Each pastor (or in this case “pastor in process”) was asked to spend some time reflecting on what makes Christmas Unique in their homes, or what their favorite holiday traditions are. Paul Gordon is in the process of becoming an elder/pastor at Terra Nova in the area of Stewardship. 

Ah, Christmas time – the time of year when holiday traditions can stuff the December calendar before we can down one glass of Stewart’s eggnog – a tradition in itself!  In the 4 holiday’s that Nicole and I have shared, it has become apparent that we love holiday traditions!  Some of these have carried down from our families and some we have developed ourselves.  So when asked to blog about a holiday tradition of ours – the task quickly became choosing which one.  Would it be that our tree is decorated with ornaments from vacations and as we decorate the tree we reminisce about past trips?  Or, perhaps that we get our Christmas trees from Bailey’s Tree Farm in Cambridge, NY every year?  The again, maybe we should blog about our annual tradition of naming our Christmas trees (rest in peace Dougie, Bedhead, and Jafar).  But there is one tradition that was a result of our hard transition from spending Christmas with our families to spending Christmas by ourselves. 

Our first Christmas together was a difficult one because we were unable to spend it with our families.  To compensate, I was trying to recreate my family environment and Nicole was trying to recreate hers.  Not surprisingly, this led to some inevitable bumps– to the point that Christmas Eve wasn’t so jolly. 

As the Eve rolled on, TBS began its annual 24-hour marathon of the best Christmas movie ever made – A Christmas Story.  With a lack of sleep and anything better to do, we watched Ralphie shot his eye out at least 4 times over with his “official Red Ryder carbine-action two-hundred-shot range model BB Gun with a compass in the stock, and this thing which tells time.” 

At about 5 A.M. after several hours of laughing at Randy the slug, and Scut the bully, we realized that for the rest of our lives – we were each others’ family.  And while we began to open stocking candy early that morning – we also resolved to watch A Christmas Story every Christmas Eve…a tradition that continues.

“Only one thing in the world could’ve dragged me away from the soft glow of electric sex gleaming in the window.” -said by the father in the movie The Christmas Story in reference to the infamous leg lamp.