Wednesday, December 21, 2016

Sibling Christmas {Family Times}

This year our annual celebration was hosted at the home of my sister who is married to my husband’s brother (seriously-we have been married 51 years, they have been married 48 years). We were joined by my brother and wife (they live in Illinois).

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Our celebration always includes the reading of the Christmas story from Luke 2 (Daddy always read it until he passed in 1988; since then, my brother reads it). As is our custom, we sing Christmas carols at their relevant places in the story.

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We still draw names and enjoy the gift exchange. I hope we always do this.

We always take “family pictures” by the tree (a tradition in the Wilson family passed down from my Mamo and Grandad Wilson).

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Russell and Barbara Ford

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David and Janene Ford

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Keith and Michele Wilson

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After Mother’s death in 2013, we found our childhood stockings (from grandparents’ Christmases) in Mother’s things. They were handmade by our aunts and Mamo Wilson, and they hung over the fireplace at Mamo and Grandad’s all our growing-up years. Now, we take turns being the Stocking Santa and filling the stockings with nostalgic items like pick-up sticks, paddle ball, jacks, and candy like Bit o’Honey and ribbon candy. And, because our Mamo-and-Grandad stockings always included a tangerine or an orange (in the toe), so do ours!

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We love traditions, as they remind us of the fabric from which we are made, and it gives us reason to celebrate our bond of family love, for which we thank our Heavenly Father.

#SiblingChristmas2016 #FamilyTies #Traditions #VintageStockings

2 comments:

Mark Ford said...

Pretty wonderful, heart-warming stuff.

I also love that they have such a preponderance of comfortable chairs. Who does that? Nice.

Nancy Happily said...

How blessed you all are to be able to celebrate such wonderful traditions together. Especially reading the Christmas story from the Bible.