Photo by respres

Today Derick Dickens shares one of his family’s Christmas traditions. He is a pastor living in Virginia with his wife and three daughters. He blogs about religion, philosophy, culture, apologetics education and about his life.

Each year, my wife and I celebrate Christmas in several unique ways, but the most precious to us requires merely time and thought.

When my oldest was just a baby, my wife and I began a tradition that only requires paper, pens, and stockings.  For the weeks prior to Christmas, each person is responsible for writing a character or spiritual quality about the other family members that is good and Godly. We write this in a personal note to the individual, to be read on Christmas day.  There is a final note we write to God, in which we express thankfulness or praise to Jesus in specific instances during that year.

No one knows what the others have written until Christmas day.  We all gather around, and after the Christmas story, each of us reads out what others in the family said about us. Finally, we read the stocking reserved for Jesus and often deep thanks to Jesus is enough to turn any person to his knees.

These are precious times in our family, and the notes are kept as precious treasures within our family.  Often, we read these notes in tears as they touch our hearts or express some deep emotion.

Try this tradition, and I hope you will find, as we have, that the Christmas presents are no longer the most “looked forward” time in your home.

Derick Dickens
www.ebc-verona.net
www.thedickensfamily.org