Something Old, Something New.

When I was a kid, my holiday job each year was to put out the nativity set. It was small and simple, with only 5 pieces, and I loved that job. I ushered in the Christmas season this way for as long as I can remember. After high school, my mom left it in its box for me to set up when I returned from college.

Always sentimental, my first Christmas as a wife was a sweet time for me. I was newly married, and we set up our first tree in our first living room. I proudly stitched our names on stockings, and put out what few decorations I had. The newness of it all was exciting, but part of me secretly missed my childhood task. While decorating that first tree, Brett handed me a small box. Inside was an ornament celebrating our first year as husband and wife, and a new tradition began.

This year, three hand-picked ornaments hang on our tree, and thanks to my mother, my own nativity sits in the corner of our living room. Still sentimental, I believe that someday these new traditions will be old—and somehow—even more precious.