Christmas Traditions: creating layers of memories and meaning

hey! Merry {almost} Christmas! are you here visiting from Betsy's Christmas Blog Tour? thanks for stopping by! i'm happy to share one of our family traditions with you- and while you're here, leave me a comment and tell me what's YOUR favorite tradition? 

for longer than i can remember, it's been a tradition in our family to celebrate Jesus' birthday with a birthday cake. we often do this on Christmas Eve, but there is a lot of flexibility on when we actually do this celebration. 

in fact, while talking with my Dad this week, i realized that i don't actually remember the beginnings of this family tradition. (kind of like cutting the tail off your Thanksgiving turkey. why? because that's what grandma always did...) i'm still researching in the recesses of my brain where this memory came from... (the cake, not the tailless turkey...) 

i'll keep you posted! 

meanwhile, here's a lineup of some of our Christmas Eve/Birthday Cake for Jesus Celebrations and Gatherings. 

throughout the years, the gatherings changed- some were quite elaborate (hoards of friends and relatives smashed into our tiny house along Penn's Creek) and some very simple (just our immediate family and a small cake.) when my oldest daughter, M, was 8 years old, she made a blue pottery angel one summer at Camp Susque.  thereafter, the birthday cakes feature the angel holding the birthday candle. 

also throughout the years, you can see that our family has grown! if you look closely, you can see the progression and growth of my 6 children, and my family! with 6 children, several now grown and married, along with the addition of 7 grandchildren, there are many happy faces celebrating and anticipating the arrival of the Baby Savior on Christmas morning! 

1990

the above picture would have been the very first Birthday party for Jesus. we lived in a very small house, and i would not doubt that there were 40+ people at this gathering! my oldest daughter, M, (1½) is the girl in the blue (aqua?) overalls, being held by her Aunt Esther. the twins, D & N, were asleep on the sofa. being only 3 months old at the time, i guess they were too little for cake! all the other children around the table are random 1st & 2nd cousins. 

1992

same small house, another large gathering. M, now 3½, is in the bottom left corner of this picture. D, the oldest twin, is 2½ and he's in the red sweatshirt. G, my 4th baby, is due in March, and he's actually born in the Blizzard of '93. 

2002

our lives changed quite a bit in the gap of the 10 years between these pictures. now i'm a single mom, homeschooling my 4 children, working a few odd/part-time jobs, and we live in the tiny town of New Berlin in central PA.(i'm sure there were more birthday cakes for Jesus, but no pictures, i guess...) M is 13, D & N are 12 and G is nearly 10. 

2003

this year we're celebrating with our friends, who have graciously invited us over for Christmas Eve dinner and some small gifts. with 8 children of their own (6 gathered at home in this picture) and my 4, we've a big crowd, so good thing it's a big cake! 

2007

big changes again, as shown in this picture here. i've married Dave, and with the addition of A, we're at a handful of children around the table this Christmas Eve. my scrapbook journaling tells me that A was fascinated with the hole in the middle of this green angel food cake. 

2008

this Christmas Eve, baby B has joined our family. she's 1, and anna is 2½. we've also moved to Bradford county, and begin farming {small scale} and growing our CSA. we're also working at renovating/completing the colonial farmhouse we purchased, which was built by the Rockwell family in 1807. 

2012

more changes come along: (see- the kitchen has drywall AND paint now!) the children keep growing, and we're adding new faces all the time now it seems! M is now married- that's husband K alongside her. N is home for Christmas, and G is too! A & B are 6 & 5 years old now. and just for fun: seems we're having a Birthday Pumpkin Roll- merely to keep things interesting! 5 of my 6 children are home around the table this year- making the celebration just that much more special! 

2016

big brother D (the oldest twin) is home this year, and is the only brother to join A & B for cake. (good thing, too! that cheesecake is so tiny!) there were 2 grandchildren added this year as well: a boy AND a girl, born 6 days apart! they must be at home, tucked safe and snug in their beds. 

2017

here we're having another cheesecake for Jesus (and look, it's so much bigger!) good thing, too, since we have even more precious people gathered around: K and grandson C, N and his wife P, along with granddaughter E. ( C&E are both 13 months old) A is 11, B is 10.

