Holidays
Well, we have about two weeks until Christmas. I am in shock at how quickly the time has flown this first semester. It seems the older I get, the faster time goes. My elders have been telling me this for years, but being that they are older and youth possesses a tinge of arrogance, I have listened with only one ear. They are right. It is easy for this time of year to go by very quickly. One of the ways to slow the time down is to take the time to remember tradition. Each of us has our own set of traditions that have either been started with our own immediate families or started with the previous generations.
These traditions are what root us to the family tree. These, more than anything, shape our belief systems, build our stories, and define who we are and will be. In my family, we have many traditions. One of our traditions is that I host Christmas Eve dinner at my house. I invite my family that lives near by or is town for the holidays. If everyone comes, I usually cook for about 25-30 people. It is wonderful to have everyone one at my home. Another tradition is rolled into the food. Like most, I make candy: chocolate covered pretzels, chocolate covered Oreos, and chocolate covered peanuts. I make pumpkin roll, and the usual cut outs for my kids to decorate. I also make snicker doodles. These are a family favorite. Christmas would not seem like Christmas without them.
About seven years ago, my grandmother passed away. I was in the middle of making this cookie when my dad called to tell me his mom had died. It was a very hard time. I tell you this because whenever I make this cookie and continue the tradition, it is more than just baking. It is about remembering those who have impacted us in ways we can never find the words to appropriately describe. It is about slowing time to spend one more moment with the ones we love and to build future memories for our children. My brother once made the statement when he was younger that he wanted a good "Look back to his future." We all laughed at the illogical nature of the statement. But it is true. Everything we do is about a "look back to our futures."
Your blog this week is for you to explain one family tradition at this holiday time and what "look back to your future" it has given you. What will you remember and what has it taught you?
71 comments:
Every Christmas, we would bring in a spit-roast pig and have everyone come over for Christmas dinner. We would always have someone carve the pig, preferably the kum (which means Godfather in Serbian), who would stand at the end of the table. We would always have a party and my dad would do a terrible impression of Santa without a costume or white beard. I feel like he just enjoyed poking fun at the existence of Santa Claus, so he just decided to bring in a giant bag of whatever he bought us for Christmas.
Every Christmas, we stay home for the entire day, the mornings start with just the members of our household gathering, opening the gifts we bought for eachother, having a breakfast of chocolate chip cookies and milk. Later on, we have our relatives come over, and laugh over memories and talking, watching our dog lou rip open his presents (and being more excited about ripping wrapping paper up). Then we have a big dinner and laugh it up until its time for everyone to leave. I love Christmas, its more of a time to bring people together than thanksgiving.
-EJS 3rd period.
Every year I spend Christmas with my mother, my two siblings, my grandparents and occasionally some of my other family members. Every morning on Christmas my siblings and I would wake up and check out all of the presents we have resting under the tree. Then, we all jump into my mother's bed and wake her up. After she is woken up, we all open up the presents we have recieved. After we are all done opening and exchanging our presents, we get ready for the day. Every year, we attend my grandmother's house for a huge dinner. This has always been my favorite part about Christmas. So, we spend the entire day at my grandparents house and enjoy one another's company. My family then eats the meal that my grandmother has prepared for us all. After we all have ate our delicious dinner, then we sit down and watch Christmas movies together.
Chelsea Durr 4/5
Unlike most people, my family and i celebrate the actual festivities on the 24th because of out Hungarian background. This tradition I hold is actually pretty close to my heart. As a kid I remember being able t brag I didn't have t wait all night in anticipation and go without sleep when I opened them the 24th night. Not only was it fun but we had out own little routine every year. First when it was dark we would go out and look at all of the houses and the lights. After we would dine at the "oh so festive" KFC. Then when we got home it was present time and then a nice long night of sleep so we could play with our presents the next day.
Steven z 7/8
It started 6 years ago. Halmark came out with these snowmen that sing diffrent songs. They only make 1 for that year then the next yer is a diffrent one. My mother knew about them and at first wasnt that interseted. I wanted to get one for her. I worked so hard to get one, maybe too hard. I did everything possible to get enough money. I was only 11 years old and jobs were hard to find. Finally I got enough to buy her the first one that started it all. It sang rockin around the christmas tree. I thought it was the coolest thing I have ever got my mom. When she opened it the look on her face was priceless. Since then she goes to halmark and buys one every year.
