What is tradition. According to the dictionary, tradition is ‘the transmission of customs or beliefs from generation to generation, or the fact of being passed on in this way.’ In the Jernigan house we have several traditions that we passed on to our children. Some have continued to carry them on. Some have created their own traditions within their own families.
Traditions are like little anchor points within a family that brings us all together even though we may be spread far and wide. They are talked about with great reverence and deep joy and always carry an air of nostalgia and joy…and tend to stir up a lot of laughter.
One of our earliest traditions revolved around the children not waking Melinda and me up before 8 AM on Christmas morning. With 9 children, this was a practical, logistical tradition, lol! Because this was the house rule, I will never forget the first Christmas morning after initiating the wake-up time. As Melinda and I lay in bed waiting for a knock on our bedroom door, we were startled by the sounds of bells and cuckoos and various electronic noises right outside our door. It was as if we were under some sort of alien invasion!
Not knowing what the heck was going on, we jumped out of bed and opened the door to find the alarm clocks of all our children going off, having been placed in a semicircle forming an alarm clock choir that had been synchronized by the older children. Before we could stop laughing, the children all jumped out of hiding and said, “It’s 8 o’clock! Time to get up! It’s Christmas!” We did that until the last child left home…and now have some of our grandchildren who carry on this tradition. To their parents I say, “You’re welcome!”
Another tradition in the Jernigan home is that I cook each child their own omelet with their choice of ingredients on Christmas morning before we open gifts. I prepare all the ingredients the night before so as to streamline the process. One child takes everyone’s order and I make their omelet to order. We still carry on this tradition to this day. Our grandchildren now look forward to it, but it is my children who still insist we keep doing this…and I am beyond blessed to do so.
To help remind the children that Christmas is meant to be a celebration of the birth of Jesus, we hang a long, crude, nail somewhere in the branches of the Christmas tree. The nail is to help us remember that Jesus was born to die for the sin of mankind and that He is risen, having conquered sin, death, and the grave.
One of our favorite traditions is to sing together as a family. At least it is one of my favorite traditions. When the children ranged in age 11 years of age all the way down to 1 year of age, I wrote a Christmas song for our family called We’re Gonna Decorate the Christmas Tree. It came to me on October 4, 1995. This song was one of our favorites of our family when my children were still young and in the home. Melinda and I worked hard at creating memories for our children through every era of their lives…especially when they were young. As Christmas 1995 approached…yes, I was thinking about Christmas in October…being one of those people who is prone to listening to Christmas music all year ‘round.
My mind began to whirl with the thoughts of my children and the joy they would have by simply decorating the house and tree with us. Little did I know that we would sing this song while decorating the tree from that year on - each and every year - and now to share it with our grandchildren?! My heart can hardly contain such joy. Let’s run through the lyrics and you’ll see what I mean.
Imagine calling the children to one of the most anticipated moments in our family life, the annual decoration of the tree! All I did was write down my own point of view and how I could convey the joy I wanted to fill their hearts.
Verse One
Mama get the popcorn
Children come and string
Daddy start a carol and everybody sing
Jot to the world
Oh, let the praises ring
Singing happy birthday to the King!
Chorus
We’re gonna decorate the Christmas tree
We’re gonna make it bright
We’re gonna make another memory and taste the spice of life
We’re gonna make a little history
Have a lot of fun and be a family
Make a memory and celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ
Verse Two
Sister hangs the blue bulb
Brother hangs the red
Baby has a yellow bow stuck to his head
Angels and soldiers elephants and cows
Singing to the music from the boughs
Verse Three
Oh, daddy’s kissing mama ‘neath the mistletoe
All the children watching and laughing at the show
Joy fills the heart as apple cider flows
Everyone agrees – we hope it snows!
CHORUS
Bridge
Joy to the world! The Lord is come
Let earth receive her King
Let every heart prepare Him room
And heaven and nature sing…
Oh we’re gonna make a little history
Have a lot of fun and be a family
Make a memory and celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ
Even as I read those lyrics now, I am transported back to a time when I can still see the sheer simple joy on the faces of my children as we created those memories together. Soon after I received the song, we recorded it with the children. My eldest at the time was 11 years of age. He is now 39! I’ll add a link at the end of this blog so you can hear it. And just in case you’re wondering: Yes. We still sing this song together each year on Christmas morning.
Matthew 1:23 NASB 23 "BEHOLD, THE VIRGIN SHALL BE WITH CHILD AND SHALL BEAR A SON, AND THEY SHALL CALL HIS NAME IMMANUEL," which translated means, "GOD WITH US.”
God is with us through each and every phase of our lives. Let us be mindful of that when creating traditions and memories for our children and grandchildren for generations to come. We decorate the tree each year in our home to commemorate the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on a tree reminding ourselves of His great love for us. If you haven’t already done so, plan on teaching this song to your children and grandchildren as you play it for them while you decorate your Christmas tree this year. The Jernigans wish you and yours the most merry and joyous of Christmas celebrations this year. Now go and create some memories and traditions of your own!
Dennis Jernigan
To hear the song, We’re Gonna Decorate the Christmas Tree, go to https://www.patreon.com/posts/were-gonna-tree-94078162