the Wallace Family Christmas Traditions

The Wallace family has the best family traditions, but then again, I'm biased.
I'm going to let the few who read this blog in on a few family secrets that makes my holidays great.
Merry Memory #1 on my list- every Christmas, when I was younger, my dad used to pack the family up in our white station wagon, my mom would pack up thermoses of hot cocoa (with big marshmellows on top) , and my sister and I would grab our mugs, and we were off! My sister and I sat in the "way back" (the most awesome part of a station wagon is that the way back faces the opposite way towards the street) and we would sit backward, in our pajamas and sip our hot cocoa as we drove around Hanahan looking at Christmas lights. One particular memory is, my dad would drive us to Yeaman's Hall, and we would pass by this house that had a santa's backside sticking out the second-story window. At the end of this street, there is a roundabout, and dad would drive around this til we were dizzy! (8 times!)
Merry Memory #2- sucking lemons with a candy cane. This one is an art: Refrigerate lemons, take out and roll around to get the juices flowing. Take a knife and cut a hole at the top, and insert the candy cane. The most important thing is to get Bob's soft candy sticks. They have to be the straight candycane sticks, and soft. This lets the candycane dissolve in the lemon. Bite off the ends of the canes, and stick in the lemon. Then suck! Delicious :)
MerryMemory #3- Christmas Eve- we would go to the church's Christmas Eve service. this was my favorite time of year. One service where children got to take communion and, yes light candles! Oh to gaze into that flame as a child. Of course, I was the good kid. I sat silently while my brother and sister ran their finger in and out of the flame, and catching the wax as it rolled down the candle. Every Christmas Eve night, we got to open one present of our choice, usually one from an aunt or uncle, and sleep and until Christmas morning.
Merry Memory #4- Christmas morning, Rachel, Stephen, and I would wake up early, (as does every child), and go wake up our parents. They would say "it's a special day off, let's sleep in." So we would wait in the livingroom an hour, and then wake them up. When they woke up, my dad would read us the Christmas story. We would sit through the Christmas Story, trying to be the good Christian kids we were, and wait patiently. Unfortunately, our minds would wander to where the presents sat under the tree. Oh we would plead, and the more we pleaded, the longer daddy's story got. Finally, at the end of the story, we would take communion, and open our presents.
Merry Memory #5- Christmas movies! My all-time favorite is "It's a Wonderful Life". Nothing can top Frank Capra's thought provoking tale of George Bailey. (I've memorized the whole movie) My second favorite, "A White Christmas", let's just say I have a thing for old movies.
And the classics we watched every Christmas- "A Christmas Story", "Jingle All the Way", "the Santa Claus", and "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation". (Nothing can beat when the old aunt brings her cat wrapped in a box, and starts saying the pledge during grace.
My new-found favorite this year: Christmas in Connecticut.
Finally, the most important,
Merry Memory #6- My parents never failed to bring us the true meaning of Christmas. We never celebrated Santa Clause, and were possibly the only children who didn't believe in him. I was the only 6 year old telling the other kids, "Santa Claus isn't real!" But I am so thankful for that, and never took for granted that my parents taught us the true meaning of Christmas. My parents have incorporated Jesus and and the Bible through every aspect of my life.

So as you sit with your family Christmas Day, reminisce of the good ole' days and think of new traditions you can pass along to your kids. Because someday they will be sitting and writing their memoirs for everyone to read.

random start

So tonite was the awards banquet for my Civil Air Patrol Squadron. I love being patriotic, but at times I wonder why I even joined. Do you know how weird it feels to be the only girl while marching in combat boots at 35 degrees? While it can be uncomfortable at times, it reminds me of how we can be witnesses wherever we go. Whatever their reason, there are 20 students that meet for 2 hrs. every week to learn how they can serve their country better. But just imagine, what these people could do if they had the heart of God leading them in this service. I can only hope that they do not do this out of selfish ambition, but whatever their reason, I feel proud to serve next to them, even if it is just for practice. So as I finish out my year, marching, saluting, and who knows what else, this will certainly be an experience I will never forget; Being adventurous just gets you into awkward positions sometimes.