Amanda Y 3
Around Christmas time my mom always makes homemade buckeyes. My grandma and her always made them together and when I got big enough I helped them. Its a family tradition to make them every year.Now that my grandma lives far away my mom and I continue to do the tradition by making a batch every weekend. Not only has this taught me how to make some delicious buckeyes, but as I grow older it helped me to realize that I need to cherish every minute I have with my grandparents and parents because I know that they won't be around forever.
Around Christmas time my mom always makes homemade buckeyes. My grandma and her always made them together and when I got big enough I helped them. Its a family tradition to make them every year.Now that my grandma lives far away my mom and I continue to do the tradition by making a batch every weekend. Not only has this taught me how to make some delicious buckeyes, but as I grow older it helped me to realize that I need to cherish every minute I have with my grandparents and parents because I know that they won't be around forever.
Every Christmas, my family and I spend the whole day with other relative. The day starts out with opening presents, then we have a family breakfast, and go to church. When we get home from church, my aunts, uncles, grandparents and cousins come over for a big dinner. We then open more presents, and have desert. After that, our family friends come over for more desert, and to open more gifts. Finally to end the night, we all watch Christmas movies and tell stories.
Every Christmas, My family and I decorate as soon as december comes. On Christmas eve my mom and i will make chocolate chip cookies and me and my family then wait until midnight to open up presents and my mom records it every year. It has always been a family tradition to open up presents at midnight of christmas eve making it christmas day then visit my grandmothers later that christmas day for lunch and opening presents. I will continue this tradition in the future when i have all 15 of my kids.
In my family the traditions of christmas day are not as great as the ones of christmas eve. On christmas eve my whole family goes over my mother's biological mother's house and we celbrate christmas with one another. Then on our way home we pick up my mother's step mom who sleeps over our house christmas eve. On each christmas eve me and my sister get to open up on gift, the gift is always the same pj's. But we always look forward to it every year
Courtney Muller 7/8
Every year since I can remember, I have celebrated Christmas with my father's side of the family: my gramma and grandpa and my uncle and aunt. They come over at 2 PM every year and we have appetizers, dinner, and dessert, then exchange presents. Three years ago, this tradition changed when my grandmother passed away. Now, every year on Christmas I sit next to my granpa on the couch as he tells me the story of how he met my gramma. This means more to me than any other story he could ever tell, and no matter how many times I hear it it will never get old. I love listening to the ways he impressed my grandmother, the dates he tried to take her on, and how she gave him a hard time. This makes Christmas a special holiday for me because it brings my 90 year old grandfather and I even closer, and showed me the importance of storytelling.
--EZaranec 7/8
Every Christmas my family opens gifts together at my house. Later we go to my grandparents house in PA for dinner and open gifts there too. We also go to my other grandparents house that's about 15 minutes away. All my relatives from out of state go there too, it's one of the few times I get to see them. My family doesn't do much on Christmas except visit family but it's just nice to see eveyrone.
Every Christmas morning my brother and I wake up and go downstairs, while mom is video taping. My family watches the movie "The Christmas Story" and just relax. My mom usually makes breakfast such as pancakes or french toast and we enjoy breakfast together. After is when we finally open up our presents and get ready for the family dinner. This tradition has not only taught me to be patient to open on christmas morning, i enjoy this famiyl time and have realized that you mise well make every moment count, especially on a holiday that only comes once a year.
-Madison 3*
A sort of Christmas tradition that has remained true in my family since before I can remember is hanging ornaments on the tree. Every year for Christmas my parents buy a new ornament for each of my two sisters and myself. When we get the tree each year we take the time to all come together and put up the ornaments, each ornament houses a memory from the year that we received it. It's a bittersweet feeling, unboxing an ornament from when I was four years old, remembering the child-like innocence that was associated with the excitement I felt for Christmas. Although I'm never that excited anymore, it does give me a little more holiday cheer.
At Christmas time my family and I always wake up and open presents like everyone else but then we have breakfast. After that we go to church and then my mom and grandma make dinner. After dinner we always go see a family movie that come out around then. We spend the whole day together and just enjoy the time. We do this every so I concider it a tradition.
My family has always celebrated Christmas in a strange way.Every year on Christmas day since i can remember, my dad has had to work. Being a pilot, the holidays are a busy time. So every year me, my sister, and mom go over to my aunts house. We spend all day there with our two families, eating Chinese/seafood and watching movies in our pajamas. There were even a couple years my cousins bought live lobsters and let them run around the house before making our own fresh seafood. We still have Christmas, just the next week or day, or whenever we can. This was always so much fun for us and taught me that the actual day of the holiday doesn't matter much, and that new, stranger traditions can be just as good, maybe even better than the classic ones.
