What are your Christmas traditions?
We all have them.
What we eat. Where we go. Who we see. When we open gifts. How we celebrate.
Growing up, in my family, if we received presents given to us by friends, or the presents arrived in the mail, we didn’t have to wait until Christmas morning to open them.
For several years, my father insisted we wait to open the gifts that came in the mail.
Before long, however, we were allowed to open mailed gifts whenever they arrived. I believe that had to do with my mother being just as anxious to open her gifts as my siblings and I were.
When our son was young, we made a day out of going to the country to cut down our own Christmas tree. Living close to Washington, DC, we also made yearly trips to the Mall, (not to be confused with the shopping mall) to look at all the decorated state trees in front of the White House.
After our move to Central Florida, our traditions changed, and we resorted to an artificial tree.
Instead of the adults putting the lights on the tree, that task fell to our teenaged son.
In the evening, we turned off all lights except for the tree, listened to Christmas music, and sipped hot chocolate. Even if it wasn’t cold outside.
When we moved to Texas, we gained yet another new tradition. The neighborhood sidewalks and driveways are lined with candle-lit luminaries on Christmas Eve. Everyone pitches in to help each other get the luminaries ready, set them out, light them, and pick them up on Christmas Day.
One tradition that has remained consistent throughout the years, however, is putting up the Advent Calendar I made shortly after our son was born. Made is a loose term. All I did was glue Velcro strips to the calendar and ornaments.
This calendar has been displayed for several decades now. Although new Velcro has been glued on the calendar, and there are much prettier, more ornate Advent Calendars available, this is my son’s calendar. It is one Christmas tradition I intend to continue, no matter where I might live.
What Christmas traditions do you keep?
I wish you well.
Sandy
