The holidays are such a weird mix of things, aren’t they?
There’s generosity in gift giving yet the continued struggle for those trying to make ends meet. There’s gratitude for time with family and friends yet sadness for those missing a loved one who has passed.
We’ve only been married 2 years and 9 months, but Dex and I have experienced this mix of emotions during the holidays. This year is our son’s first Christmas and now more than ever, we see the importance of creating family traditions and forming a family legacy that will be remembered for generations to come.
For the past two years we’ve been intentionally creating what’s becoming our family traditions and we thought we’d share them with you!
1. We Focus on God
We choose a Christ and Advent-focused reading plan to read! This year we read Merry & Bright on the Bible App by YouVersion and really enjoyed the truths shared each day. Click the image below to check it out.
2. We Serve Others
For the past two years we served at St. Phillips School & Community Center, helping families shop a free Christmas store and wrapping the gifts for them. St. Phillips serves over 175 families with their Christmas Store.
We always loving meeting new people and learning their stories while helping make their Christmas special for their kids.
This year, we even invited some friends to help with us, making an even greater impact in our city.
To learn more about St.Phillips’s annual Christmas Store, click here.
3. People Think We’re Crazy For This But We Love It
For the 2nd year, we decided to host a 5-hour long party for our friends’s kids to give the parents a break. This year we played hide-and-seek, had an air hockey tournament, a talent show, and closed the night out watching The Star.
You may not have the patience to keep 17+ kids at one time, but maybe you could downscale it and offer a single mom or family member a night off from their kid(s)! You may be surprised at how much you enjoy it!
Also, for those who haven’t seen or heard of it, here’s the trailer to The Star. Great movie and the kids loved it!
4. We Have Some Christmas Fun
Daystar Christmas is becoming one of our favorite Christmas traditions. Seems like every year we go, it’s special for a different reason! Last year we were pregnant and this year it’s our son’s first Christmas! We had so much fun and even got to see some friends during our time there.
The best part is, this is free every year and it’s going on right now until January 5th so if you’re in the Dallas, Ft. Worth area, you should definitely head to Daystar with your family and friends. You can get more info at Daystar.com/Christmas
This year we turned our photos from Daystar Christmas into a video Christmas Card for our friends and family! Take a look!
We hope these Christmas traditions of our give you some ideas of things you can do with your family. And we’re thinking of and praying for those who are hurting this holiday.
We pray that the God of all comfort brings you peace, joy, and reasons to smile this holiday season.
What are your holiday traditions?
We’d love to hear from you! Share some of your favorite holiday traditions with us in the comments! We’ve got room to add a few more to ours!