-McKenna Valasek
My family is not very typical I would say when it comes to traditions but we do have a few. One tradition we have during the holidays is that we go out and cut down our own Christmas tree every year. Honestly, I don't like it very much. This is how it goes... We go one the coldest day of the year right after a dangerous snow/ ice storm and usually it is snowing sideways when we go out that day. For some reason this always seems to happen. Also during this lovely family time, we walk in, I pick the first tree I think looks good, my mom wants to looks some more, so after looking at 400 trees that look the same, and then we pick the one I chose. Always seems to work out that way. Another family tradition we have is that our Christmas dinner consists of enchiladas, tamales, and various Spanish foods. We do this because we are Spanish and my great grandmother used to get the family together to make them. These are two traditions that I will always remember because they mean a lot to my family and it is a way to spend time together during the holidays.
Erica Jacks 7-8*
When I was little I always wondered how Santa got into my house on Christmas Eve because my house didn't have a chimney. I was always worried that Santa wouldn't be able to get into our house to deliver our presents. So when I was in fourth grade or so my grandma brought my sister and I a key with Santa's face on it, saying that it was from Santa for us to leave on the front door so that he could use it to get into our house. So we put the key out on our front door knob that Christmas Eve and when we woke up and came downstairs to a tree full of presents, the key was sitting on the cookie plate with the leftover crumbs and glass of half drunken milk. From that point on we have always put this key out on the front door every Christmas Eve just to make sure that Santa doesn't have any troubles getting into the house ;)
My families Christmas is quaint. There's usually about 15 of us. It's always at my house. Christmas, to us, is kind of like a year in review. It's a quiet day. The time lets us think about everything that's going on our lives and the countless experiences ahead. The holidays are an interesting time of year. They're usually portrayed as being jovial, but in reality, I find them to be melancholic. What are we doing with our lives that we have to set one predetermined week out of the year as the time to spend with our families and enjoy each others company. It's something to think about, and it's something I strive to correct. And, as it stands, nothing has changed, but that doesn't mean I don't make the most of it. We bake, watch Die Hard (the best Christmas movie), listen to music, open presents, drink Eggnog. All that sort of stuff. I love the Holidays, cliches and all.
Every year i spend christmas with my main family thats a big part of my life. on christmas eve i go to my aunts on my moms side then my stepdads family come over that evening. the next day we would wake up with gifts under the tree. after we exchanged presents i would go to my dads to spend the rest of the night with him. I love christmas it makes my family feel closer to eachother.
My family doesn't really have much tradition as my parents divorced when I was 2 and my father passed away when I was ten, but my whole family has become distant over the years. The closest I have to tradition is the shrimp me and my mom have had for the past three years and our steak dinner on Christmas eve then Christmas morning we open presents and just hang out but this year we are spending it with my grandparents and I'm not sure what will be happening just yet but I know for sure me and my mom are having our shrimp.
Every year my family goes to Buffalo, New York on Christmas Eve to my Grandpas’ house, and on Christmas Day to my Aunts’ house. Everyone except my immediate family lives in the area, so everyone attends. From this, I have learned the importance of staying in touch with family, and how spending time with family is important no matter how you do that. My mom, dad, brother, and I don’t see each other too often with my brother at college, me with school, and my parents at work, so even though it is just sitting in a car for 4 hours, it turns out to be really entertaining to spend time with them all.
About a week before christmas my Aunt, Grandma and I get together and make about 23 different cookie recipes for Christmas day, held at my house. Last year my Grandmas was making her specialty, rum balls, and she forgot if she already added the rum. So she ended up adding double. Those were some strong cookies. Every year we screw something up and have hilarious memories. We have been doing this for 5 or 6 years and I think its time we retire my Grandma to just making sugar cookies, and bring my sister in to help out. I love this tradition and the cookies we make. It is a great time and really makes my Christmas better.
Every christmas morning my siblings and I wake up and make our way downstairs to see that my dad hung up sheets around the opening to the family room where our tree is. My parents have done this ever since i was four. Now that my siblings and I are older, we dont think my dad needs to cover the tree to "see if santa came" but my dad still insists that we do it. After we open presents we get dressed and make our way to my grandma's house. When we get there, we all sit around the tv and watch the marathon of "The Christmas Story" on TNT. That movie is my families all time favorite chirstmas movie. Those are traditions i will always remember. I love the holidays and being able to spend time with my family.
