December 18, 2025: The Christmas Countdown (Day 6)
Years ago, we received a Christmas book from a friend.
The thick hardback, with an angel on the front and back cover, contained a hundred blank pages.
She told us, “This is where you can capture all your Christmas memories.”
Though grateful for her gift, we didn’t jump at the thought. It was destined for a forgotten box or to be regifted to someone else.
But miraculously, the little journal hung around.
And the next Christmas, when the kids were small, I pulled it out a few days after the holidays. Shrugging my shoulders, I grabbed a pen.
And created the first entry way back in 2008.
This began the annual tradition of writing down what we did for Christmas, including the gifts we received.
Some excerpts:
McKenzie loves her Baby Alive — it pee pees!
Luke is crazy about Webkinz and his Leo the Lion
Jake loves his drum and wants to play basketball at UNC
Kate got a Hello Kitty umbrella
Sam loves to toss and catch balls
As the kids grew older, they would add entries and sometimes place dollar bills or gadgets on the inside, tiny surprises to uncover the next Christmas at breakfast.
To make it fun, I always end my section with, “Now, Dad has to give Mom a big fat kiss.” Which always brings groans from the kids.
But one of my favorite parts are the questions. We ask questions that can’t be answered yet. And a year later, when we read them, knowing the answers sparks loads of conversation.
Some have included:
Where did we go on vacation?
Do the kids do swim team this summer?
Did Mom make us dress up like cows again on Chick-fil-A day?
Will I still have braces?
Will I be over 5’ 7”?
But as the years passed, so did the questions. Such as:
Where will McKenzie go to college?
Did Luke go to Boston for an internship?
How is Jake’s senior year going?
Did Kate and Sam get their driver licenses?
Our young family grew up, all recorded in this little book. What once was empty now feels priceless.
The cover is worn, but the binding remains strong. There’s only a few pages left, and in another year or two, the contents will be full.
This book ended up holding our story.
A map of our Christmases together.