I’ve been having the most wonderful conversations with friends and family, both in person and online, about holiday traditions. Some eat gravy with their turkey, some don’t (gasp). Others are suspicious of pumpkin pie while for some, it’s a holiday staple. There are families who decorate the Christmas tree directly following Thanksgiving, and there are families who wait until Christmas Eve to deck the halls. I got to thinking about holiday traditions in my own family, both those I have carried from my own childhood and those new traditions I’ve made with my husband and children.

Growing up, tradition dictated that my sister and I would each receive a new Hallmark ornament and nightgown to be opened on Christmas Eve. In 1978, when I was celebrating my second Christmas, my aunt began a series of ornaments called Here Comes Santa. Clicking on the link, you can see the appreciation of the oldest of the ornaments, given that when purchased new, they cost about $14.95. My ornaments are not MIB, and I certainly have no intention of selling them; I think the maternal force that is my mother, aunt, and grandmother, would send me to an early grave if I ever did such a thing! The tradition has carried over to my own children, though. Suffice it to say, when they are ready to leave the house and begin their own Christmas traditions, there will be no shortage of decorations.

I have also carried on the tradition of each child receiving a new set of pajamas, in addition to many more annual festivities. The first Saturday of December, we make our trek to the tree farm. This year promises to be 29 degrees with snow flurries. In the past, it’s been as cold as 10 degrees with a negative windchill. We then gather here, usually with Granny and Papa, to decorate the tree and celebrate my husband’s birthday. After Christmas Eve service, we nestle together on the couch and watch Christmas movies until the kids are good and tired. Then my husband and I tuck the kids in bed and enjoy the quiet with a glass of wine and a few snacks. Only when we are positive the children are fast asleep do we arrange the presents under the tree. *My own mother would display the presents as they were wrapped, a most cruel enticement for a young girl to have to look at the brightly colored packages for weeks before being able to open them. I must admit to unwrapping a few corners to see the contents of some of my gifts, an act which my mother won’t let me forget even more than twenty years later.*

My husband and I try to keep the holidays as stress-free as possible. We spend Christmas Day as a family and get together with extended relatives the next day. Children, and adults, can often be overwhelmed by new sites and sounds, not to mention the general excitement, which usually results in meltdowns and tantrums. Opening gifts tends to be an all-day affair, as we take breaks for breakfast, phonecalls, and playing with new goodies. The one thing I don’t do is take pictures of every single gift being open, something my mother did and that aggravated me a a child. A few pictures are nice to remember the occasion, but one must live in the moment, as well.

What sort of holiday traditions do you have?

If you consider yourself a friend, please contact me with your mailing address so that I can send a holiday greeting in the post. Email me at igarrett@twcny.rr.com and write “Holiday Wishes” in the subject field.