                                       

2018

son D is back for Christmas, along with daughter L. L is our second granddaughter, born just a few months ago. Joining the girls and C at the table is C & P, my niece and nephew. (cheesecake seems to be popular!)  and we're a bigger crowd now, so the celebration has moved into the school room...

2018

we had 2 different birthday celebrations this year, i guess to accommodate traveling and/or working children. grandson #2 has joined us, in the highchair, and L is a sweet and cuddly baby. he brings the grandchild count to 4. Aunts A & B are thrilled! (Grammy and Pap are too, of course!) 

2019

with our 2 youngest daughters still living at home, of course A & B are at every Christmas Eve celebration. M & K live locally, so we're blessed at having them nearly every year, too! grandsons C & L are 3 and almost 2. we're thrilled D, along with L (now 13 months old) are here as well. 

                                                                                 2021

our most recent Birthday Party for Jesus was last year. we celebrated Christmas as a family early: we went right from Thanksgiving, to Christmas Eve and then rolled directly into Christmas day. it was a crazy, noisy, messy but FUN time! and now we're at 7 grandchildren! having 5 (6, if you want to be super technical...) at Grammy & Pap's house at one time is a big deal! 

from L>R, in the green jammies: L (he's 3). A (she'll be 2 in May. i made her a very special quilt; you can read about it here) C (5) E (also 5) T (he's 6 months old) M is holding baby T, but also pregnant with Baby S. (who was born in April) Daughter A is 15, and holding a niece and nephew on her lap. granddaughter L (now 3) lives in California now, so wasn't able to join us. 

as you can see, throughout the 31 years of Birthday Cakes for Jesus that are represented here, we've had many changes, some losses and lots of additions to our family. But one thing that can always remain consistent is those traditions that we hold dear, the extra effort we make to ensure that Christmas is celebrated in a memorable and meaningful way, and the memories we make with our family- those we love the most, and hold the closest in our hearts. 

Putting all those blocks to good use. Finally.

just like last week when I showed you all my completed 16 patches it's quite surprising how many 9 patches I have, too! enough to do 2 (TWO!) quilts, with more than a dozen blocks left over!

here's my first quilt from my 9 patch blocks. this one I plan to keep. what will I do with it, and where will I put it? I've no idea! (and don't worry: I took off all the row label stickers, AND fixed the green block)

now I'm auditioning borders. tell me what you think.

without borders, this quilt is about 75". in the picture above, I pinned up the Kona white to the design board, and *sort of* laid out a border. I was planning on doing a 2½" (finished) border, with scrappy squares all around, and then another 2½" (finished) border.

 

although, now that I look at it, I'm wondering if I should not just continue the colors out into the border, completing the patterns, so to speak.

 

tell me what you think...

here's the second quilt from my 9 patches. I'm absurdly thrilled and pleased with this one. not sure why, but I think it's really cool! the idea for the layout came from Cyndy, and is loosely (?) based on her offset log cabin layout. I figured if you could do it with log cabins, why not 9 patches? this will be a charity quilt, and the backing is red fabric with knots.

 

and just in case you're not firmly convinced that I'm truly the Captain of the Crazy Train, here's another Christmas quilt that's almost done. all scrappy 4 patches- a huge conglomeration of reds, greens, yellows and white. (and honest- this isn't a new project- I sketched it out in my journal way back in January! honest...)

 

also: in the spirit of full disclosure, I would like to point out that it was not on purpose that I forgot to tell you that this week we *might have* bought a spinning wheel, and are earnestly beginning the project of carding and spinning Helga's wool. (our Icelandic sheep) ahem.

 

 

I still (and always will) consider myself a quilter first, and farmer second, but both my little girls A and B have been wanting to learn how to spin. so: here we go! I've learned the rudimentary basics right along with them, and this will be a long term, on going project. in the meantime they, and our mouser cat Millie, are thrilled with our new "knitting nook"

just a little sneak peak for all my faithful readers. *ahem*

Modern Christmas Christmas

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December: Jesus in our heart and home

Happy Birthday, Jesus!

it's almost here- the day we remember that Jesus was born to die for our sins. what a profound thing to contemplate.

as you finish those last minute preparations, and wrap those last few gifts, enjoy your time with your family and friends!