Every Christmas eve my dads side of the family comes over, and we eat dinner and open presents. My cousins live out of state so this is really the only time we get to spend with them all year. We usually start the night off by eating dinner that my mom and aunt make, and then we open presents. After we open presents, my whole family sits in the living room and tells funny stories to each other. If my family didn't do this tradition every year than I don't think Christmas would feel the same. I look forward to seeing my cousins every year because I know its something that will never change.
Every Christmas as any typical family would do we wake up early to open presents. Relatives come over and we enjoy each other's company for the day telling stories opening gifts and having fun. This has been a family tradition for many years now and many more to come. When evening time comes around we of course have a big meal as a family. After doing this for so long i wouldn't want to spend my Christmas any other way then i do.
Every year my family goes looking at Christmas lights. We always grade each house we pass giving it an A, B, C, D, or F. We just pick one night that we are in the car and drive around. We sometimes bring hot chocolate or buy a warm drink at Starbucks. It is a great tradition that allows me to spend time with my family and bond. We look at the beauty of the night and the lights. It is amazing how something so simple can be beautiful. It makes me appreciate the little things in life.
During the holidays I have a tradition with my brother and sister. Every single year, they both stay in my room and we have our own little sleepover. We talk about what we think we might get for Christmas and what we know we're getting. This has been going on since I could remember.
This has taught me that one is never too old for Christmas and the excitement of it. Also, that the holiday isn't just about the gifts, it's about family.
I dont really have a tradition. My dad always leaves town on the holidays and my mom is a nurse so she is busy at work. So me and my mom have dinner the day before our after. My nephew will come over and have a blast because Christmas at my house is more for him than us because he is three years old. Something i always do every year since i was in about 4th grade was watch the Christmas cartoon specials on TV. I remember doing it at my house waiting for my mom to pick me up to take me back to The Polo Club because our house caught on fire.
My family is very big bakers. Every year around Christmas all the woman on my mom's side go to my Uncle Steve's house. There we bake desserts like pumpkin roll, cookies, and candy. I have grown up doing this my entire life. Then on Christmas my family comes to my house to celebrate. For breakfast my dad always makes homemade orange juice, chocolate chip pancakes, and sausage. After we eat we open presents! Around 2 the rest of my family comes over. We always watch The Christmas Story together. Family tradition is very important to me. When I am older and have my own family, I hope I can start a tradition of my own that my kids will remember forever!
Kristina M. 1*
Every Christmas Eve, my entire family comes to our house and we sit down and enjoy a home cooked meal. It reminds us that even though we may not always see one another, we are all family and we are connected, even the family member who have left us seem to come back and sit down for just one more meal. After dinner is over we all sit in the same room and exchange gifts, followed by hours of quality family time, whether it's sharing stories or watching TV. Christmas is the one time a year when my family comes together for an entire night.
Every Christmas Eve, my whole family gets together. It is one of the only times that we are all together expect for birthday parties but not everyone attends. It makes me laugh that my family gets into arguements about who should have Christmas Eve. My mom get usually get nominated. We do the same thing every year, we spilt up what everyone makes for dinner. My cousin and I have made it a tradition to wear ugly christmas sweaters. All we do is eat, exchange gifts and spend time together. On Christmas day, I go to my dads but he will not be around this year. I will look back and realize that family time is so important in life.
One of my families traditions is on Christmas eve the family is all over my house, and we have dinner. After dinner we go look at christmas lights for a few hours and drive around. When we get home on christmas eve the family sits around the table and we play games, like LCR, or spoons.After we play games we all go to bed and my parents set out the christmas presents for the morning to come. On christmas day we just sit around and eat left overs from the night before. We don't have family around us so its just my parents and my siblings.
Every Christmas my family would wake up early to get ready for church at 8:00 am. The rule in our house for opening presents was simple: Open one present before church and all the rest after we came home. That was always exciting especially when we were young as we sat for a whole hour during mass wondering what we got. After all the presents are opened we would prepare for our entire family to come over. Christmas is always nice because it is the only time we are able to get both sides of our family together. And one of my absolute favorite traditions that started about six years ago is called the Christmas Game. Every year I create a game about Christmas for the entire family to try, and the winner always gets a trophy. I love how our family is so competitive over this one tradition, and it is a lot of fun for everyone.
