mandy inchaustegui

Now that the kids are getting a little older, I’m really working on creating more traditions for our family. I try to be really intentional about it because if it’s going to be something that we do year after year, it better be good. I don’t want to get stuck with some “tradition” I hate in a few years or that is a huge amount of work for me. They need to be simple, meaningful and enjoyable. Gradually, we are getting some!

Our one main Christmas tradition happens on Christmas morning. Before we start opening gifts, we sit down and eat breakfast together. While we eat, we open two presents from God. In one, is the baby Jesus from our nativity scene. In the other, is a cross that’s made from wood from Bethlehem. Each of the boys opens one of the gifts and we talk about the gift of Jesus and His gift of grace.

Then, we each give a gift that we’ve prepared ahead of time that we want to give to Jesus that next year. The youngest goes first. This is the Inchaustegui list for Christmas 2011!

Elijah: a ball. “Because Jesus loves me and wants to play with me.”

Xander: a drawing representing his imagination. “Because He gave it to me so I want to give it back to Him.”

Anthony: a Hulk action figure. “I give Jesus my anger and tendency to lose my temper.”

Me: a paper symbolizing my writing. “I give Jesus my time, ideas and focus to write and to risk sharing it with others.”

I love talking about what each of us are giving Jesus and why. I am always inspired by what my kids choose. Elijah reminded me that Jesus loves me and wants to play more with me, too. Xander reminded me that He also gave me an imagination for me to create things of beauty and truth. We learn about each other and are able to support and encourage each other in the bringing of our gifts to the One whose birth we are celebrating.

I’m not the best at saving stuff or writing things down. (Hopefully, my kids won’t think they’ve been neglected because they don’t have baby books.) But I am saving our cards and gifts to Jesus through the years, packed away with our Christmas decorations. This is one tradition I think we want to keep!