Tara Crisan Sweatt

Making Christmas happen for family and community is not easy. There’s the cooking the decorating and perhaps most difficult of all … the shopping. What will I bring to the dirty Santa? Another scented candle? But nothing worthwhile is ever easy and, oh, the joy of the celebrations.

On Dec. 2, Ashville will have its third annual Christmas tree lighting At 6 p.m. this will be followed by a community movie. This year’s choice is “Elf,” a hilarious and wholesome movie starring Will Ferrell that is fun for the whole family.

On Dec. 9, is Christmas on the Square. There will be much fun and fare: Pictures with Santa, craft vendors, face painting and lots and lots of food. Bring cash for the food trucks. Items are between 1 and $5.

Craft vendors might want to check and see if there are still spaces available. Call 205-594-4151. Or email AshviilleAEVENT@gmail.com. Let’s try to support our local vendors. Often it is the only way you can purchase a truly unique gift you know was made by loving hands here in the good old US of A.

The event begins at noon with the parade at 6 p.m. rain or shine. Let’s hope for some shine.

On Dec. 15, Life Church in rainbow City is holding Claus for Celebration. There will be more of the usual Christmas fun, plus hayrides. More information on that next week, but go ahead and put it on your calendar.

For those of us with grown children, this is a poignant time. We remember when our youngsters were little. They woke us at dawn to inform us that Santa came, and we tore through the presents with childish glee.

But, you can still put a smile on a child’s face on Christmas morning in a different way. Donate money or presents to the many charitable drives in St Clair County. If you do still have young children, get them involved. Teach them to be charitable and let them enjoy the joy of giving.

Another way we old folks can contribute is by sharing our traditions with children. We can even bring some back. Many of us remember cutting down our own trees. Gather a group and go Christmas caroling. Google how to make homemade ornaments and paint them with the kids. If you’re using pine cones as part of your decoration, don’t buy them. Take the kids for a walk in the woods and find them. Paint the tips white to make them look snowy.

Passing on traditions is so important. It honors are ancestors and preserves our culture. Perhaps, most importantly, it is a sense of permanence in an ever-changing world. Then you can start new traditions that will, eventually, become a part of your family’s history.