One of the traditions I wanted to start this year with the boys is one I have stolen from friends of ours, The Martinez Family. I first met them through their children at school, and then we were lucky enough to serve with them in North Carolina. They truly are one of my top 10 favorite families. We went to their house one year for Christmas Eve, and one of the things they did was make handmade ornaments for the tree. It was such a fun way to spend the evening, that I knew I wanted to use this tradition with my own family, even though we did not have the boys at the time. Instead of waiting until Christmas Eve, the boys and I made their ornaments as a craft one day. The had so much fun squirting the paint into the clear plastic balls and watching it drip out. We made about a dozen ornaments, and I chose the best two to keep from this year. I think it will be fun to make and collect them over the years. Then, when the boys one day have a home of their own, they can have their ornaments for their trees. While I know that as boys they may not appreciate the sentimentality of this, I hope that they one day will have wives who will. Their ornaments made the perfect finish to an already beautiful tree.
