Most families have holiday traditions, regardless of what holiday you are celebrating. Even when we grow up and form our own families, we naturally merge our new traditions with some of the old. It seems that traditions, new or old have a strong place in our hearts. Holiday traditions become an essential aspect of how we celebrate, and there is a reason why we keep them as a part of our lives for so long. Simply put we hold onto holiday traditions because they add meaning to our celebrations and help bond us to those we love.
Last weekend I was watching Christmas Vacation (one of my guilty pleasures before and during the holiday season) and I started thinking about why this movie was so funny. A seemingly normal family has all the warm and fuzzy holiday traditions and dreams of the perfect family Christmas. Of course, until everything goes wrong. The traditional events end in disaster, the tree catches fire, the turkey is dry (which is an understatement), the uninvited dog wrecks the house chasing the squirrel that got in the house, and the crazy cousin kidnaps the stingy boss. After all this, the family still finds meaning and joy in the season. The tradition that survives is that they always spend the holidays with family, and this bonds them despite all the chaos.
Holiday traditions are essentially ritualistic behaviors that nurture us and our relationships. They are primal parts of us, which have survived since the dawn of man. Traditional celebrations of holidays have been around as long as recorded history. Holiday traditions are an important part to building a strong bond between family, and our community. They give us a sense of belonging and a way to express what is important to us. They connect us to our history and help us celebrate generations of family. Most people can say, “oh this was great grandmas tablecloth we always used for Thanksgiving” or “I remember stringing popcorn with my mom when I was young”. They keep the memories of the past alive and help us share them with newer generations.
Although holiday traditions are usually the first thing people think of when you mention traditions, they are not the only one’s families have. Whether its stringing popcorn for the Christmas tree, watching the Thanksgiving Day parade while the turkey cooks, building sandcastles every summer or regularly having family movie night they are a family ritual that brings children and parents closer. These moments create positive memories for children and provide positive events for everyone to anticipate! Children crave the comfort and security that comes with traditions and predictability. This takes away the anxiety of the unknown and unpredictable. Traditions are a wonderful way to anchor family members to each other, providing a sense of unity and belonging.
I am a huge fan of traditions year-round but especially around the holidays. My family frequently has movie night, where we rent a movie, make fresh popcorn, and snuggle up on the couches to watch something awesome. It’s really become more about the quality time we spend together, the sarcastic commentary from dad that makes everyone laugh and the imaginative questions from my daughter that inspire a sense of youth.
Thanksgiving traditions always involve the first indulgence of eggnog that will continue through to New Years, and we always make green bean casserole. During Christmas, I have carried on a favorite tradition with my own family where we decorate the tree and add empty miniature drawstring sacks. On Christmas eve Santa fills them with candy so that on Christmas there are sweets to snack on throughout the day. My daughter gets so excited about the sacks of chocolate, that now at the age of 13 she asks if she can help fill them the night before because she wants to be part of the entire process.
Not every family is lucky enough to have traditions, but that’s ok. That just gives you the freedom to start creating your own! With the holidays coming, it is the perfect excuse to start trying new things! It can really be anything you think is fun. Perhaps it could be playing TBS’s 24 hours of the Christmas Story in the background while the family spends time together, cooks dinner, and plays with their new toys. Reading the Night Before Christmas on Christmas Eve is popular, or perhaps reading A Christmas Carol throughout the season.
Once you get started making traditions during the holidays you can start branching out to make new traditions throughout the year. Start a pizza night, a movie night, or even board game night. Make birthdays a special time for the celebrant to pick the cake and their favorite dinner. If these things aren’t what you had in mind, traditions can be the annual family vacation where you spend time together every year. Growing up we looked forward to the annual Winter Weekend where the entire family (aunts, uncles, cousins and spouses) would spend a long weekend in December enjoying the holiday season in a huge rented cabin. We would take turns cooking meals, and spend our free time playing in the snow.
If there is a simple take away message here, it’s that traditions nurture our spirit and are an important part of family bonding. They can be anything fun you and your family already enjoy doing, or you can have fun starting your own. Don’t get caught up in instituting the perfect family tradition, it’s not about being perfect it’s about the experience you share with your family.
