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Our family’s first Christmas traditions were borrowed from my husband’s childhood, lending familiarity and nostalgia to our home. Years later we have begun to embrace occasions to create something new among the borrowed.

We begin with the old, each year gently unpacking my husband’s collection of nutcrackers. Brightly colored, wooden forms stand sentry near the tree. A wooden advent and two smokers rest among them; each item quietly acknowledging a piece of my husband’s heritage and youth.

Our once calm tree, dusted in a blanket of tranquil white lights is now a kaleidoscope of color. The brilliance and whimsy of the lights a celebration of our children’s effervescent joy. The train circling beneath the boughs something from our earliest Christmas as a family; small signs of wear from clumsy toddler fists and little scratches stirring memories of a family pet no longer with us nestle shared memories like forgotten gifts beneath the tree.

European glass ornaments rest among handmade mementos marking the passing of time. This year my daughter stood beside me gently unpacking our decorations, pausing to marvel at the beauty of each item. I filled the seconds between discoveries sharing brief stories about the origin of each ornament as we placed them on the tree.

Tomorrow evening my children will set out their boots for St. Nicholas, a tradition of their father’s childhood. Then they will wake in search of the Elf on the Shelf, a new tradition gifted from my mother sharing in our holidays across the miles. Most recently, in the hope of celebrating our blessings and to center our spirits in a place of gratitude, I shared a new book with both children while we decorated our tree. In the pages of an old story, we found a gentle reminder that our greatest gifts are free. To share in our something new, look between the pages of Ed Mehler’s lovely holiday story The Scrawny Little Tree.

Borrowed and new the season is filled with happy memories and new celebrations as we share the company of loved ones gathered by the light of the tree.

Tagged: Christmas, Traditions