Christmas is the time of year packed with tradition. For some families it means attending The Nutcracker ballet, Handle’s Messiah, a candlelight worship service, or sitting down for a family meal.

It is in the keeping of traditions that marriage and family values are passed down from generation to generation -- at least our values should be a main priority during the holidays. The passing of tradition doesn’t need to be costly, so even in a recession, the sharing of heartfelt tradition is still very possible. Below are five ways to carry traditions forward this holiday and bring more meaning and memories to your family time:

1. Model Marriage: Bill and I have been happily married for nearly 30 years, and since our engagement, we have held to a romantic ritual of exchanging a kiss after praying together at each meal. It is really difficult to be angry at someone you kiss that much! When our oldest son returned from his honeymoon, he prayed over a breakfast we shared with him and his new bride, then he turned and kissed her. I smiled. Our new daughter-in-law replied, “It’s a Farrel tradition!”

Let it be a holiday tradition to be affectionate to your mate. Model love, tenderness and affection to you children. Give the gift of kind words and actions to everyone in your family. One year, I told my children, “You are all in college, so I know funds are tight, just give me a card that makes me cry.” They did, and I cherish those thoughtfully crafted words.

2. Model Compassion: A part of our family tradition is each person selects a person, family, or ministry in need and we each give a “gift to Jesus”. At our family Christmas meal, we share how the blessings of giving encouraged or impacted us that year.

If a member of your own family could use a little extra TLC, the extended family might all go together to meet a tangible need like tuition, rent, paying a hospital bill, or getting a car fixed.  Consider opening up your home to a single mom and her child, a newly widowed, or a military service person. Often clergy do not live near family so don’t forget to check with the pastor and staff at your church to see if their needs have been met. A very compassionate gift toward the clergy can be to rally members together to all donate toward a weekend away for the pastor and wife or their family. If everyone gives a little it adds up to a lot. When we were pastoring a small church and had small children, it was the monetary gifts from parishioners that allowed us to have the funds to buy gifts for our own children because we lived on such a shoestring.