Traditions are beautiful things. Especially around the holidays. I’ve been blessed to be in some places with rich traditions in the the past few years:
- Chehalis, WA: My mother “drug” (at least that’s how I viewed it, until I got smart) our family to Handels’ MESSIAH almost every year (the 3-hr version…no abridged versions for the Cleavelands). Now, it doesn’t really feel like Christmas unless I make it to MESSIAH. Also, my family always (and still does) make it to the Presbyterian church’s Christmas Eve Candlelight service. We still go even though we don’t go to that church at home anymore…it’s routine, it’s ritual…
- Whitworth: We had many Christmas traditions at Whitworth, from dorm Christmas parties, to the school Christmas party (with the President serving punch), to the Candlelight service, to the Christmas choir concert (which was always amazing), caroling…
- Wendell: The Wendell Community Christmas Cantata is something that, although the “cantatas” were always cheesy, I miss this year. I miss the little boys hitting each other in the choir, while the little girls pulled their dresses over their heads. I was the narrator my first year in Wendell, that was fun. While I was there, I brought back the church Christmas caroling, on the back of a flat-bed trailer with hay. It was great…we did get pulled over by the Wendell police the first year because we didn’t have any lights on the back…oops.
- PTS: The Choir Christmas Concert was wonderful last night – a service of lessons from scripture and carols and international music. At the end, everyone exits the chapel and gathers around the front while we look at the Christmas lights that Hodge (a dorm) surprised us with, and sing carols…holding candles…
What are your Christmas traditions…?