Jennifer Sens 7-8
During Summer of 2001, my dad and I were sitting in his room watching an Indians game when my mother called. She had said that night her mom, my grandmother, had passed away. She had been in a battle with lung cancer, and she had done all she could. This loss hit my mother and I more than anyone else in our family. Every Christmas, I could not wait to visit my grandmother's house. I had a connection with her that will never be forgotten. This was also my grandmother's favorite holiday, which became my mom's. She would call my grandmother before Christmas and have endless conversations about the upcoming holiday and what would be going on. Every year once my mom is done putting up our christmas tree, she sits down and stares at it as I can see the tears in her eyes. I go and sit with her and just stare silently like she does. I just try to be with my mother and remember the amazing times we spent with my grandmother.
Sean W.
For as long as I can remember, on Christmas day my family has always gone over to my Grandma's house. It's usually a small gathering, just a couple aunts, uncles and cousins, but it's nice spending time with everyone. When I was little, my parents always made me wait to open my presents until we got there that evening. The suspense of not being able to open gifts first thing in the morning always drove me crazy, but it just made me look forward to going to her house more. Even today, I still enjoy going over on Christmas Day, and it reminds me of how excited I would get when I was younger.
- Jimmy Rutkowski 2nd period
Every other year for Christmas, my famil would put up the Christmas tree and would have my family from Dayton come to out house during the day. When night comes, we would go to my Aunt Karen's house and visit the rest of my family there. The other years I am not home for Christmas. I go to my father's house up in Michigan and every time we go, it is something different. We normally spend one or even two weeks up there for Christmas break. We sometimes go to my stepmom's mom's house and visit with her side of the family. It isn't the most exciting thing because I don't know everyone very well, but my dad always does things with us, like sledding and snowboarding. All of the Christmases I have had have been memorable to me.
For as long as I can remember, we've done the same thing every Christmas. We would wake up at the same time, open presents in the same order, my family members would even bring the same dish to dinner. It's always been a very small get together, just my grandmother, uncle, and aunt. This year we won't have that though, because my uncle is moving down to Florida so we are leaving to drive down there on Christmas Day at five a.m. When I found this out I realized how much I enjoy the simplicty of our Christmas every year, and how much I will miss it this year.
Lauren S.
4/5 Period
The Kratche family is a family of tradition. Every year on Christmas day we have the same tradition that has been in effect since my dad was in high school. My dad's whole side of the family is required to be there, no matter where you are living or the circumstances you are in, you WILL be there. After Christmas dinner we open presents and are then forced to sing Christmas carols around the piano. Ever since I can remember, it is for my grandma, and for her only. No one else gets any enjoyment for her, but we do it for her. And every year my cousin Brooke and I ask to be the five golden rings in "The Twelve Days of Christmas" and everyone else fights it out for the twelve drummers (just so they can sing the least amount possible to appease my grandmother.)And even though none of us enjoy it, having thirty people in a room all singing together, pleasing my grandma is awesome. She is an amazing woman who has defeating great odds, coming from nothing, a a broken home with immigrant parents and has become the most generous person I know. She has done so much for all of us and even though we are a growing family that gets bigger every year, she continues to spread herself for all of us, and does a great job doing it. You never have to guess her love. She is definitely someone that I emulate. She has taught her children a lot who have in turn taught us. She has taught us all how to teach children and how to love people. Every year, we all dread caroling, but it makes her happy so we do it. And God forbid, there is a year where there is not a person to carol for, we will most likely do it anyway. With our family growing and all the grandchildren getting married and having their own children, we may soon have to break and do Christmas as separate family units. I hope that day never comes. I love our traditions.
A Christmas tradition on my family is our yearly ornament shopping beach year my parents, brother, and I go out and choose a new ornament for our tree. We pick ones that say something about the year, or just one that reflects our current interests. My parents want my brother and I to take ours when we move out, so we will always have that part of our past in our futures. My favorite thing is setting up the tree and hanging all the ornaments from past years. It is a tradition I plan to continue with my own family one day.
Nicole Rouge
Every CHristmas my mother and I always sit down one evening and take all the cook books we have and pick out which ones we are going to make. On Christmas Eve me and my mother wake up at 8 am and make cookies and everything else. We are up until 10 pm.
