a Christmas book as the “scanner” and gleefully sliding each wrapped gift across. My brothers, on the other hand, were more likely to shake each of their gifts while exclaiming “legos!” or “gloves ...”
In recent years we’ve simplified to buying for one person and added a competition for the most creatively wrapped gift. Many of you may have voted via Facebook to help decide the winner. The traveling trophy currently resides with Kelsey for his 2016 Christmas train. It was impressive (!) and it seems the proverbial bar raises each year.
And the music. Music has threaded throughout each tradition and provided a festive backdrop to the season. Hearing Amy Grant’s “Tennessee Christmas” or “Breath of Heaven” instantly brings about images of Christmases past and much joy to my already cheery heart. Christmas concerts have also been a tradition and we’ve attended many; my favorite being the Amy Grant/Michael W. Smith Christmas concert, which comes to Minneapolis each year. We’ve gone to that concert so many times that we started volunteering at it, collecting toys for kids in HUGE boxes on wheels. The years we volunteered, we missed most of the concert but made sure to get in our seats for our favorite song: “Emmanuel.”
Emmanuel, Emmanuel.
Wonderful, Counselor!
Lord of life, Lord of all;
He is the Prince of Peace, Mighty God, Holy One!
Emmanuel, Emmanuel.
For me, this song is the ultimate power-ballad; the love song between Jesus and me that even at my youngest, has been a beautiful reminder that I am and forever will be a daughter of the King. (Amen!)
Fast forward to 2017: a year when Grandma’s health has led to several hospital stays and renovations in our childhood family home stand delayed mid-project. Needless to say, the traditional Mattison Christmas isn’t happening.
No Christmas baking weekend with Mom.
No creative-wrapping contest.
No Christmas concert.
No volunteering together as a family.
But you know what?
We also don’t have anyone with cancer.
No one with financial problems.
No broken relationships or heartaches.
No surgeries on the schedule.
Everything about our traditional Christmas is on hold but the celebrating hasn’t stopped.
I thought I’d be bummed. Turns out, I’ve had just as much joy in my heart (ask my colleagues) as any other Christmas season. I may not have had my annual baking weekend with Mom or carved out an entire day to work on my creative-wrapping project but pressing pause on those traditions has made room for other things. It’s made me reaffirm why and how I celebrate.
Christmas still came. Jesus still saves. And the Mattison celebration will still be just as joyous because God moves in traditions ... or the lack thereof.
Merry Christmas!
Annual Christmas cooking baking weekend (2015).
Volunteering with the Salvation Army at the
Amy Grant/Michael W. Smith Christmas concert (2015).
Amy Grant/Michael W. Smith Christmas concert (2015).
Kelsey's Christmas train (2016).
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