I’m really not a Scrooge, I like Christmas! I like the warm feelings I get as the day gets closer. I love the feels that surround the Christmas Eve service as people come bundled up knowing that tomorrow is the “big day”. I like that we pause in the hustle and bustle and take time to come together as a church and remember the birth of our Savior. It is the calm before the storm and it is one of my favorite traditions.

We blend Santa into our traditions and I love it for the kids. Watching them put out goodies for Santa will always reveal who knows who the real Santa is and usually includes some sort of bribery with the items selected for the plate. Santa brings the stockings at our house and it’s the only time the kids get to rip open their gifts all at once. When it comes to the gift giving, that happens later in the day and it is done one at a time. We all watch one person open their gift and get to see their reaction to the surprise. It’s a lot of fun.

This year I think I’m going to try to add in a new tradition; the making of a Jesus cake. It is a German tradition (my blood line) that goes back many hundreds of years. It consists of:
1. White cake to symbolize Jesus’ purity
2. Red frosting to symbolize his shed blood for us
3. The rising of the cake represents the resurrection
4. The single candle represents Jesus as the light that would never be extinguished
5. The sweet taste is to remind us of the wonderful life that awaits those that have received him.
6. The treats (coins and metal toys) that are dropped into the batter symbolize our need to seek Jesus and the gift he has for us.