Being that we’re almost to Christmas, I thought I’d talk about Christmas traditions. We all have our own, some handed down through families, and others are from our spouses, or our spouses’ families. Or even some of them are brand new, but will be observed by many for years to come.
When I was a kid, my family had traditions. As I look back on my childhood, I’ve realized how much I miss them.
1) Stocking Stuffers. On Christmas Eve, we’d open stocking stuffers. It started out as gag gifts, but then evolved to cheap but useful stuff. My grandmother used to invite people who had no one to spend the holidays with over to her house, and she’d frantically shop for stocking stuffers for that person so he or she wouldn’t feel left out. That’s the kind of woman my grandmother was. My own family observed this one for years after Grandma passed, but then we’d have issues — once my sister and I started working, maybe we weren’t around for Christmas Eve, or maybe we’d be with or respective boyfriends/fiancés/whatever. I attempted to start it with my ex-husband, but he didn’t really understand it and I could tell he was just going through the motions. Sad, but it happens. I hope someday we’ll resurrect it.
2) Hors d’oeuvres on Christmas Eve. Going hand-in-hand with stocking stuffers was the hors d’oeuvres on Christmas Eve. The “traditional” hors d’oeuvres were the bacon-wrapped tater tots, cheese and crackers, and naturally Christmas cookies. This one is now sometimes observed by my family on New Year’s Eve instead.
3) The Tree. I know that sounds stupid, but we have an amazing tree. It’s artificial and we’ve had it at least as long as I’ve been alive (I’ll be thirty-eight next year) and we had a unique, beautiful angel tree topper that’s been in the family for at least fifty years. It was an angel with a reflective dome behind her and a fan. When you’d turn on the light, the fan would cause the light to be reflected in bursts — almost like she’s giving off light. Really neat. (Unfortunately, she’s been broken and put together too many times to use – but she is tucked away somewhere in the house and probably always will be). The other thing is the ornaments. My mom’s ornaments are so unique and cool. She’s got almost everything imaginable: doggie ornaments, angels, Santas, homemade, bulbs…you name it. She also inherited my grandparents’ ornaments, which are antiques and are beautiful. She said this year she had to pick and choose which ones to put on the tree because there were too many! She also strings beads which are gorgeous, too. I know everyone probably thinks their tree is the prettiest/best/whatever, but for some reason, our tree is magical. It brings Christmas to life. The years I wasn’t living at home were pleasant enough, and we had nice trees….but nothing comes close to your childhood tree (although my hubby and my Christmas trees came very, very close).
4. Putting Bows on Our Heads. This is a tradition that my family has observed as long as I’ve been alive, I think. The rule is this: if your present has a bow (or two) on it, you have to put it on your head and keep it there. (And it goes for any occasion, not just Christmas!). You’re supposed to keep it on, but a lot of people (I’m looking at you, my darling dearest husband) chicken out and take it right off, which takes away all of the fun. I’ve always tried to keep my bows on my head, even to this day, and have, in desperation, put them on my shirt instead. Yes, we’re a bit whacky.
5. Christmas Eve Spaghetti Dinner. This one is relatively new for me. I started spending Christmas Eve with my husband’s family from almost the very beginning (we started dating in October…). So my mother-in-law makes an awesome spaghetti dinner with bread and salad and some type of dessert. It’s sooooo good. We also usually would open one gift — usually a small one — which was started by my husband. That’s a tradition I look forward to every year.
When I was married to my ex-husband, I learned all about the Czech Christmas traditions and spent many Christmas Eves with him and his family. The Czech people consider Christmas Eve to be their Christmas, and the 25th is like our 26th – just a regular day. The parents present the tree the night of the 24th and presents are opened. Prior to this, they have a formal dinner. And some type of dessert. And, if I remember correctly, they may serve hors d’oeuvres, too. My favorite hors d’oeuvre was something called “little breads”: these mini open-faced sandwiches made with ham, egg, tomato, pickles, cheese, and a special spread made from mayonnaise and horseradish sauce. I ate so many of those things! (I still miss them to this day – even if I could recreate the recipe, it just wouldn’t be the same). I also learned that most trees are decorated with bulbs only and no angels (I tried to get the ex to let me buy an angel for our tree, but it was hopeless). But that was okay. I always tried to embrace and respect their traditions. After all, it made things really interesting for the time that we were married.
What kind of traditions do you or your family observe? Any foreigners out there want to share some of theirs? I’d love to hear about them!