A great way to celebrate the love shared in a Christian family is to observe special Christmas traditions together. One of my favorites since childhood is certainly to go to Christmas Eve worship with my family. Another tradition that has developed since I married Heather was to write an annual Christmas letter to family and friends. For our first Christmas as husband and wife 19 years ago, I got creative and wrote “The Biermann Brief.” This little “newspaper” shared pictures and news articles from our previous year. We received so many positive comments on our “Biermann Brief” that we wrote a second issue the following year … and haven’t missed a year since. The name is the same, but the production process certainly has changed. That first year, I was physically cutting and pasting pictures and trying to get the best black and white copy possible with the available copiers of the day. This year, I was able to download digital color pictures in a matter of seconds and crop them to fit the template with ease. Production is so much easier, but the content is still developed the same as in the past. Heather and I reflect on all God’s rich blessings to us over the previous year; both highs and lows. We then select the most significant and order them in a way that will help us always remember what God has done for us in the year about to end. We enjoy sharing this with others, but it is especially beneficial to us. Our love grows as we take time to reflect and thank the Lord together.
I pray that your family can share some tradition that will draw you together in shared reflection and thanksgiving to God. May the love in your home grow as you observe a tradition that turns your eyes to the God of love together.
Since I may have raised your curiosity about the “Biermann Brief,” I decided to share a link to the 2013 installment here. I share it not to brag or bore you with all of our activities, but to give you a glimpse of one of our traditions. Perhaps it will inspire your family to continue or develop your own traditions. Whatever you do TOGETHER will certainly bless your family in God’s way.
The First Picture from “The Biermann Brief” 2013