Renee Chou: Making Christmas traditions, celebrating together

Second to the month of May (my daughter’s birthday month), December is my favorite time of year. Christmas is always special and magical, but even more so with Elsa.

Four years ago, we had a special present under the tree. It contained the ultrasound result that revealed the gender of the baby we were expecting. We asked the nurse to write the gender on a piece of paper and place it in an envelope. We then tucked that envelope under the tree to open on Christmas Day. The holiday has taken on a whole new dimension ever since.

For Elsa’s first Christmas, we were so excited to add a stocking to the fireplace. The next year she was pulling ornaments off the tree and expressed more interest in the wrapping paper than the actual gifts. Last Christmas was when she started to understand the concept and traditions of Christmas. Elsa adored her Fisher Price nativity scene and would often rock Baby Jesus. She requested Christmas songs in the car, helped us make Christmas treats and loved tearing open her presents.

For so many families, Christmas is about tradition -- the familiar rituals you do year after year. But with our little girl growing and changing, the beauty of Christmas for us, at this stage, is to create traditions and make new discoveries. At three and a half years old, Elsa has reached the age where her memories are starting to crystallize and become a part of her. Gifts under the tree are great, but my husband and I felt it was more important to give her the gift of experiences and fun Christmas memories.

It started with taking her to the WRAL Tower Lighting, where she was mesmerized by the “snow.” We enjoyed hearing Bill Leslie play his song. Elsa was a little hard to corral during the live broadcast, wandering all over the place to chase the machine-made snowflakes. Toddlers!

We braved the rain and snow and drove to Wake Forest for a Holiday Pajama Night and a live performance of Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Snow Queen.” In the first few minutes, one of the actors put on a troll mask and immediately some terrified cries emanated from the audience. I was glad that Elsa was not one of those kids that had to be taken out into the lobby. She watched with amazement and sat through the whole performance!

We took in “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Musical” for the first time in Raleigh. Elsa loves the song and sings it constantly! She also visited with Santa at the Capitol Broadcasting Company and WRAL Kids Holiday Party at Marbles Kids Museum. We even experienced the magic of “Holiday Express” at Pullen Park! (By the way, I was not one of those organized, dedicated parents who bought the tickets when they went on sale in the summer. We lucked out thanks to a friend who offered us extra tickets!)

Finally, we enjoyed a special night of worship with our church family under the stars at Camp Agape in Fuquay-Varina. “O Holy Night” was a unique experience of Christmas carols, lights and a live telling of the Christmas story. It was a late night for our little one, but well worth it.

In the midst of packing in a lot of Christmas cheer this month, we picked an “angel” from the Salvation Army tree that was the same age as Elsa. My daughter and I went shopping, and she helped me pick out outfits, a coat, boots and toys for the little girl. Elsa never once wanted something for herself and seemed excited that a little girl was going to wear what she picked out.

My toddler still has no concept of time. She’s asked me, “Is Christmas tomorrow?” almost every day since Dec. 2nd! But I do think she’s appreciating the significance of Christmas, knowing that it is magical, that it is about family, peace, and Christ’s love…. and, OK, maybe a few extra treats.

Will all of these experiences become Christmas traditions for us? Who knows? What matters is that we had the chance to experience them together. When I look into my daughter’s eyes and see the wonderment, the awe, the joy; when she tells me “Thank you” after a day or evening of holiday fun -- I know I have the best gift to enjoy year-round … in her.