Christmas traditions. I think everyone has them in some form or another. Some are just personal. Some are family oriented. There are old traditions, passed down from generations and some are new traditions you hope to start this year. Regardless of the tradition, I think they are a very important part of the holiday season. I’ve found that if I miss out on a tradition, it just feels like something is missing. So this Christmas Eve, I wanted to take a minute to share some of my favorite traditions. Some are silly. Some are sentimental. And then there are some that have yet to begin since I don’t have little ones, but I know one day I want to.
First and foremost, there’s the lighting of the outside of my house. This is something that started long ago, growing up. My sister and I would climb all over the roof and outside to put lights on the house. We’d wrap them around palm trees (which look really cool with lights reflecting on the frawns) and the poles on the porch. And ultimately, we even figured out how to rig it to light fixtures so it was all controlled by a flick of a switch or two. We took it so seriously, in fact, that when my parents built their second house in Palm Bay, they installed a switched outlet in the eave of the roof. And THAT carried on to their house in Jacksonville and my house in Indiana. The builder thought I was crazy when I told him what I wanted. So every year, the firm warm day in November, you’ll find me on my roof, installing lights. I won’t turn them on before Thanksgiving, but you take what warmth you can get in Indiana.
Then of course you have to do the inside to match the outside. This can vary with me, depending on my own travel plans, time available to do it, whether or not I’m expecting many visitors during the season, and amount of straightening up that must be done beforehand to make way for the décor. There are a few pieces that I always have to have out… but I’m pretty happy so long as I have my tree up and decorated. That in itself is quite a task. I have a lot of ornaments. At least I feel like I do… until I go home and see Mom’s tree again.
I have a tradition of making a certain cookie now, too. I can’t remember when it started… probably about 10 years ago. But I HAVE to make it. It is, essentially, my Christmas cookie. It came from one of those urban legend emails that has gone around – the $250 Niemen Marcus Cookie Recipe. It looked good, so I tried it one Christmas, and we all loved it. So I’ve made it ever since. It’s also made for any cookie exchanges or company parties this time of year. It’s just my staple, I guess. But they are SO good!
The biggest tradition I have though is going home to Florida for Christmas. I have no idea what a ‘White Christmas’ is because I’ve never had one. I’ve always had a very ‘Green Christmas’ down in Florida. And I wouldn’t trade them for the world. Christmas is big in my family. Always has been. We spend a majority of Christmas Day around the tree, opening gifts. We usually have a lot of gifts. In fact, we now have multiple trees, even. But by all means, it’s not the materialistic part of Christmas that makes it big… we just happen to have a family of givers. I know I love to give gifts. Of course, we do the traditional ham dinner. But I think what makes it all so special is that it’s the one time of year we make sure we all are together. My grandmother comes down from Pennsylvania. My sister comes up to Jacksonville from Palm Bay. And of course I’m down from Indiana. This is one tradition that I always say whomever I marry will have to be very understanding and accepting of, cause it’s not one that’s going to change.
Finally, a brief moment to touch on traditions to come when the kids come. This also would count if I had kids visiting me for some reason. The first came from a gift I received from my uncle and aunt (Andy & Jan). They sent me The Christmas Pickle one year. Essentially, it’s a glass ornament in the shape of a pickle, and it’s the last ornament hung on the tree after the kids go to bed. The first one to find it in the morning gets something special, whether it be the first to open a gift, or even an ‘extra’ gift. The second is The Elf on the Shelf. I’m sure you’ve seen this out there somewhere… it’s a little elf doll and appears after Thanksgiving and quietly sits and watches the kids. And every night, he reports back to Santa to tell him how the kids are behaving. The sometimes he’ll come back to the same place, or he’ll find a new place to spy from. Now you don’t get anything if you find him… but you know that he’s watching.
So these are just a few of my traditions. There’s more. Especially when you start delving into the tradition of Christmas Eve/Day. But I wouldn’t trade it for the world. I love Christmas and everything that comes with it. It’s just such a magical time of year. Please feel free to share some of your traditions with me in my comments – I love hearing about stuff like that.
So to you and your family, I wish you the very best!! Merry Christmas!
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