Christmas Thoughts

I've been thinking about Christmas traditions and how much I love them. Looking back I remember our traditions, but I don't remember most of the gifts I received. We never had a huge Christmas with numerous presents. We always, ALWAYS Christms Eve went to my Uncle Don and Aunt Sue's beautiful home with all the cousins and Grandma and Grandpa Stafford. Grandma and Grandpa would give each child $25 and the mom's would buy and wrap the presents and bring them that night and then one of the uncles would dress up as Santa and bring those presents to us. We each got a chance to sit on Santa's lap. We sang Christmas carols and most of the time ended up having a family testimony meeting after. I loved that. I love those memories.
Christmas day, without fail (unless Christmas was on a Sunday) we'd end up at the gym playing basketball. I remember some heated games with a few of the cousins. Mike had a temper!! I wonder if he remembers that differently.

I've been going over in my head the traditions that my little family has wondering if they are making last memories for my children. That is important to me.

I've also been thinking alot about the gifts that we give. I am in charge of the small program for our enrichment and found some stories to share from the First Presidency Christmas devotional a few years ago. So if your in my ward don't read this!! Or else you'll hear it twice. This story was told by President Monson:

During the Great Depression, a man criticized his three-year-old daughter for wasting a roll of expensive gold foil wrapping paper. Money was scarce, and he became upset when the child tried to decorate a box to put under the Christmas tree. Nevertheless, the little girl brought the gift to her father Christmas morning and said, "This is for you, Daddy." He was embarrassed by his earlier overreaction, but then, when he found the box was empty, he chided, "Don't you know that when you give someone a present, there's supposed to be something inside it?" The little girl looked up at him with tears in her eyes and said, "Daddy, it's not empty. I blew kisses into the box. All for you, Daddy." The father was crushed. He put his arms around his little girl, and he begged her forgiveness. It was said that the man kept that gold box by his bed for years. Whenever he was discouraged, he would open the box and remove an imaginary kiss and remember the love of the innocent little girl who had put it there.

Then President Monson closed by saying:
"It is well to remember that he who gives money gives much; he who gives time gives more; but he who gives of himself gives all. Let this be a description of our Christmas gifts, I pray humbly, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen."

Make's me think that my gifts should be more thoughtful and less expensive.