The Simplest of Traditions
By Brenda Hyde
Each of us has special holiday traditions that we treasure. However,
each
one is as unique as are our families. They may be small, they may
be serious or fun, spiritual or festive. That is what I love about the
holidays.
There is no right or wrong way to start your family traditions! It's
the love
and the consistency of the tradition that gives it heart and soul. It
makes us feel a part of something bigger than ourselves;
gives us joy and comfort. That often happens even among turmoil in our
lives.
Our visitors at Seeds of Knowledge have always been open about
sharing their traditions with us. We are honored to share some of them
here, so you can learn of new traditions and smile at some that may
be familiar.
Christmas Memories and Traditions
My mother always had a Christmas stocking for each of us 7 children
filled with nuts, an orange, an apple. some hard candy and a peppermint
stick. Every year everyone of us got the same thing until we moved out
of the house. As long as we lived there it was the same thing. Also
every Christmas since I can remember and even now my mother has a huge
fruit salad for dinner. Every fruit you can imagine is in it. that has
never changed in all these 48 years that I remember. ~Linda
Having a huge Christmas brunch with hand-made frankfurters on
rye bread, grapefruit and oranges with cherries on top,
my mother's homemade Christmas bread, marvelous scrambled
eggs made by my brother, and lots of love! We have this brunch after
opening presents on Christmas morning and have done so since I was 5 or
so. ( I am
now 50!) ~Stephanie
Every year since our daughter was little, we went out looking for a
fresh Christmas tree at a farm, to cut down. Our daughter is married
and living in another state, but they come for Christmas with our new
Grandson. The cutting down of a Christmas tree now continues for
another generation. ~Andrea
We have a delicious fruit salad that my mother always used to make for
the holidays. It is calle the "24 Hour Salad" as you make it
(theoretically) a day ahead and then it kind of marinates and is very
yummy. For a few years, I was divorced and had many irons in the fire,
as it were, and I volunteered to make this dish my contribution to
family doings. Many holidays and years later, I have come to renam this
dish the "Variable Time Salad," as frenzies seem to overtake my life
and the salad making gets left until later and later. The salad has
become the Moody Family Urban Legend, and my grown children and their
cousins find it all very amusing. Sincerely, or as nearly sincerely as
we get... The Moody Family
Every Christmas Eve we would open one present from my great grandmother.
It was always pajamas that we would wear to bed. Now that she is no
longer with us I really miss that tradition. It was a way for her to be
with us even if we were miles apart.
~Maki
The first Monday in december my husband and our kids climb in the car
and go find our tree then dad gets to saw it down. We load up our tree
bring it home and then dad gets to adjust tree in tree stand. Then he
gets to put on the Christmas music while our girls begin decorating the
tree and they sing along with the music. It's so nice to let our kids do
these things and see the happiness in them. I missed out on this when I
was a child. Our tree sat on the back porch til we went to bed on Christmas
Eve, then mom decorated while we slept. It was a sight to see in the
morning, but I believe letting our girls do everything is more enjoyabe
for us and them. ~Margaret
When I was a child, my parents took us to church on Christmas Eve. When
we got home, my brother and I always asked if we could open our
presents. The answer was always 'no'. (of course, looking back, now
I'm very glad they made us wait!!) But, one year, my mom started a very
nice tradition of letting us open one present. After the first year or
two, my mom started buying a small stuffed animal and presenting it to
each of us when we got home from church. I loved looking forward to my
new "friend" and it didn't take away from the opening of presents the
next day!! ~Jenni
Our family bakes holiday goodies together the day before Christmas
Eve.Then we all gather around the fireplace with a cup of hot cocoa and
tell christmas stories about our favorite things about christmas. ~Kim
My favorite christmas memory is decorating the tree. My grandmother had
all of these antique ornaments. I remember all of us very carfully
unwrapping each one and finding the perfect spot on the tree. I now have
two small children of my own. Gage is 20 months and Madison is 4 months
and I plan to decorate the tree with them also. I even have some of
those treasured old ornaments that my grandma gave me. ~Shasta
Every Christmas now, for about 4 years, we have played a game.
Each family member on Christmas morning picks one of the gifts for the other family member (son
picks gift for Daddy) and we all close our eyes while the person hides
it. Then the person who's gift it was has to hunt it. The only help
he/she will get is: "hot or cold". Till that person finds their gift and
it is another person's turn.
