preacherman

Friday, November 23, 2007

Family Traditions

I think it is great to have a family. Family traditions make the family closer as a unit. We put up the Christmas tree the day after Thanksgiving. We listened to Christmas songs and enjoyed decorating it together. We watched Christmas movies together and will watch them over the holiday season.

We enjoy snuggling on the couch and watching a good Christmas movie: "It's A Wonderful Life," "Miracle on 34th St." (The Original version), "White Christmas", "A Christmas Story", "The Polar Express", "Frosty The Snowman", and many others. (I still think and tell my wife that "Die Hard" is a Christmas movie, but somehow she doesn't buy it).

I have traditions- fun, happy, traditions that we do such as dad sitting at the head of the table, having the "kids" table, watching the parades, the football games, the taking turns in unwrapping gifts or opening gifts the night before. Traditions -traditions that we pass down -traditions that we hold on to because we love them -traditions that make us who we are as a family. I don't think they are bad. They are not set in stone.

A few years a go, we drew names to who would get presents for my aunts and uncles Christmas gathering instead of buying everyone presents. The change was good. It helped people on money. It help people on knowing who they were going to buy for in advance. But, the change also caused a little bit of a problem. Some of the family members were new to the family and it's hard to know their tastes, likes and wants. So, we learn that change can be good and bad. But, it became a great tradition that we kept and became a part of who we are as a family.

What family traditions do you have during the holidays? How do they help you become a closer family? How can changing a tradition help and hurt? In what ways? Have you had experiences with changing traditions? How can we apply this to the Church? How is tradition good? How can change help and hurt and does that change sometimes itself then become a tradition? Is the church a family where you worship? How? What traditions make it so? What does your church do to make it feel like a family?

What do you think?
Share you thoughts.

16 Comments:

Blogger Doug Hoag said...

Hello!
Thank you for visiting my blog and leaving a comment. Many blessings to you as well!

8:55 AM  
Blogger preacherman said...

Pastor Doug Hoag,
Thanks for coming by leaving a comment. I love for you to add to the any topic that we may be talking about any time. God bless you.

9:23 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

i think that our walk as Christians and as humans is all about change, but, our heart just wants things to be good, right, perfect and comfortable. no fighting, no pain, no saying goodbye to loved ones. and so traditions are a way that we try and hold on to some good things. good things like peace, love, hope, faith, acceptance, togetherness. all the goodness that God wants for us. all of the things that we will have someday. but, for now, it is change, within us and in our lives.

11:46 AM  
Blogger preacherman said...

Nancy,
Thanks for your post it is greatly appeciated. Great comments and good points.

9:17 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

p.s.
i also wanted to say that i realize that we have some of these good things right now... and it is wonderful that God allows us to enjoy them. i am so grateful for the time that we have with friends and family and the peace, love and hope we have through our faith in Jesus. as i see that you are also grateful for these things. i hope that we may meet someday in heaven. it will be grand to be in God's own kingdom.

God is in the center of where ever we are...even if we are on the edge. you are a wonderful child of God.

10:39 PM  
Blogger preacherman said...

Nancy,
Thanks for your comments.

9:02 PM  
Blogger Royce Ogle said...

For the first time in many, many years I will be back in the hills of N.C. for Christmas this year. I will be with my dear mom who is almost 86 and I look forward to seeing her.

Our family traditions have changed with time, the maturity of children, some moving far away, and death.

While traditions change we never loose sight of the Reason for the season, Christ the lover of sinners.

His peace,
Royce

10:20 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I'd like to include your blog in the book, The Church of Christ is Blogging (edited by myself and John Dobbs). When you get a moment, can you provide a brief bio and answer the questions--Why do you blog? and How would your describe your blog? Also, could you send me an article from your blog from this year and a link to the article/essay? With your permission, I'll print it in the book. Send submission to benoverby@specialtywriting.com

Ben
http://specialtywriting.com
http://benoverby.wordpress.com

10:36 AM  
Blogger jel said...

Morning PM,

don't have any Family Traditions,


hope all is well with your Family!


have a great day!

11:04 AM  
Blogger David Kirk said...

Our son is 10 and hasn't figured out the secret of Santa yet. This will probably be the last year we get to leave the Santa key out (for homes without a chimney), cookies and milk for Santa, and reindeer food (oats mixed with glitter) in the yard.

11:49 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Oddly enough, I'm not a "traditions" kinda guy... that I know of. My children seem to think we had traditions so I go with those. We have one kid out of the house and the other a Sophomore in college... so I think even those "traditions" will get lost.

1:51 PM  
Blogger preacherman said...

Ben,

I would be glad to be included. The info was sent.

2:29 PM  
Blogger Benjie said...

We started a family tradition two or three years ago in which the week before Christmas we use the "What Jesus Wants for Christmas" nativity for our family devotion times in the evening.

I brought the tradition of getting a new Christmas album, a new Christmas movie, and a new piece for my "heirloom" nativity every year.

(p.s. I thought about posting on your new post, but I was offended by it ;) LOL)

9:27 AM  
Blogger preacherman said...

Benjie,
Your so funny.
:-)
LOL

8:53 PM  
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