TRADITIONS

Traditions are so important to who we are. It can come in smells, sounds, tastes, photos, or even stories told. Whatever your memory of them, traditions are what makes us individuals. They are what make us continue to exist.

It occurred to me how much of an importance rests on the traditions of our lives because when the details of those events are changed they are no longer the same traditions and we are no longer the same people. Once the details are changed a new tradition is born and as much as those new traditions have their own importance and their new set of memories so do the old ones then become the stories of the past are told at the new traditions. I guess that’s what makes memories but it made me a little sad inside to think of the traditions that have come to an end.

So let me share some of our holiday traditions with you all. Every Christmas we have an annual Christmas Party where we gather with friends at our house to share in a wonderful evening of food and fun. Santa always stops by and drops of a sack of present for the kids too!! This evening is one I always look forward too.

Then we have our own family Christmas Eve tradition where we open one gift that we got for each other. This is always a nice start to calm the kids down before we put out the carrots and cookies for Santa.

Then we have our Keller Family Christmas where we get together with Pauls’ family and exchange presents and eat! We take turns going to each others houses and this year we were in State College at Paul’s brothers house- Uncle John and Aunt Shelley's. We had a wonderful day watching the kids play and just spending time with each other. We even got to enjoy a snow ball fight!! Of course we ate too much but I think that is part of the tradition too!

One tradition that was put on hold this year was our annual gathering with the Grabill family. We always get together on an evening before Christmas so we can exchange our Christmas gifts with one another. This year we will do this tradition a little later because we are not having Christmas without Kylee. Some traditions are not made to change. Christmas with the Grabill’s is not Christmas without Kylee. It’s just a day and we can choose any day to all be together. So once Kylee comes home we will gather together to exchange our gifts and give thanks to God for the healing of Kylee.


Keller Christmas Party 2008

Hayden seems to be having a good time. The boys played DDR and the girls watched!

We had a very fun evening of good food and good friends.