We play this game because we are a small family and we don't see our
families often because we are living in another country. We try and make
Christmas fun. ~Moira
The year that could potentially been our worst turned out one of the
best Christmas's we've ever had. We were in the process of moving our
trailer to a new site. Some problems developed, and we ended up at
Christmas "living" in a double wide that had a foot wide gap between
sides... no electricity, no phone, no water. A good friend took us into
her home, but we didn't want to intrude on their family Christmas. She
packed up a picnic meal, and with jugs of water and lots of blankets, we
stayed at our place. We didn't want to deprive the boys... aged 10, 10,
and 14 (step-brothers). We got a pine branch, stuck it in a bucket and
tied it against a wall. The boys made paper chains and snowflakes for
the tree, and a big paper star. They were so proud to help out! With a
thermos of hot chocolate, Christmas cookies, and our picnic, it turned
into a wonderful close family Christmas. ~Betty
My grandfather had told me
when I was 5, that on
Christmas eve, the animals in
the barn (we lived on a farm)
could talk... for a few
moments at the stroke of
midnight. Accordingly, I waited until everyone was asleep, and then
crept out to
the barn- and sure enough;
I fell asleep. When I woke up,
there was a giant candy cane
in my hand, and oranges
stuffed in my coat pockets! ~Cindy
Every Christmas morning at 5 a.m. our church youth group would travel to
all the older church members' homes and sing Christmas carols. This was
a small country church so this was quite a feat to haul all of our group
to houses in the country and neighboring towns. Every one of those
people were awake and waiting for us! And they always sent lots of
homemade cookies, candy, etc. with us. When we returned to the church,
our sponsors always had a big breakfast ready for us, but most of us
were full from all the treats given us while caroling! My little
brother would get so upset with me because we couldn't open our
Christmas gifts until I got home and he would get tired of waiting. We
always had such a good time! It was wonderful!!! ~Diana
Every year our neighborhood put on "Light Up Lakewood Forest", the name
of our subdivision. One Sunday evening in the month of December we all
"light up" our homes and bring out tables with refreshments and drinks
and everyone walks around the block to enjoy each others holiday
refreshments. We have a Santa and a "Toys For Tots" box, a small zoo, a
chorus group from one of the local schools. It is sooooooo much fun and
my children, as well as my husband and myself, look forward to this
wonderful evening. Remembering Jesus is the reason for the season!
~Susan
My grandmother made each of her grandchildren a felt stocking, which she
embellished with beads. They are treasured today but very fragile. I
continue the tradition by cross-stitching each niece and nephew a
stocking when they are born. I hope my stockings will rekindle warm
christmas memories for years and years like my NaNa's do ~Elizabeth
We pull out our family photo collection every December, and add any
we've collected during the year. Then we scan the new ones, add a few
"oldies but goodies" and print it out on good quality print paper. We
"autograph" pictures we appear in, adding a comical or loving comment to
each one, taking turns. New members of the family, such as new
sisters-in-law, are given a special "welcome" version after they marry
into the family; this lets them in on the family circle, so they get to
know us, and makes them feel part of us. Copies of the picture collage
are sent to the entire family, near and far. It lets distant members
keep up with the happenings, and no one ends up hoarding all the good
pictures. We share! Blessings to digital technology! ~Robyn Carozza
When out daughter was three (she is now 44) both sets of grandparents
were visiting for the holidays. To dress up the Christmas morning
brunch table, I tied tiny red bows on the stems of the crystal. She
thought it was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. I have never
been allowed to stop. When the family (all grown now) on Christmas
morning, there are tiny red bows on the stems of the crystal.
~Claranne
We make small, flat refrigerator magnets with Christmas designs. Old
cut-up Christmas cards work well. We include them in our Christmas
cards to friends and family. They tell us that they leave them where
they can see them all year to keep a little Christmas in their hearts.
In many homes that we visit during the year we see the little Christmas
magnets we send on the refrigerators. It is a tiny gift that lasts and
lasts. ~Elizabeth
When my 3 kids were little they would pick one unopened present and donate it to a charity to give to poor children at Christmas. They were poor too,
and just didn't know it. Their sister just passed away after a battle with
cancer. We will buy her gifts this year and donate them to keep her
memory alive and put a smile on another child's face. ~Patsy