My family tradition is simply grapefruit. Every Christmas morning we eat grapefruit for breakfast and usually never again at any other time of year. Don't ask me why a tropical fruit has to be apart of our family Christmastime, especially in the middle of winter when I doubt it's in season, but that is the way it is. Each year, we seem to try to perfect how to eat them properly. A grapefruit is sliced in half with one half in each person's bowl and then doused with sugar. The problem comes when you try to scoop out the grapefruit flesh in between the spokes of rind. If you've never attempted this just imagine an orange or other citrus fruit and how it is divided into sections. From a cross-cut, one must dig into the squishier edible part with considerable force. Year by year, we've tried cutting the sections out with a knife this way or that to minimize hassle and time-consumption. I can't remember correctly if we have found the decidedly best way yet but I suppose we'll find out this year.
Every year my family and I spend Christmas Eve with our cousins. The location has changed every couple of years, but the same people are always there. We have dinner, a lot of which is made by my grandmother and great aunt, then all of the adults relax and talk, while my brother, my oldest cousin, and I play with the younger children. Eventually, we open gifts, and just have fun until late at night, when we all start to leave one by one to prepare for the next day.
Every Christmas eve, my family and I go to my grandmothers house. We get ready for church and afterwards head to her house for dinner. It is my moms side of the family and we celebrate it as the Ukraine's do. We eat the traditional food, which includes no meat and dairy. Afterwards we all open presents for each other. The Christmas season is a wonderful season because it brings everyone together more and everyone is happy. I hope to keep this tradition alive in the future with my kids.
Cassie 3rd period
Every Christmas Eve, my whole dad's side of the famly gathers at my grandma's house. Around 6:30 or 7:00 we start dinner. It always begins with my grandpa leading us in a prayer, then the whole family singing Silent Night. Now, our dinner may not be seen as a normal Christmas Eve dinner. We eat a traditional dinner. It is made up of twelve meatless dishes. Honestly, I'm not a fan of it, but it's tradition. After dinner we sing Christmas carols for about two hours, we always have fun with it. Shortly after we open presents and the night is already over. When my family arrives back to our house, my mom reads my sisters and I "'Twas the Night Before Christmas". This has gone on for the seventeen years of my existence, and I plan on continuing this in the future.
Every Holiday I spend my time with myu family or friends, yes everyone say why are you spending it with your friends and not your family? well to me its not about all family, its about having a good time, making memories and living your life, your only on this earth for so loing have the fun and good times when you can before time is up. You only live once.
Every year for Christmas me and my family celebrate twice. Once with my dad's side of the family and the other with my moms side. For both, we have really big christmas dinners and even though I am 18 years old, I stil get placed at the kids table. Christmas has changed since my parents told me that Santa wasn't real, but i still love to spend the time i do with my family.
On Christmas eve my family and I decorate our Christmas tree for the morning. Everyone has to be there and everyone has to help out. Christmas carols play in the background. After this has finished we put on our coats and go for a drive to look at all the Christmas lights and talk about past Christmases. This was the tradition when my mother was growing up, and now it is the tradition for our family. I look forward to this night each year because it makes me happier than any other day. It makes me feel like a young child again, with all the magic the holiday holds for me. This feeling is what I will hold forever in my memory. It has also taught me the importance of family and communication. It has taught me that each family needs something to bring them together and renew their bonds. I will pass this tradition onto my family as my mother did.
Every Christmas Eve my parents, grandparents and I all go to 4:00 pm Mass. After, we go to my Grandparents’ house for Prime Rib, Shrimp, Mashed potatoes, and other delicious food options. Then we open gifts from “Santa” and enjoy each others’ company. I will never forget this tradition. My parents and grandparents are the most important and influential people in my life. I have learned so much from them and I enjoy spending time with them. This tradition has taught me the importance of family. I learned that family will always be there for you no matter what. I would be nothing without my family. Family should come first in your life because they will be there no matter what. As I grow older, I hope to continue this tradition with my family. I want my family to have the same sense of love, peace, and care as I did during the holidays. The holidays are a special time and they should be spent with the ones who are always there: Family.
Every year on Christmas eve me and my whole family go to dinner and then go to church. On Christmas day me and my brother open presents. After we open them my dad cooks a big break fest for us. Then we usually watch Christmas movies, until the rest of my family arrives. But we always call are families out of state to hear what they got for Christmas too. When the rest of my family gets to our house we exchange gifts with them too. Christmas day is always at my house, and it wouldn't be the same any other way.
