Almost every family has some holiday traditions.
I remember as a youngster going out driving to see Christmas lights. We grew up in a rural area, so this was no small venture- we often drove into a nearby town, just so the houses would be more condensed and we had a better chance of actually seeing some lights. I also remember that, each year, my sister and I would exchange our presents on Christmas Eve. Then there was the plywood Christmas tree cutout that my dad had made, which we hung on the bedroom door and decorated each year. Even further back, I remember being in a Christmas play at the Lutheran church we attended, and not being able to sing Silent Night without choking up. Even then, the songs of Christmas got to me.
As a father myself, we have started some traditions of our own. There are the lights, of course. We also enjoy driving around to the local displays and visiting Longview Lake’s display each year. We have a daily advent calendar that my mother made for us, and we couple that with reading and discussion of the Christmas story. The kids decorate our main Christmas tree with their Hallmark ornaments- each child gets to pick out a new one each season, which we purchase and hang the next year. That tree also gets the ornaments that my mother makes for the kids annually. It is a fun, colorful tree. My wife and I (mostly her) also do a ‘pretty’ tree, with ribbon and more classic decorations. The lights start running Thanksgiving night, and Christmas music plays for much of the season.
Something I have just found out in the last couple of years, is that my wife’s grandfather did a large Christmas display, well before they were common or popular. I had heard snippets and bits about it, but that was about it. Recently, however, I have come into possession of a video of his display from some time in the 1960’s. Much of his display was hand built. It included not only lights, but also a life-size nativity scene, Santa and his sleigh (with reindeer) on the roof, a singing snowmen cutout, and the really unusual part- an animated snowman playing a pipe organ! None of these items could be picked up at your local big box store, so his creativity and ability really came through. I have a newspaper clipping from the era, showing that he won a decorating contest put on by the local newspaper.
Though I started my lighting hobby before I knew the full extent of his display history, I would like to think it has become a part of the tradition of our family. I hope that my kids will not lose the fascination and joy of Christmas, and will follow the examples set generationally by sharing it with others.
Here is a video of Charles Spendal’s Christmas display:
