Celebrating Christmas

Christmas at the Wallace home was full of both old and new traditions, lots of fun, and a few tears.

The old...

Ice skating on Christmas Eve

The new...

Two Wallaces getting injured ice skating. But no ER run, so all is good.

The old...

Making a gingerbread house

The new...

David eating the icing

The old...

Celebrating with family and friends and exchanging gifts

The new...

Getting to see my best friend and her family

Another new was gluten, dairy, and egg-free holiday eating. Let's just say it was an adventure. But another one of my bestest friends made me a very cool gift basket with yummy cookies I could eat and some hot chocolate. Talk about a thoughtful gift!

We also received a very cool Australian gift from a dear friend Down Under. I'm forever in awe at the thoughtfulness of the people I hold dear.

The old...

Spending Christmas morning in PJs and taking all morning to enjoy the Advent wreath, a special breakfast casserole with whipped cream, and then exchanging gifts with each other. One of my favorite memories is the look on each of my daughters' faces as they open gifts and their eyes light and their mouths drop. Then they crash into David and me with hugs.

My middle princess summed it up in a prayer that day. She thanked God for the thoughtful gifts of her family that remind her of how much Jesus gave us when he came as a baby, died on a cross and rose again.

The new...

Baking a birthday cake for Jesus and singing to Him. This was a new addition to our Christmas day thanks to our middle daughter who at eight is still kid enough to enjoy this but wise enough to realize it's a fun way to remember it's not about the gifts we give, it's about Jesus and the gift He gave.

The old...

The day after Christmas has always been a down sort of day. It's as if we touched heaven with all the joys and celebration the singing and sharing of December but then we crash back to earth when it's all over.

The new...

Something clicked for me when David and I talked on Friday and looked back over the holidays. I realized that no matter how hard we try to make things "perfect" and no matter how close we get to it, this is not the end of the story.

One day there will be no more day after Christmases.

And until then, we're looking forward to a new tradition and praying about how to carry it out. We'd love your help in that.

We've talked a lot in years past about how to give to others who can't repay us. Operation Christmas Child, singing in nursing homes, Angel Tree and others are awesome ways to do that.

But we'd like to do something a little closer to home and something our children can participate in more directly.

The problem is, I honestly have no idea how or what to do. And I'd love to hear your experiences and thoughts about this. Maybe together we can come up with ways we can give love to others at Christmas and all throughout the new year.