A Rossiterville Christmas: 28 Tried & True Traditions

Lights, tinsel, carols, hot chocolate, and eleven faces eagerly awaiting what they will receive. What an amazing and magically time filled with family and memories. Only a God of love and compassion would turn His ultimate sacrifice into a day of gifts for all mankind. Christ, the greatest gift, is still giving today!

​That being said, materialism and the hunt for the latest and greatest has tarnished, as it always will, the heart of this season. The fight to keep the focus both Christ-centered and ordered with moderation has all of us going against the flow of society.

For our family, patiently waiting on God’s provision and sweet traditions have helped keep us focused. God has always provided in amazing ways. From a check left in our mailbox to “overstock” presents from other families, we have never lacked for a full tree. Sometimes the urge to “go and get” is strong. Then, I am reminded to "wait and see" what He will do. When God does the shopping, He never misses a thing and usually goes above and beyond my expectations. He faithfully shows Himself in ways I know my children will never forget. Praying for their gifts, and seeing God's answers, is an awesome gift in itself. Waiting on God is a lifelong discipline. If my children learn to trust His heart and believe beyond human resources that He will always be present in their time of need, that is a gift that will last way beyond any material possession.

​Matthew 7:11 states,

"If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!"

​Traditions have been another great way to preserve our core beliefs about the Christmas season. Some have remained year after year. ​Valuable practices, like reading the Christmas story, have been there since the beginning of our married life. ​

Opening stockings, after a big breakfast of homemade doughnuts, and watching White Christmas while we decorate are two of my older children’s favorites. We have held to a three present rule with a variation of one being a family gift on some occasions. This has helped to keep out the excess. Having a basket of Christmas books and reading one each night with family devotions is also a treasure of sweet cuddles. Cleaning out old toys to donate to Goodwill or The Salvation Army makes a frequent appearance as well as baking cookies for our neighbors and delivering them with a Christmas tract. Wrapping up a gift for Jesus, with a list of all we plan to give Him in the coming year, has to be one of my favorites. Below is a list of traditions that are part of the familiar scenes of a Rossiterville Christmas.

Consistent Traditions

 (included in the above paragraph with a few others added)

• 3 present rule
• Homemade doughnuts for breakfast
• Opening our stockings after breakfast (my kids favorite part)
• A basket of Christmas books under the tree—one for each night
• Driving around looking at Christmas lights in our pjs and drinking hot chocolate
• Cookies for our neighbors delivered with a Christmas tract (download your free What is Christmas About? printable tract here *HINT* It's About the Cross—watch the video below)
• Reading the Christmas story
• Attending a Christmas Eve service
• Watching White Christmas while decorating the tree
• Christmas cookie decorating contest
• Gift exchange within the family (we have put a limit of $5 and usually shop at Five Below)
• Wrapping up a gift for Jesus which includes all we plan to give Him in the coming year
• Making snow out of baking soda and hair conditioner  (see recipe below)
• Having a themed table with homemade decorations that we all make and decorate on Christmas Eve

This may sound odd, but one of our traditions has been adding or trying something new each year. Sometimes, we fall in love with the idea, and it stays permanently. Others may just end up as a one-and-done time of memory making. On purpose, these as well as all the other traditions, do not revolve around spending much, if any, funds. Sticking with the idea of praying in each Christmas, our traditions should be able to be kept whether money is plentiful or scarce. Here is a list of things we have tried.