November: Jesus in our heart and home

October: Jesus in our heart and home

i can't believe that the month has flown by so quickly, and it's time for another nativity! before you know it, the time will be upon me to brave the attic to bring down all the nativities in person!

this month's spotlight is a very simple white nativity from the dollar store. the thing that makes it very special to me is that the Holy Family were a gift from my 4 older children when they were much smaller. M, D, N and G each gave me a figurine: the Babe, Mary, Joseph and the shepherd. i later bought the 3 wise men to complete the set.

every Christmas season for many, many years, i have set up this nativity on top of our secretariat, and fondly remembered the thoughtful gifts that my young children gave me years ago.

that reminds me to remember the profound gift that God gave us in sending his only son at Christmas, so that He could die for us at Easter.

September: Jesus in our heart and home

this sparkly, sand mold nativity is ANOTHER one of my favorites. (are you seeing a re-occurring theme here?)

i like the simplicity of the figurines with the hint of mystery that the sparkles give.

Joseph had a small staff, and every December i promise myself that i will replace it.

maybe this will be the year!

August: Jesus in our heart and home

this simple clay nativity is one of my very favorites. it was made by a dear quilting friend, and i was fortunate enough to be the blessed recipient. (Jane even made me the little quilt to go with it!)

mary is a little worse for the wear, with a chipped veil and there is ketchup on the babe.


but that just goes to show that this is a treasured part of our holiday remembering.

July: Jesus in our heart and home

years ago, when the older children were small, i made this wooden nativity. i had seen one similar in a friends' house, and she was gracious enough to let me trace and copy the figurines.

this sturdy, chunky, child-friendly set is one of my favorites. it's the one that i reach for each Christmas as we re-tell the smallest children the wonderful story of Jesus.

June: Jesus in our heart and home

can i just say *for the 6th month in a row* that this handmade glass nativity is one of my favorites?

i acquired it through a determined bidding war on e-bay 7 or 8 years ago, and although it was not made for me, i treasure it just the same.

each piece was made by the same person, starting with the babe, Mary and Joseph. every several years, another component of the nativity was made, and then given, until the whole set was done.

i can't imagine what circumstances would precipitate giving up such a thoughtful gift, but I'm glad to have the chance to be the grateful owner of this very unique nativity.

May: Jesus in our heart and home

the kitchen is often a place that we can't decorate very much for the Christmas season. however, I'm happy to have this nativity plate, and put it on my counter to remind me of the miracle that we celabrate on Christmas morning.

April: Jesus in our heart and home

besides being one of my favorite nativities, this tiny Holy Family made of pewter reminds me of a dear friend who cared about me at a very difficult time in my life.

besides this thoughtful Christmas gift, she gave me the greater gift of her time, her friendship and constant encouragement, woven with understanding.

but most of all, she gave me the gift of listening.

and sometimes, that can be the greatest gift one friend can give another.

March: Jesus in our heart and home

this monochromatic clay nativity hails all the way from Mexico! my great uncle Eddie brought it back with him who knows when, and eventually my great aunts Mary and Olive passed it along to me.

this is my only nativity scene that has a chicken represented at the birth, and i can honestly say that this is one of my favorite nativities.

of course, with Easter just around the corner, most people are thinking of the completion of the Christmas story- Jesus dying for our sins, and rising from the dead.

however, A and B are still (almost daily) acting out the Christmas story. complete with head covering, baby Jesus and swaddling cloths, their little hearts are tender towards the baby Jesus who had no place to stay.

next week is holy week, and using the Resurrection Eggs, I'll begin the familiarize them with the rest of the story.

February: Jesus in our heart and home

i can't remember if I've ever mentioned this before, but i really like to quilt.

this nativity is one of my favorites. M gave it to me for Christmas a few years ago, and i usually display it somewhere so that all the detail of the quilts on the Holy Family can be truly appreciated.