Lgreen. 4/5
Every Christmas morning, I look forward to one thing. It's not the presents. It's not the brilliant Christmas tree. It's not even the Garfield Christmas comic. When I wake up on Christmas morning, I want cinnamon rolls. For as long as I can remember, this has been the family breakfast on Christmas. It wouldn't be Christmas without these delectable treats, and what makes them special is that they're only served in my household on Christmas and Easter mornings. And, while a seemingly small thing, they actually have a great importance in our christmas celebration. We all sit down at the table and eat breakfast together. Later on in the day, with the presents unwrapped and half of the family engulfed in whatever they find exciting at the moment, the family is together, but not as it is in the morning. Sitting at the table, eating our cinnamon rolls, we take time out of the hectic day do enjoy the feeling of Christmas. We take time to give thanks for the lovely day ahead, and we do this all together.
Every Christmas eve my family and I go to church and then to my grandmas house to open gifts on my moms side of the family. The youngest always go first because they're so excited. Then on Christmas day we open gifts under the tree and then head to my dads side of the family for dinner. Christmas has always been the same for me over the past 17 years and its always my favorite part of the year. I love spending time with my family and i plan to do similiar things when i am older.
Every Christmas, my family goes to church on Christmas Eve, and we spend Christmas with family members (fascinating, I know). But, it has certainly taught me many things. First off, it always keeps the TRUE meaning of Christmas in mind; Jesus and family. Secondly, it always helps to emphasize the IMPORTANCE of family; I see a lot of family members on Christmas who I never see during the year. So, those are the impacts that these oh-so-interesting "traditions" have had on me
Every Christmas my Grandparent's from southern Ohio come up and to celebrate and exchange gifts with us. Then we eat a big Christmas dinner and they go home. The rest of us spend the next couple days wallowing around in our presents and not leaving the house, until someone (usually one of my sisters) declares something of theirs needs returning, whether due to being the wrong size, broken, or whatever reason. This forces us to reenter society and everything is back to normal. I'm sure there's a tradition in there somewhere. Satisfyingly average Christmases for life!
every year my family goes to mass and then we go to my aunts house for christmas eve dinner and to exchange gifts. This is a time for family and to cheerish your family. in the future i hope to continue with traditions and teach my kids the importance of family. this is a wonderful time to be with ur family and give and care for one another. I want my kids and future family to see how important family is during the hoildays and cheerish them. My family always loves these times and cheerish our times togethers
tommy slusarski
I never thought of any part of my family's Christmases as traditional. Every year we do things differently whether it's going to one of our relatives' houses, hosting it at ours, or enjoying a quiet day to ourselves. But one thing that's remained constant every Christmas, besides the fact that I spend it with mom, dad, and my little brother, is the Christmas lunch/dinner. It's not that we eat the same thing every year, but that we have it around the same time every year. Eating whatever meal it is reminds me of my past Christmases spent with cousins and aunts and uncles in other houses and the food we ate at that time. For me, eating on Christmas day makes me reminisce about old times when I was younger and our family frequently made the trip to Canada to visit aunts and uncles for a few days. So I'm not sure that eating at relatively close times every year counts as a tradition, but it's what we do and seems to be the closest thing I have to a tradition for the holidays.
Every Christmas my mom's side of the family and my family place a pickle ornament in the tree randomly and the first person to spot it gets to open the first present. We usually let our dog open most of our presents, we get a kick out of that. This year's Christmas will be more meaningful to me as I might not be home for another Christmas for the next few years.
Every christmas eve me and my whole family go to my grandmas house for a get together. i love going and seeing my family and spending time with them. Then we go to my uncles and have a huge party with my WHOLE family and its lots of fun. it taught me family is always their for you and the most important and the ones their in the end.
mike t. 6-7
One of my favorite family traditions is one that extends back about three generations. It started when my grandparents came over from Germany to live in the USA. On their first Christmas here, they didn't have a lot of money and couldn't afford any decorations. So my grandmother took it upon herself to make her own. At some point, she realized she didn't have a tree to hang any ornamints on. As my grandpa walked in the door coming home from work that evening, he was quickly rushed off to the nearby forest to cut down a tree, as he brought it back, the tree broke in half. So that year, my grandparents only had a three foot tall tree to decorate. Ever since then, our families (being mine and any siblings of my father's) have put up a three foot tall tree in our homes to help preserve our family's first Christmas in America. This tradition has taught me no particular lesson, but through this story, I've heard many others, those of which have molded me to the person I am today. - A Hetzel 3rd Period
I'm not sure if this would qualify as a tradition, but I never put ornaments on my families tree. We've always owned at least two cats and everyone with cats knows that ornaments and cats don't mix. Every time we try to put them on the cats either destroy the bulbs or the tree itself. I have no idea why my cats are such anarchists, but it turned into a tradition that the only thing on my tree is a star and maybe some lights.
