I am always filled with joy and nostalgia when I look back on my family's holiday traditions. We didn't have a lot of traditions, but the ones we did and still have, make the memories of those times so much better. There's something special about the traditions and rituals we do in these last few weeks of the year. They invoke feelings of anticipation and wistfulness for the coming holidays.
Many of these traditions can be done at any time during the year, but they always seem to be more meaningful when performed in the lead-up to Christmas. Maybe it's because we do these traditions with other people or maybe it's because these traditions are part of the structure that forms the season. Some traditions bring memories of loved ones who have since passed but these traditions we perform keep them alive in our minds and hearts.
There are some members of my extended family that, after they've opened their presents, go to the movies on Christmas Day. They have done this for years and it's their tradition. I love it.
Here are some of my holiday traditions:
Watch White Christmas. I watch White Christmas every year at Christmastime. This is because growing up, my grandma always watched White Christmas, and then it became something we would do when she was over at our house. She passed many years ago but I still continue this tradition and I think of her every time Bing Crosby croons "White Christmas".
Bake treats. I always bake at least three things at Christmas - cookies, pumpkin bread, and fudge. Fudge is something that my family only eats at Christmastime and it has to be the fudge we make ourselves (no store-bought fudge for us!). I always bake at least two kinds of cookies and many loaves of pumpkin bread. My immediate family knows to be on the lookout for treats baked by me at Christmas.
Christmas Eve dinner with family. This is another tradition that my family has had for as long as I can remember. We used to go to a family member's house where they would be so much food and so many people and as a child I remember thinking, "When dinner is over you can go home and go to sleep and the next morning will be Christmas." I don't think that way now and although the dinners have switched to include different family members (and we go to a restaurant) I still love this tradition of being with family and friends on Christmas Eve.
Eating pizza on New Year's Eve. Okay, so this isn't a Christmas tradition and I'm not sure how it started but my family and I, no matter if we are together or not, always get pizza on New Year's Eve. We've never been a going-out-on-New-Year's-Eve type of family and, even as an adult, I hate braving the crowds to go out and be cold on New Year's. I love this little tradition of eating pizza on New Year's Eve because I always know what I'm going to be doing.
Holiday gift exchange with friends. I recently began a new tradition and started doing an Elfster exchange with my friends who live all across the country. I enjoy this tradition because it helps me to keep in touch with my friends and who doesn't love receiving a present in the mail?
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