New or Tried Traditions

• Hidden messenger like a mini stuffed animal found in a backpack or room which means you get to open a small gift
• Draw a name and that person gets to drink hot chocolate and read under the tree lights before bed
• Have a door decorating contest (see this year's pictures below)
• ​A movie themed night for all the Fridays in December

• ​Draw a name and that person gets a turn making a craft or ornament
• Having a 12 Days of Christmas countdown with an activity for each night
• 12 names of Jesus for the days leading up to Christmas
• Using the book Unwrapping the Greatest Gift by Ann VosKamp (see below) for our devotion time (this has become a tradition in my classroom as well)
• Hiding a “new to the family” Christmas stuffed animal and whoever finds it on their bed gets a special reading time with mom or dad. (a new tradition this year that is already a huge hit for a well-spent $2.88)
• Have a Christmas carol themed night for each Friday in December​ (download your MERRY CHRISTMAS HAPPY EVERYTHING songbook here)
• Study each member of the Nativity scene

• Have a Christmas book themed night
• Christmas around the world banquet with a mission emphasis and foods from other countries (this is another new one we are trying this year)
• A variation of “Elf on the Shelf” that is called the “Star in the Car” ​

​The Star in the Car is also a new one that I am going to try for our rides to school. A simple Dollar Tree star will visit our van each day. Whoever finds the star on their seat will give ways that we can seek Jesus, just as the Wisemen did so long ago. Our ride to school has become a time of prayer and devotion. The kids were just saying we needed a Christmas focus, so we are going to give it a try.

This Year's Door Decorating Contest

As I type this, I do not know what our Christmas will look like monetarily. However, I do know God will do what only He can in His time and in His amazing way. In the meantime, I know our Christmas will be packed with the things money cannot buy. Sweet prayers from little hearts to Jesus’ ears, and precious memories of family and time spent together, will definitely be a part.

We must keep swimming upstream and struggling to keep Jesus in the midst of this special season. When the last present is opened, and all the excitement is a distant memory, unwrapping the lessons learned in the struggle will live on in your life and in the lives of those you love. That is a Christmas gift worth more than money can ever buy!

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Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow

Do you want to build a snowman? Did you know you can make your own snow at home? All you need is some baking soda and hair conditioner. Seriously! I purchased a bottle of coconut-scented hair conditioner at the Dollar Tree. It not only made homemade snow, it made our homemade snow smell amazing! 

Remember to look for white conditioner. I tried two different hair conditioners and both worked well. The only thing is, the first batch smelled great (I used strawberry conditioner) but it had a pink tint. Who wants pink snow? I'd suggest using white conditioner so that your homemade snow is white. There’s no business like snow business!

MATERIALS: You will need a bowl, baking soda, and white hair conditioner to make your homemade snow. To make the snow, mix 3 cups of baking soda with 1/2 cup of white hair conditioner. Instead of using a spoon, kneaded the mixture by hand. This will allow you to feel the texture of the snow. If you find that it’s too sticky, add more baking soda. If it feels too stiff, add more hair conditioner. You are looking for a fluffy feel that is still moldable.

BONUS: Add some silver glitter to give your homemade snow a frosty shimmer!

CLEANUP: For large outdoor play areas, use a plastic tablecloth under the snow’s container. For indoors, use a baking sheet or newspaper to help keep the area tidy.

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Unwrapping the Greatest Gift: A Family Celebration of Christmas 

​This is a New York Times Bestseller and ECPA Award Winner with over 150,000 copies sold, and at this writing it is on sale at a discounted price over on Amazon!
​
​​Unwrap the Greatest Gift with your family this holiday season! With vivid, full-color illustrations, downloadable ornaments, and moving scenes from the Bible, this book is a gift your whole family can experience each day leading up to Christmas.

• Devotions by Ann Voskamp
• Daily Scripture readings
• Discussion questions
• Meaningful activities
• Beautiful illustrations

Person by person, story by story, retrace the lineage of Jesus. Fall in love with Him all over again as you experience God’s plan of salvation for us―from the Garden of Eden to the manger and beyond.

Based on the overwhelming success of The Greatest Gift, Ann Voskamp has expanded her presentation of the timeless Advent tradition of the Jesse Tree so families can celebrate together.

Each day, families can read the provided Scripture passage (in connection with the original book), engage with a specially written devotion to help children of all ages understand the Advent theme for the day, and participate in suggested activities to apply the theme.​

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What's your favorite "Keep Christ in Christmas" tradition?