A is for Angel

Christmas traditions make the holiday special for families. Today is the beginning of a series of posts, beginning with A is for Angel. Similar to an Advent Calendar, but one which has 26 days, the series is a look at Christmas traditions from A to Z that add sparkle, love, laughter, beauty, comfort, nostalgia, meaning, and joy to the Christmas season. 

Different families celebrate Christmas with traditions for different reasons. For some the meaning of the season is built around their religious faith, for some the meaning is the focus on family gatherings, and for some the meaning of the season stems from the heritage of their community. 

May this A to Z list, one letter per post, add some joy to your Christmas. And, perhaps inspire a new tradition for you!

is for ANGEL. 

What better way to begin Christmas celebrations than with angels, messengers from God, who were the first to announce the coming birth of the Savior to his mother. 

A special Christmas tradition between my sister and me is exchanging Christmas cards with angel designs. Each year, all during the year, I watch for a new beautiful angel card to give her. Of course, I always buy two so I can keep one. I look forward with anticipation to receiving a special angel card from my sister. 

Many of my collection of angel cards, sent and received, hang on a metal card holder with an angel at the top. The cardholder hangs on the back of door into my bedroom so that when the door is closed I can see them while lying in bed.  

Combined with Christmas greenery a gilded angel heralds the season as a centerpiece in the kitchen. 

One of my most treasured angels was a Christmas present from my mother who gave it to me her last Christmas before she died the following summer. 

We were shopping at Christmas time with my brother, who is also no longer with us, and had a grand time, a treasured memory. My brother was wheelchair bound, and zoomed all around in the shopping mall hallway so fast we had a hard time keeping up with him. All of my family loved shopping for Christmas presents, looking for the special gift for each person on our lists. I fell in love with the clear glass angel in Pottery Barn, and my mother made note of it. What a wonderful surprise to find her when I opened my present from Mother that year. Each time I decorate with this special angel I recall the love of my family and our gatherings at Christmas. 

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