Favourite Christmas Traditions.
What are your favourite Christmas traditions? Carol reminisces about some of the Christmas traditions that have appealed to her over the years.
Traditions Around Special Occasions
Each family has their own traditions around any special occasion. Christmas time involves many things for people from simply having an extra day off work, to hard memories surrounding the season, to fun family traditions they look forward to each year. So much about traditions depends on circumstances and events you associate with the season and your culture as well.
Some people would just as soon leave all the decorations, carols, gifts, programs, and services out of the puzzle of their lives. “Bah Humbug” suits them better. All this fuss and bother is not what they appreciate at all. There are some who want a quiet time with family, a day off work, and maybe some special treats. They complain about the commercialism of the season and how early stores fill up with everything associated with Christmas from decorations to ads trying to get you to buy this or that latest gadget or toy as gifts.
Consumerism Has Taken Over
There are times I get it—how consumerism has taken over; how the gifts need to get bigger and supposedly better each year; how so much that fills the media and stores and hearts of people has nothing to do with the real meaning of Christmas celebrations being centered on Jesus.
Simple things tug at my memories from my childhood. Money was scarce in our family and there was never lots of presents under the tree or costly ones. There would be something to open on Christmas morning from my parents and then from my grandparents and often some little things from aunts and uncles. Don’t get me wrong. I loved the gifts but I never thought about how few or how inexpensive they might be. I still remember one year I got a doll and a new red poodle skirt—now that dates me for sure. Then my aunties made a matching skirt for my doll. I thought those were the best presents ever.
Gingham Aprons
Every year my one grandma made a new apron for each of her daughters and for me, her only granddaughter. They were gingham, with a bit of cross stitch done to decorate them. Mine were bib aprons until I got to be about twelve and then I got a half apron like the grownups. I felt so special. They were even more special since my grandmother had suffered a stroke at age 36 and had to relearn how to do everything. She worked hard on those gifts each year and I treasured them. My other grandma commented years later to the grown up me, “It didn’t matter what I gave you, even a pair of socks, you liked it and got excited about it.”
Yes, appreciating the time, thought, and love that went into the present meant more, even as a child, than thinking about how much the gift cost or how inexpensive it might have been. But I learned this from the adults in my life. I loved to make things and my grandmothers and aunts proudly used and displayed my childhood attempts to make them something special.
Christmas Tradition Discussions
When my husband and I began our married life, we discussed the Christmas traditions each of us were familiar with. By the time I met him our family no longer had duck or goose on Christmas but turkey which his family also ate. My mom liked to set out pretty dishes and make it look extra fancy. His mom liked the ease of keeping it like every other meal with no fuss or bother. Neither family had extra money to spend on lots of gifts. My mother wrapped each one and placed it under the Christmas tree. His mom hated wrapping or spending the little bit of money she had on wrapping paper so she had long ago decided that gifts would go in the stocking. Maybe one might be wrapped by the time I met her. My husband had much younger siblings who loved putting out stockings and expected everyone too. The stocking they laid out, since there was no chimney to hang them by, were the biggest of their Dad’s work socks they could find and no fancy, special ones just for that one day.
We needed to choose what our own family traditions would become. Our parents lived six hours apart and we celebrated Christmas with one set and New Year’s with the other and the next year we reversed it. We kept the tradition of his family with the Christmas stockings and not wrapping the gifts. But I added to it by learning to crochet and making each of my children a stocking to lay out because we also had to fireplace mantle to hang them from.
A New Christmas Tradition
I incorporated a new tradition for our children that I heard about from a friend. Each year I gave them a new ornament of their own, something that would intrigue them or be very personal for their tastes. By the time they grew up and left home, they had a small container of ornaments to take with them to begin their own Christmas traditions. As grandchildren were added to our family, I gave them an ornament each year as well as made them Christmas stockings.
My grandson just got married this spring and in their wedding gift was a pair of crocheted Christmas stocking with their initials on them. They got a chuckle out of it.
The Christmas Tradition of Reading the Christmas Story
But gifts are not the only thing that tug at my memory. Other traditions included hearing the Christmas story from Luke 2 read each year, multiple times, memorizing lines for Christmas concerts not winter celebrations, and Sunday School concerts too. Then we had to recite our parts to our grandparents before presents on Christmas Day. I still read the Christmas story from Luke chapter 2 each year and sometimes our church has a Christmas program with the children that resembles an old-fashioned Christmas concert. I enjoy those very much.
Christmas Tradition Memories
The older I get, the more I have to remember. Some years, like the one my mom died in late November, were harder than others because there was a huge hole and grief took over. But even that year we pulled out memories of my mom and how special she made each of us feel.
Family traditions around Christmas celebrations vary from making this season be one filled with activities, gifts, food, family, and friends to struggling to make it through. What about you? Do you have special traditions and good memories you can pull out and revisit?
Do you have a favourite Christmas tradition? We would love to hear from you. Share your comment below or contact us at HopeStreamRadio.
Carol Harrison
Listen to Carol’s program Puzzle Pieces Of Life or visit Carol’s website carolscorner.ca
Carol Harrison B.Ed is a speaker and published author with one book, Amee’s Story and stories in twelve anthologies. She is passionate about helping people of all ages and ability levels find their voice and reach their fullest potential.
She knows, through personal experience that some of life’s experiences are tougher than others. She encourages people that even in the twists and turns of life God’s amazing grace provides hope.
She lives in Saskatoon, SK with her husband Brian. They have four adult children and a dozen grandchildren.
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Ray Marshall says
Hi Carol, One of my favourite Christmas traditions is putting up the lights outside the house. We have a blue and white light theme that always seems to shine against the snow. Somehow decorated houses seem to make the occupants more approachable, I think. Perhaps there is something of the light of the world shining through, even if in a small way. Blessings!