Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Christmas Traditions

One of the things this time of year is known for is family traditions. Most of us can reach into the crevasses of our minds and pull to memory many of our favorite family traditions.

One of my favorite Christmas traditions no longer takes place, but the memories I have are great. I remember when I was little we would meet at my Grandma’s house every Christmas Eve. It would be my family, all my aunts and uncles, their children, and my Grandma. That night we would share a meal, open presents and just spend time together as a family. After that we would load up the car and then go home. On our way home we would take a few detours to look at Christmas light in various neighborhoods. Finally we would get home and my mom would hurry my brother and I off to bed so that they could stay up to meet Santa when he came (They always told us that they had to pay Santa for the gifts that he brought us on Christmas.).

We had to stop doing that tradition once my aunt started working on Christmas Eve. Now the whole family meets on Christmas day at Grandmas for brunch. The first year we did not do this it did not feel like Christmas to me. The tradition was so much a part of Christmas to me as the actual day itself. Isn’t it funny how are traditions can define our experiences?

What are some of your favorite family traditions you have during the Holiday Season? What are some of the things you used to do in the past that you no longer do now? Do these traditions help you to remember that Christmas is about the birth of Christ? Feel free to comment in the comment section below.

2 comments:

Leslie B said...

Our family tradition was very similar...everyone at grandma's , dinner, drive around and look at lights on the way home. Only Santa got to our house before we got home and we got to open gifts on Christmas Eve! I miss the whole family getting together but carry on the tradition of driving around looking at all the lights on Christmas Eve.

cfoxes33 said...

My sister and I would put on a Christmas skit for our parents. We did this after we got home from Christmas Eve service. It was usually to a song or something. We had a lot of fun doing that.