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Families have all sorts of traditions at Christmastime.
They are the things that bring comfort and familiarity and
memories into our lives. We all need this and in our
roughest days we cling to them. One of ours began on a
Christmas eve 7 years ago, when my daughter was 3.
We had gone to a candlelight service. They had passed out
candles. My daughter was so fascinated by them and we
helped her hold hers when she got lit. After church
everyone was filing out and dropping their candles back in
the box. When it came time for Annie to put hers in, she
looked at me with her big brown eyes and asked if she could
take it home. And so we did.
When we got home, she walked into the house. She walked
straight to the manger and laid the candle ever so quietly
and gently next to baby Jesus. My husband and I just stood
in awe of this little child giving a very special little
baby this gift of love. Even at her young age, she
understood how important this baby would become.
I had bought a cake to celebrate the birth of Jesus. And so
this year, a very special candle went on the cake. That
began one of my most loved traditions. Every year we go to
the candlelight service and bring a candle home. This is
the candle that goes on the birthday cake.
Annie helps me bake it every year now. She is the one who
gets to put the candle in, keeping the tradition she started
for us.
Puppy Wolf
leenja @ yahoo.com |
