Written by Rowonna McNeely – Christmas is fast approaching and I have not finished my Christmas shopping. In fact, we currently have two wrapped gifts under the tree. Well, we did have three but I gave Aaron his tennis shoes early. I do have other gifts but I haven’t had a chance to wrap them yet.
This time of year is so busy. We always have something going on. Shopping, Christmas parties, school programs… But, honestly, I enjoy it.
Last week as Aaron and I were on the way to work, I rattled off our schedule. He raised an eyebrow at me and said, “Please write it on a calendar for me.”
Our family has several traditions that we follow this time of year. For instance, sometime in the next week, we will load up with a thermos of hot chocolate to drive around and look at Christmas lights.
On Christmas Eve, we will bake cookies to leave out for Santa. We have done this with Kiera since she was old enough to pour in the sprinkles. And trust me. The first year… those cookies had plenty of sprinkles.
Another tradition, we have is ringing the bell for the Salvation Army. Kiera looks forward to it every year. She and I sing Christmas carols and greet people as they walk by.
It’s important to us that Kiera learns the spirit of giving. This year, I made sure and took her as I shopped for the Toys for Kids drive. She struggled at first, just like any normal child would. She wanted to buy something for herself. We stopped and I explained about children who may be less fortunate.
After we talked for a few minutes, she strode through the toy aisles with purpose, searching for the perfect toys to donate for the toy drive.
Our newest tradition is one that we started last year. It’s one that is close to my heart. We sign, decorate and mail out Christmas cards to soldiers that are in the hospital.
Last year, I saw a post about sending Christmas cards to our military. I checked into it and found that the address was no longer able to accept Christmas cards. I thought long and hard about where Kiera and I could send cards and finally settled on some place that is far from Texas. Just for the fun of sending mail outside of Texas.
I did a little research and we settled on an Army Medical Center in Hawaii. After contacting them and verifying that it was not an issue to send cards, we got to work.
We bought Christmas cards and Kiera requested Frozen stickers to place in the cards. Last year, we sent around 25 cards.
This year, we are shooting for a little more. It’s amazing to watch my little girl sign her name to cards over and over again. Sometimes, she draws hearts or writes the word love. She places the stickers that she chooses just so in the cards.
There are rules to the placement of stickers. I learned that on Monday night. Kiera and I were set up in the living room, working on the cards. She was falling a little behind in her opinion and asked if I would help put stickers in the cards. I readily agreed and very naively placed a Christmas tree sticker in the card at an angle.
“Your tree is crooked.” Kiera pointed out as she signed her name to another card. “Those are supposed to be straight.”
I replied with a simple, “Oh.” I continued with my sticker placement and managed to put three more stickers on the card before another rule was brought to my attention.
“If you put the reindeer on the card, you have to slant them where they are going up or going down. You want to make them look like they are flying.” She explained, closing a card and placing it in a pile.
It’s tempting to add a note with each card, making sure they appreciate the straightness of the Christmas tree or the angle of the reindeer, but I will refrain.
It’s important to us to use these new traditions to build a foundation to show Kiera what Christmas is all about; the “magic” of Santa Claus, the “gift” of giving and most importantly the ”reason” for the season.
Thank you for sharing in our weekly journeys. If you have missed any of our past stories, check out our new blog page at www.lifea2k.net or drop us a line at lifea2k@yahoo.com.
Rowonna McNeely
Graphic Designer - Mommy to Kiera
Rowonna McNeely works with her husband, Aaron, at Willie’s T’s in the Art Department, regularly volunteers in the community, and has her hands full with her daughter, Kiera, along with two dogs and one cat.
Rowonna is a graduate of May High School (Go Tigers!) and grew up on a dairy farm. She enjoys reading, creating, swimming, and planning events. She’s also a bit of a klutz.