January: Jesus in our hearts and home

it's hard to believe, but just one short month ago we were all in a flurry of preparations for Christmas. although the birthday of our Saviour has now come and gone, I want Jesus to be relevant in my daily life and activities.

it's not about "gearing up" for the holiday hub-bub, and then returning to life as normal. or, at least for me and my family, i want the worship and anticipation to continue.


our family (read: me) collects nativity scenes. all these this month are from my brother Josh and his wife Christina. (the wooden one even hails all the way from Greece. as in- they bought it there!)



every month, on the 23rd, I'll be posting another selection from our collection. just as a reminder to myself of what i want to remember every day; and what i want to teach my children above all other things:



that Jesus came at Christmas time, to die for our sins at Easter time. that every day i will serve Him and love Him. with all my heart, soul and strength.


join me in remembering.

frugal AND festive... and a quilt sale just to make it fun!

this year I've done alot of quilting. (check out the quilt gallery to see just how much!) before starting to cut any piece of fabric, i need to "square it up" using the rotary cutter. this leaves me with a piece of fabric that is 45" long and usually about ½" wide. I've been saving these pieces all year (thinking that i might colorfully tie up my tomato plants) and just this week i got a chance to use them.

i wrapped all our Christmas gifts in plain old newspaper, and then tied a piece of fabric festively around the present. some of the fabrics are a Christmas print, others are super bright, and some are just plain pretty. i love how the packages turned out so simply, with just a hint of color!

festive and frugal works for me!

we have a new family christmas tradition~ a jesse tree!

for several years now, I've been hearing about a Jesse Tree. finally, this year, we're on the ball enough to begin this thoughtful tradition with our own family, specifically the two little girls.

apparently, I'm a little slow on the uptake, as the Jesse Tree fever has been sweeping the bloggy world for quit a little while now. if you google "Jesse Tree" you'll get no fewer than 1 million results. 1 million!anyway, the premise behind the Jesse Tree is an advent preparation, tracing the spiritual family tree of Jesus Christ, retelling many of the bible stories that lead to Christ's birth.

each day, beginning with the first Sunday in advent, there is a brief devotional. we're using the book that can be found here. ( i will say, however, that this book is a bit young~ and brief, so as the girls get older we'll be switching to another, deeper devotional.) after G and i read the passage for the day out loud, i read the same story to the girls from their little study bible. (also found here.)

then we hang on the ornament that represents the story or person. so far, that is the biggest hit with the girls. (of course!)

i like that this "advent calendar" (of sorts) puts the whole focus on Jesus, and the reason that we celebrate. it's been a meaningful tradition for us so far, and although it's probably too late to start one for your family this year, there is always next year!

then you'll have lots of time to make wonderful ornaments! (unlike me, since I'm usually scrambling around at the last minute trying to make the days ornament!) your ornaments don't have to be fancy- there are lots of patterns to be found on line. here and here are some cute ones that can be simply made out of card stock, felt or foam. (scroll down to see the Jesse Tree patterns) if you want to see how another blogger made this tradition meaningful for her family with really cool ornaments, you should go visit Shannon at rocks in my dryer.

I'll update periodically and show you our ornaments. but meanwhile, make the time to celebrate meaningful traditions with your family as we prepare for Jesus' birthday!

it's time to prepare your heart and home for Jesus' birthday!

i know this is a day late, but I'm hoping that my good friend Martha will understand that i was a little bit busy chopping deer into little bits yesterday.

i think that if we start right now, we can probably catch up on this list~ i know that I'm going to really try!

MARTHA STEWART’S HOLIDAY CALENDAR:

December 1~Blanch carcass from Thanksgiving turkey. Spray paint gold, turn upside down and use as a sleigh to hold Christmas cards.

December 2~Have Mormon Tabernacle Choir record outgoing Christmas message for answering machine.

December 3~Using candlewick and hand gilded miniature pinecones, fashion cat-o-nine tails. Flog gardener.

December 4~Repaint Sistine Chapel ceiling in ecru, with mocha trim.

December 5~Get new eyeglasses. Grind lenses myself.

December 6~Fax family Christmas newsletter to Pulitzer committee for consideration.

December 7~Debug Windows XP.

December 8~Create snow sculpture replica of Bethlehem at the birth of Christ.

