December 5, 2012–What Makes Christmas Special for Me & my Family?

Fern Michonski / Fern’s Music

Pre-School Music Education Expert:  The Children’s Advocate for Love and Kindness, Inspiring Creativity and Joy.

December 5^th, 2012—What Makes Christmas Special for Me & my Family? 

A fellow blogger, Lanaya, http://raising-reagan.com/2012/11/29/tag-youre-it-christmas-style/ , had a marvelous idea to reach out to other bloggers to find out how they celebrate Christmas. She created a list of questions and asked us to share our traditions.  I was delighted with this idea since Christmas is my favorite holiday! Here are my responses to her questions.

1. What makes Christmas such a special holiday for you and your family? Christmas has always been a part of my family since childhood. The biggest deal for me is celebrating Jesus’ birthday. We all typically put on big birthday parties for the people we love, so I figure Jesus birthday party should be magnificent!  Therefore, I go all out with decorations at Christmas. My husband watches me decorate for days, beginning on the day after Thanksgiving. I put candles in the windows, angels, deer and snowmen on the lawn, little lights up the stair railing, lights in all of my artificial plants, decorations on the mantel, wreaths, stockings, etc. My absolute favorite moment of the year is going to church to celebrate Christmas with my entire family. It is a joyous time filled with music, love and anticipation.
2. Were you told the truth about Santa Claus by your parents or did you find out another way?  And..do you plan on lying to your kids (if you have them or plan on having them?) Santa Claus was definitely part of my childhood. I was so excited about Santa it was amazing! I can vividly recall lying in my bed at night listening intently to see if I could hear Santa’s reindeer when their hooves touched my rooftop! To this day I was certain I DID! When I was in second grade, (about 7 years old), I asked my Mom if there really was a Santa? I totally remember saying to her, “Mom, you must tell me, because someday I will be a Mommy and I want to be sure and put presents out for my kids if YOU are Santa. Otherwise I will let Santa do it himself.”  My Mom’s response was perfect.  She told me, “Yes, Fern, Santa is real–because Santa is love. You cannot see love, you cannot touch it, but you can feel it in your heart.  Yes, I am the one who puts out the gifts from Santa, but those gifts are full of love from me just like the love that was shared from the original St. Nicholas years ago.” Her answer did not disappoint me nor did it make me feel like my Mom was a liar. Her answer was the truth and I was happy to pass that love and excitement on to my kids.  I told my children when they asked me if Santa was “real.” I figured if they were old enough to ask me that question, they were ready for the answer. They were not disappointed either.
3. Real tree or Fake tree? I have always had a real Christmas tree.  It was our family tradition to go out to the local tree farm and pick out our tree.  I love the smell of a real tree. We always choose a Frazier Fir because the needles remain on the tree for quite a while and by choosing our tree at the local tree farm, we get to cut it down ourselves, ensuring that it is fresh. The tree farm puts the tree on a shaker machine right after it is cut that shakes out any loose needles.  As a result, my living room really isn’t full of needles.
4. Do you open presents on Christmas morning, Christmas Eve or both? Our tradition is to open one present on Christmas Eve and then save all the rest of the presents to open on Christmas Day. When I was little my Mom made us open one present an hour so it lasted all day long!  I continue doing that today. We all sit together around the tree and gifts are passed out one at a time from youngest to oldest. We all watch as each person opens their gift.
5. What is your favorite Christmas movie to watch? Favorite Christmas song?  I have a lot of favorite Christmas movies, so it’s hard to pick just one. As a child I liked “Rudolf”. Today my favorite is “The Grinch” starring Jim Carrey. My favorite Christmas song is “The Christmas Song”(Chestnuts Roasting By An Open Fire), sung by Nat King Cole. However, I have to share a touching moment for me. After I finished performing a Christmas Concert for a group of preschool children, a father walked up to me and said, “Fern, I just want to tell you, move over Nat King Cole and Bing Crosby—for me, it just isn’t Christmas unless I am listening to your CD, “Kids! Christmas! Fern!”  Thank you so much for being part of my families Christmas every year.  He touched my heart and made my day!

         MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!