Happy Birthday Jesus!

This was the tradition I was most excited about starting this year--because it gave us a chance to really share with our family and extended family why Christmas is such an important time.  And why we celebrate the birth of Christ on this special day.  

My family was able to share in the prep process in the morning.

And Drew's family was able to share in the singing, and eating process later that evening.

I originally chose Red Velvet Cake because I wanted to make something that represented Drew's family, and this is the cake his grandmother made every Christmas.  I also made Cranberry Salad for that morning, a special yummy recipe with oranges, apples, and cranberries in honor of my Dad's family, a dish his mother always made for his family.

However, I learned there was a bit of symbolism behind Red Velvet Cake and Jesus' Birthday.  The red cake represents our sins, while the white icing represents his purity as it covers our sins.  After the fact, I found this link, that goes into even more detail about the number of candles, and such.  I will definitely have to add some of this next year.