December 9~Align carpets to adjust for curvature of Earth.

December 10~Lay Faberge egg.

December 11~Erect ice skating rink in front yard using spring water I bottled myself. Open for neighborhood children’s use. Create festive mood by handmaking snow and playing my Christmas album.

December 12~Collect dentures. They make excellent pastry cutters, particularly for decorative pie crusts.

December 13~Install plumbing in gingerbread house.

December 14~Replace air in mini-van tires with Glade ‘holiday scents’ in case tires are shot out at mall.

December 15~Take dog apart. Disinfect. Reassemble.

December 16~Child proof the Christmas tree with garland of razor wire.

December 17~Outfit neighborhood rats with tiny antlers.

December 18~Adjust legs of chairs so each Christmas dinner guests will be same height when sitting at their assigned seats.

December 19~Dip sheep and cows in egg whites and roll in confectioner’s sugar to add a festive touch to the pasture.

December 20~Drain city reservoir; refill with mulled cider, orange slices, and cinnamon sticks.

December 21~Float votive candles in toilet.

December 22~Seed clouds for white Christmas.

December 23~Do my annual good deed. Go to several stores. Be seen engaged in last minute Christmas shopping, thus making many people feel less inadequate than they really are.

December 24~Bear son. Swaddle. Lay in color coordinated manger scented with homemade potpourri.

December 25~Alphabetize all the Christmas gifts for family and friends and cross-reference by color and size.

December 26~Write and mail Christmas thank-you notes. Order cards for next Christmas. Estimate number of cards needed by allowing for making new friends and actuarially appropriate death rates for current friends and relatives.

December 27~Organize spice racks by genus and phylum.

December 28~Build snowman in exact likeness of God.

December 29~Hand sew 365 quilts, each using 365 material squares I weaved myself used to represent the 365 days of the year. Donate to local orphanages.

December 30~Release flock of white doves, each individually decorated with olive branches, to signify desire of world peace.

December 31New Year’s Eve! Give staff their resolutions. Call a friend in each time zone of the world as the clock strikes midnight in that time zone.

it's a sneak preview for all my favorite readers!

I've been working very hard getting some special stuff ready in preparation for a giveaway that I'll be participating in at Kristen's blog.

on November 10th, she'll be hosting her weekly giveaway, and that week it will be a set of scrappy his~n~hers Christmas stockings that i made.

how cool is that?

but if you don't want to wait until then, or if, perchance, you don't win the giveaway... you can still get yourself (and your brood) your very own stockings. you can go see them here.

another thing that i was feverishly working on all last week was: QUILTS! i had an opportunity to exhibit some quilts in a local fall festival. while i was disappointed to not sell any quilts, i was able to spend more time than usual quilting. and what can be so bad about that?

in conjunction with the giveaway, i wanted to post an on-line quilt gallery for people to see what I've made, and (hopefully) purchase some of my quilts. i anticipate an increase in bloggy traffic after the 10th, so i want to have everything spiffy and ship shape for all my visitors.

the gallery is not quite done yet, but there's lots of pictures (and inspiration), so head on over and take a looky~see!

just in time for Christmas!

i know that Christmas is over, but remember, it's coming back again next year! i still have several sets of stockings left and they are available for purchase.

just e-mail me at djcap at frontiernet dot net

Christmas is just around the corner, and before you know it many of us will be scrambling for those last minute gifts!

this set of his~n~hers scrappy Christmas stockings are 100% cotton, and measure approximately 9" x 20". crafted in muted, country colors with a machine quilting stitch that looks like it's done by hand, these delightful Christmas stockings are sure to please anybody on your list~ so order now, as i will only be able to fill a limited number of orders.



each set of stockings sells for $46, postage paid. (two sets mailed to the same address will receive a $6 discount for the second ordered, bringing the total to $86. Orders of 3 or more sets will be charged a $10 shipping fee, plus the cost of the stockings. ) contact me at djcap8@frontiernet.net to place your order. i will mail anywhere in the continental US, and you'll receive your own set of stockings in plenty of time to get them hung on YOUR mantle in anticipation of the blessed event that we celebrate on Christmas morning!