Gearharts and tree photo: Gathered in front of the festive hand-cut tree in their home, the Gearhart family is ready for all the fun and joy that Christmas 2014 will bring. The young family, including (l-r) Micah, Adaleigh, Josiah, Alyssa, and Aleczander, will be spending their first Christmas in Elgin this year.

Building Christmas traditions

Brian Smith
Contributing Writer
bsmith@fayettepublishing.com

“Christmas is a day of meaning and traditions, a special day spent in the warm circle of family and friends.”

This quote by Margaret Thatcher may sum up Christmastime for many of us, as over the years we have continued practicing traditions of our families, as well as creating some of our own. Our traditions hold a great deal of meaning to us, creating a sense of familiarity that reassures and comforts us. So it is with the Gearhart family as they spend their first Christmas in Elgin.

Before moving their family to northeast Iowa, Micah and Alyssa Gearhart lived in Spirit Lake, Camanche, and Estherville. Micah is now the principal at Valley Elementary and North Fayette Valley Middle School.

Now that they have settled in Elgin, they are getting set to celebrate their first Christmas in their new home.

“We will be continuing a tradition that we started last year, which is being at home for Christmas. We had been traveling to our parents’ houses for a few years, but decided that it would be good for our kids to wake up at home on Christmas morning,” explained Gearhart, whose parents now live in southwestern Minnesota.

Both Micah and Alyssa grew up in Iowa and were high school sweethearts at Hampton-Dumont High School. They now have three children of their own, 7-year-old Josiah, 5-year-old Aleczander, and 4-year-old Adaleigh, who are more than willing to join in on the Christmas fun.

Spending extra time with family, singing Christmas carols, and lots of special treats to eat are all part of the Gearhart family Christmas tradition.

“Having hot chocolate, ice cream, and homemade pizza on Christmas Eve is something that has become regular for us,” said Micah.

“We make a birthday cake for Jesus, too!” added Josiah excitedly.

The family even leaves some homemade pizza and a slice of birthday cake out for Santa to snack on when he gets to their house. The family will also be continuing their tradition of reading “The Night Before Christmas” and the Christmas story out of the Bible on Christmas Eve.

Something new this year is one of Santa’s helpers, who seems to be hanging out at the Gearhart home. Mistletoe the Elf has taken up residence, usually finding a space on a shelf somewhere in the house, keeping a watchful eye on the children.

“He moves around to a different spot during the night, and sometimes during the day, too!” cried Aleczander, obviously thrilled to have one of Santa’s workers close by.

Of course, the children are on their best behavior so that Mistletoe will give a positive report to his boss, Santa Claus, who will hopefully be bringing the gifts they desire. But it isn’t always gifts the Gearhart family thinks of when it’s Christmastime.

“I think getting to spend time together as a family is what I am most looking forward to this year. It will be nice to be with our kids, enjoy each other’s company, and just be thankful for what God has given us,” noted Alyssa. 

When asked what she was looking forward to the most this Christmas, Adaleigh responded with “giving away our toys.”

That is certainly a different answer than one might expect from a small child at this time of year, but definitely a part of the Gearhart Christmas tradition.

“Every year the kids pick out some of their more gently used toys to give away to others. For every gift they get, they give away something of theirs to someone else that might need it more than they do,” explained Micah.

Josiah is anxious to get some snow on the ground so that he can do some sledding, while Aleczander is hoping to find some torpedo planes under the tree on Christmas morning. As for Micah, he has already experienced one of his favorite parts of Christmas.

“I enjoy our annual Christmas tree hunt. We searched for about an hour this year before finding the right one and then cut it down ourselves,” said the father of three.

“It’s bigger and wider than last year’s tree!” beamed Josiah, who just might be hoping that a bigger tree means more room for presents.

One thing a bigger tree does allow for is more ornaments, which is a good thing, as another Gearhart tradition is for each child to get a new ornament every year. As the years go by, each ornament has a story and a special significance all its own.

The anticipation of receiving that special gift that you asked Santa for is also present in the Gearhart household. While Aleczander is waiting for his torpedo planes, Adaleigh will be looking for baby dolls from Santa, while Josiah hopes to find a dog under the tree.

Their dad also gets excited about the gifts as well, perhaps a little too excited sometimes.

“I used to be pretty good at picking up the wrapped presents and guessing at what they were. I guess I got too good at it because they don’t let me do that anymore,” he said with a mischievous smile.

Each of the children also has his or her own favorite Christmas carols that they like to sing at this time of year. Adaleigh likes “Jingle Bells,” Aleczander prefers “We Wish You A Merry Christmas,” and Josiah is partial to “We Three Kings.” They also sing “Happy Birthday” to Jesus on Christmas Eve before sharing some birthday cake together and then scurrying off to bed.

“We are just happy to be here and enjoy the holiday together. I think  it helps us reflect on and be thankful for all that God has given us, like amazing kids, a great family, a wonderful community, and all the other blessings that we enjoy,” closed Alyssa.

So as the Gearhart family goes about the business of carrying on and building their family Christmas traditions, make sure you are taking the time to enjoy your own family traditions. Enjoy the warmth of your own family and friends during this yuletide season, and try to keep as much of it with you as you can throughout the coming new year.