I thought the above article by Dr. Michele Brennan might affirm your desire to hold firm to your family traditions, or perhaps inspire you to start new ones.Here are my Christmas traditions:
Christmas Cards - I still do Christmas cards every year although I’ve cut back in recent years. I used to make them by hand and do about 200 but I'm probably down to 115 this year. It’s still a tradition I enjoy and I love staying connected with old friends that send me cards.
Christmas Tree - We are a fresh tree family. How about you? I know there's a lot of people that go back and forth with artificial versus real but we love the whole experience of searching out and cutting down that special tree. For so many years it was my husband and I and all four kids, but this year it was just the two of us…different feel but still a special experience.
Baking Cookies – For years I would employ all my kids to help me bake dozens and dozens of Christmas cookies.I prepared big trays and delivered to friends, family, and associates.Since starting my health and wellness business and now committing to a plant-based diet, not to mention losing all my help, I’ve scaled back on the number of sugary treats I prepare.I’ve reduced my cookie recipes from 15-20 to 3-5 plant based recipes with a lot less sugar so everyone can still enjoy healthier sweet treats.
Nativity Scene – When my kids were toddlers we were given a beautiful nativity set one year for Christmas, and we began a tradition of opening and placing one piece of the set each day leading up to Christmas until the birth of baby Jesus.It was a tradition our kids loved and I look forward to passing that gift on to others.
Christmas Eve PJ’s – Each year I buy a new set of matching pajamas for my daughters.We open them on Christmas Eve, take group pictures, and play games while enjoying the fire in the woodburner.
Candlelight Christmas Eve Service – The Moravian Church is known for its simple and beautiful Christmas eve service by candlelight with traditional Moravian hymns, bell choir, youth solo singing “Morning Star”, and ending with Silent Night accompanied by guitar.
Christmas Morning Cocoa – On Christmas morning I love to make hot cocoa for everyone to enjoy while unwrapping gifts. This year I'm going to be trying a new recipe making it dairy free so fingers crossed it will be just as delicious, and I have even dairy free whipped topping to put on top.
Christmas Lights Run – Several years ago my girlfriends and running partners began a new tradition we call the “Christmas Lights Run”.We pick a night close to Christmas Eve and plan a 3-4 mile run through the most decorated neighborhoods to enjoy the beautiful lights and decorations.The evening concludes with our favorite Christmas beer with cinnamon and sugar rimmed on the top.
Charity – We love to participate in the Christmas Toy Drives and other similar local events where we can give back.My husband and I also make a list each year after Christmas of our favorite charities to support with year-end giving.
Handmade Gifts - I love to make a few special handmade gifts each year.It’s a fun way to honor special people in my life and is a great stress reliever during the busy holiday season.This year I’m crocheting scarves.
Family Time – This is the best part of Christmas for me.Just having everyone together again in the same house.This year we will have five nights together and I’ll cherish each one.This is my favorite tradition of all but always being careful not to have too high of expectations for a “Hallmark Christmas”!
Hallmark Christmas Movies – I’m a real sucker for these movies and it’s really the only time during the year I spend any time in front of the TV.Despite their predictability, I just love the warm emotions they elicit even though they might not represent real life where we don’t always get along during the Holidays and things aren’t perfect.
I hope you have your own traditions that you’ll be revisiting this year, or perhaps a new one that you’ll initiate. But always hold in your heart the real reason we are celebrating. It's not about the perfect gift; it's not about the perfect wrapping paper, etc., but rather the birth of our Savior and that's what we need to stay focused on.
I would love to hear about some of your Christmas traditions.And since this is a business group page, maybe something about your year-end review of your business, e.g., what went well and what you plan to do differently next year. I am very intentional with my planning and what I want to do in the new year. Spending some time setting new goals; what can I eliminate; what do I need to prioritize, etc.
I'd love to hear from you in the comments below, and I’d like to take this opportunity to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and happy holiday season.