My favorite tradition is making rice balls with my family for our Christmas Eve party. All the ladies on my mom's side of the family get together and make my great-grandma's recipe. After a long night of cooking and drinking red wine they always end up spending the night at my Grandma Chris' house. As a little kid I thought it was so cool that I got to have a giant slumber party with the adults. Now I look at it as a nice time to sit and get to know my family even better. We cry together thinking about my Uncle who passed, we poke fun at the family member who burnt the rice balls last year,we make bets on who will burn them this year, and everyone gets a good laugh at my grandma after a glass of wine, "They used to call me Dotty" - okay grandma haha.
-Samantha Hoyt
my favortie tradtion is leaving out cookies and milk for santa. we do it every year because my little brother still believes in him. my dad usally takes a couple bits and leaves hime a not and its signed santa. we also leave carrots out for santa to give to his rain deer. my little brother really enjoys doing these things. its a great feeling waking up in the morning and running downstairs to see if santa ate your cookies or not, i remember from when i was a kid.
One Christmas tradition we have in my family is everyone comes over to my house for Christmas day to open presents. I enjoy it because it allows me to see everyone in my family and it allows us all to stay pretty close together as a family. It's a good look into both the past and present because it makes me think about who's been there in the past and what gives have been given and received it also makes you think about and it makes you think about how the future is going to be there and what new faces will arrive and what old faces will be missing.
Every Christmas Eve, my whole family goes to church, after church is over, the family goes over to my grandma's where we have appetizers and talk and laugh about the past. When it gets later, one of my family members goes outsides and shakes a bell so all my little cousins hear it and think Santa is on his way to their house. The bell shaking has been a tradition since my dad, aunt, and uncles were little kids. I enjoy this tradition because it brings back good memories and it is fun to see the reactions on my cousins faces when they hear the bell.
Every Christmas we used to get together as a family and extended family with at my Great Grandmother's house. As family members have passed and she has gotten older we now get together at my Great Aunt's house. Great Grandma (GG) is still there with us and we always have her traditional pirogi dinner. This has taught me that the location or the meal may change but family will always be a constant.
Each year, my family follows a tradition of sorts (it's completely unintentional). We start with going to church Christmas Eve, and afterwards, myself, along with my brother and sister, go downstairs to our basement to sleep. We watch a holiday movie in my room while falling to sleep (yes, my room is in our basement), and my sister falls asleep before the movie ends, and I'm the last one to fall asleep. Then, at 8 a.m., my siblings and I go upstairs to wake up our parents via jumping on the bed, who are already awake. We talk for about a half-hour, after which my parents go to the Christmas tree in our sunroom to "see if Santa came," while putting up the camera, and my siblings and I wait in the hall holding each other's eyes closed. My mom then leads us through to the tree, and has us look at the tree and presents at the same time. We set ourselves up in the same paces we sat last year, and pass out the presents. The kids open a few, and then our parents open a few, and we continue this until all the presents are opened. We then disperse, carrying our gifts to our rooms, and eat the candy in our stockings as breakfast. We stay in our rooms until about noon, when we start to share our gifts and cook dinner. We eat dinner around three in the afternoon. We then re-disperse into our rooms where we stay until the end of the day.
This taught me that these traditions that my family has is different from what every other has, despite being in the same circumstances as others, and That I'm a part of something nobody else has.
Every Christmas Eve for as long as I can remember, my family and I have gone over my grandmother's house. It's one of the few times during the year that I get to see her. While there, we eat, socialize, and exchange gifts. It's not much, but I enjoy the occasion. It has taught me to cherish family as well as the time you have ti spend with them.
Each year, some time before Christmas, my family bakes cookies at my Aunt's house. This tradition is important because it is a time when we work together to create something. It is a time of visiting and celebration, but also a reminder of the evils of gluttony because of the excess of cookies generated. We never eat all the cookies that are made. This tradition is always anticipated for its communal aspects and remembered for its excessive cookie baking.
every christmas my little brother wakes me up in the morning at about 5 in the morning and then we stay up all day and unwrap presents then my grandparents come over and eat breakfast and then we go over to there house and we eat dinner and play games all day and usually we sleep over there and this tradition teaches me that family is more important than anything during the holidays.
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