Christmas Traditions

Family traditions are important to everyone, especially the team at Isenhour Homes.   Some are experiences or actions that are passed down from generation to generation while others are created with a new marriage or family.  These traditions can provide families with a sense of security and unity.  They can inspire memories so families can reminisce.  They create a special bonding experience shaping the lives of all involved and sowing memories to last a lifetime.

Traditions are not family routines which occur repeatedly.  Traditions are special activities that only occur once a year.  Moments that are cherished, remembered, and longed for in the upcoming year.

Here are some Christmas traditions from some of our team members.

• Every Christmas Eve, we gather with our family.  Each year, we take turns reading the Christmas story from the Bible found in the chapter of Luke.  I love to hear the Christmas story, but it is even more wonderful to hear it read by each generation.
• My absolute favorite day of the year is Christmas Eve. It’s very meaningful to me for several reasons all involving my church and my family.  We (my wife, daughter, and I) are Moravian and a very important event in the Moravian church is the Christmas Eve candlelight love feast services, a tradition that dates back hundreds of years. We have served as deniers serving coffee, buns and red trimmed candles for our 3 services for the last 15 years and my daughter for the last couple of years. They are very powerful services and each year when I’m asked to serve, I insist on serving all 3 services which means a very long day with us being there from 9am to 9:30pm. Spending the entire Christmas Eve with my immediate family, my extended family and my church family is a tradition I never plan on missing. Unfortunately, this year we will not be able to meet in person due to the virus, but the service will be a taped version and love feast in a box will be distributed to all members to carry on the tradition at home. Kind of sad but this will soon pass, and we will continue the in-person tradition next year no doubt.
• I let everyone pick one present from under the tree on Christmas Eve and open it.  Their choice….big or small. 
• When I were first married, my wife and I carried on a tradition that I had growing up of eating a formal candle lit meal the night of Christmas Eve.  The meal and the night became more and more hectic as we added more and more kids.  One year there was a final breaking point; I came home to find my wife and all the kids in tears.  We decided to alter the tradition and so that year and every year since we have had takeout pizza for dinner (Mellow Mushroom).  We still dress up and eat under candlelight but removing the stress of the meal prep and clean up makes the night a lot more enjoyable.   
• Each year for Christmas with my in-laws, we all (kiddos included) get all dressed up for dinner.  We typically do a full on spread, very much like Thanksgiving.  Before we eat, we all hold hands and recite the Moravian prayer.  After dinner we all change into our PJs, and then we open presents.  
• With my parents, the last 5+ years, we have all dressed as a theme.  The very first Christmas we did ugly sweaters.  Last year we did matching PJs; of course I was rocking an adult onesie! HA!  The best of all was two years ago when we dressed up like National Lampoons Christmas Vacation.  I finally got to rock my Cousin Eddie outfit!  I even had the Wally World glass mug.  Needless to say our faces hurt from laughing non-stop!
• Every year, my Daddy and I would go up on the land behind our house and cut down a cedar tree for our Christmas Tree.  I always thoroughly enjoyed doing that with my Daddy.  He would let me pick the tree out, and he’d cut it down.  One year my mother stood inside our house at the glass sliding doors and watched me and Daddy go through the back yard to get a tree.  It was snowing and she said it reminded her of a post card….The snow falling, Daddy with the ax over his shoulder, and me following along.
• My family always went to my Aunt’s house on Christmas Eve to have Christmas supper and open gifts with my Aunt and Grandmother.  We always had ham, tenderloin and sausage biscuits, potato salad, and all kinds of Christmas goodies....including the coconut layer cake that my Aunt made.  She would always put a piece of real holly with berries on top.  Santa always came on Christmas morning.  We’d get up and run into the living room to see what Santa left, and then we’d have a big breakfast.  Precious memories!  Good times!!

Whatever your holiday tradition is, we hope that you enjoy spending time with your family and reflect on what is really important to you.

                                               Merry Christmas!!!