Silent Night

For years, I have loved the hymn "Silent Night" above all other Christmas songs.  Don't get me wrong, there are many songs out there that move me, give me chills or get me in the holiday spirit.  But something about "Silent Night" has always been special.

This past Sunday, we sang it as a congregation for the closing hymn at church.  I had noticed at the beginning of the meeting that people were not really singing or if they were, not with much enthusiasm or volume even though were were singing an upbeat Christmas hymn.

But for the closing hymn, I observed a phenomenon that I have noticed many times over the years.  When we sang "Silent Night" there were many more singing and while the volume hadn't changed drastically, the mood had.  There was a reverence in the tone of the singing.  There is a magic in that hymn that seems to touch the heartstrings of those who sing it.  I tried my best to keep from getting choked up, but by the third verse, the tears were flowing freely.  I've never been an overly emotional person.  Whether it's the post-baby hormones or not, that song always strikes a chord for me.  It makes me visualize the birth of our Savior.  I see Mary cradling her Son, much like the photo (also one of my favorites) in this post.  "Silent Night, Holy Night, Son of God, Love's Pure Light."

Now where does the tradition come in?  Hearing this song and being so far from family reminded me of a tradition I learned about years ago.  One family I know who has many adult traditions has one that I thought was a great one.  In this day and age, people don't always live close to family.  So this mother started a tradition that is simple and meaningful to her family.  At 8 pm (in whatever time zone the mother lives in) the children stop wherever they are and whatever time it is for them for a few minutes to sing "Silent Night" as a family.  That way, in those moments, the family knows that they are all united together in their hearts.  

What a simple, inexpensive but touching tradition!

Easter is quickly approaching!

Easter is a great time of year.  Flowers are blooming, kids are anticipating a week off of school, and guess who's coming to town?  The Easter Bunny, of course. 

So how do you celebrate the joys of the basket full of goodies and the bunny's return without taking away from the spirit of the real reason for celebrating Easter?  EASY!  You have two different celebrations.

Growing up, my parents had made a deal with the Easter Bunny.  He was very respectful of the fact that we were LDS and that Easter Sunday was supposed to be spent with family and close friends as well as attending our Sunday worship to honor the Resurrection of the Savior.  So that we wouldn't miss out on the secular fun, he came to our house late Friday night/early Saturday morning.  We would take our empty Easter baskets and set them by the front door and head to bed.  (The Easter Bunny was of the same school of thought as Santa...he only came when you were fast asleep!).  Then on Saturday morning we would come down the stairs and the baskets were gone!  Mr. E. Bunny would take them, fill them with fun things like candy and little gifts and then hide them somewhere around the house.  It was our job to seek them out.  If we found the other siblings basket, we were not to tell.  They had to find it themselves.  Mr. E. Bunny put the eggs in our basket and we would dump the candy out and take turns hiding them all over the house or backyard.

At lunch, we would meet a couple other families at a nearby park for a BYOP (bring your own picnic) lunch and more Easter egg hunting.  Some of the parents would take us to the playground while the other parents hid the eggs.  That was a fun thing to do, especially since there were a lot of kids running around (at home it was just my younger brother and I).

Then on Sunday, we attended our church meetings as usual.  Easter Sunday services usually had a special musical program that brought an extra special spirit.  We would then come home and enjoy our traditional ham dinner.  With crescent rolls, of course!  Ending the day with a nice dinner was always a great wrap up to a fun, and fulfilling weekend.

A few years ago I came across an activity called Resurrection Easter Eggs that I have made a tradition each year with whatever Seminary or Sunday School class that I've had.  I will try to attach a copy of the activity.  It's basically a dozen plastic Easter eggs, each with a different symbol of the Garden of Gethsemane, Crucifixion and Resurrection inside with a brief summary of the symbol.  It's a great way to teach younger kids and bring the attention back to the Savior, especially on that Sunday.

So Easter was always a great holiday in my eyes.  Would love to hear any other ideas people have for Easter traditions!