Traditions

Every family has unique traditions that for them mean “Christmas.” Some are built on memories from childhood holidays, some are intentional, thoughtful reminders of faith and some just happen along the way, stick, and a new legacy of memory and ritual is born.

Here are a few of our Casa Watson traditions that have come to mean Christmas for our family:

Snickerdoodles & Root Beer with Vince Guaraldi: The roots of this one date back to Mark and Leah’s first Christmas together when we were newly dating. A Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack played (one of the best Christmas albums, ever) and for reasons we can’t recall, decided to drink bottles of old-fashioned, ice-cold IBC root beer. As Leah explained to Mark how the lights must be strung on the tree, he knew at that precise moment Leah would be his bride. Over the years we added warm snickerdoodle cookies to the mix – they are the perfect cookie match for the root beer. Our hope is that each Christmas as we decorate the tree, the kids will be reminded of the love, faith and fun that was the foundation of Casa Watson years ago in that little Santa Barbara family room.

Advent: This is a Watson tradition from Mark’s family that we are enjoying passing down to the next generation. On Sunday evenings we gather round the advent wreath, have a devotion time reading from the Bible, sing a carol or two, say prayers and light the candle for each week. It is amazing to watch the commercial Santa, presents, hype and such, fall away and see the kids glimpse the wonder of the spiritual dimension of Christmas. We found a great kid’s nativity set that lets them play and talk about the birth of Jesus together, as brother and sister (the favorite players seem to be the angel and the camel). Watching Ben and Clara earnestly sing “Away in a Manger” by candlelight and attempt the sign language gestures to the song, makes the world stop for a moment and renew our hope that peace is not impossible. Leah also crafted a little Advent countdown calendar with a different Christmas activity everyday. From making snowflakes and gingerbread houses, to spreading Christmas cheer, to fun outings around town, this is proving to be an excellent method for keeping our celebrating on track during a sometimes busy and burdened time of year.

Elf on the Shelf: Thanks to a great gift from the Bentley family last year, Maurice has joined our family. Maurice is one of Santa’s elves who throughout the Christmas season keeps a watch on “his” family and flies back to report to Santa each night whether things have been more naughty or nice. In the morning Maurice appears in a new location to scope out the days activities. Ben and Clara race around the house every morning to discover his new perch for the day. Whenever Clara finds him, she holds both hands to her face (Home Alone style) and says, “Maurice!” and looks beyond adorable in every way.

Here’s to a joyous, merry little Christmas season enjoying your special traditions.