For better or for worse, if you've experienced any significant life changes recently, the holidays can amplify those shifts. While returning to traditions can be one of the most comforting parts of celebrating a holiday, adopting and adapting to new ones can be a positive way to adjust to fluctuations in our individual lives and family structure.
I have this topic in mind now because I'm a newlywed planning to spend my first Christmas with my in-laws (whose company, I should add, I enjoy). It's the second Christmas that I've spent away from my own immediate family and the house I grew up in...and I'm feeling a little sentimental.
The change has me thinking about the big and small family traditions that make this holiday special for me, including a mellow, song-filled Christmas Eve service at a nearby Moravian church, and then scratch-off lottery tickets and peanut and plain M&Ms in our stockings.
Last year I started my own little tradition of buying one new ornament each Christmas (inadvertently settling on an animal theme). This year I've made and hung stockings in my house, and I'll fill them with the aforementioned lotto chances and chocolate candy. My gifts may or may not involve Moravian stars. At the end of the month, I look forward to experiencing my husband's family's traditions, the only one I know about being a dinner of Chateaubriand steak.
All of this is to say that returning to familiar traditions make holidays special, but that there's always room to stumble upon, create, or partake in new ones. How have your traditions changed over the years?
MORE HOLIDAY TRADITIONS ON APARTMENT THERAPY:
• On Starting Your Own Family Holiday Traditions
• Hiding the Pickle & Other Weird Holiday Traditions
• Share Your Favorite Holiday Traditions
(Image: Flickr user gruntzooki licensed for user under Creative Commons)
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My mom always used to bake cookies while we were in bed. I didn't grow up making cookies, except one time with my sister who was 7 years older than I.
When my sister's 10 kids were young, I started a tradition of having them come over to my place to help me make all the variety of Christmas cookies. It was one huge marathon session and a blast. The little ones dipped pretzels in chocolate, unwrapped Hersey kisses, while each of the older ones had charge of a particular cookie. We would make 10-12 different kinds of cookies.
Sadly they are all teens and adults now with no time for our marathon baking. And everyone wants to eat healthier, so....
We also used to go to the Dayton's Holiday display in downtown Mpls as a family. An annual tradition that only my Mom and I have done for the past several years. However, next Tues, my sis and 4-5 of her youngest are joining me and Mom to see the display (now Macy's) this year. Yea!
Because our first and second floor is connected, and my house is quite vertical, we always get a 13 or 14 foot tall Christmas tree. It's so beautiful, even with plain lights and little else.
I grew up with going to Moravian Lovefeasts in NC every Christmas eve. I miss it now as I now live on the other side of the globe. I do still have a Moravian star on top of my tree. I miss certain foods around the holidays more but I have taken up baking and I am doing my best to make the treats that I miss the most like Moravian sugarcake. One new tradition though is a champagne toast at midnight on Christmas, which I have to say I like a lot. :)
I always spent Christmas with my family. Until last year - it was the first time I spent Christmas Eve with only my fiance. It was magical.
my husband & I we're trying to teach our children there' s more to Christmas than presents so before they got too old, we began focusing on making memories instead. once we went ice skating on Christmas morning, several times we went skiing and always went to a special place for breakfast. the kids are grown now & can't recall most of their gifts over the years but they still have fond memories of Christmas morning adventures.
lattebugg, what a fantastic childhood, and understanding of 'gifts' you gave your kids. Yay!!
We haven't any kids, but we do much the same with our nieces and nephews. Just last night we took a six year-old niece when we got our tree, then we drove through a local Festival of Lights display, which is something we've been doing for years with her older sister.
We also let the kids choose books to donate to a Gift of Reading program, and toys for Toys for Tots. We have a cookie baking date set up, and my ten year-old nephew loves making gingerbread with me.
I have ornaments from my childhood in the 50s that I love hanging on the tree. Some were made by my Gram and are especially precious to me. They bring back memories of best times with my amazing family.