“The traditions we create now will be the memories our children cherish in the future.” — Unknown
I came across the above quote last night and even though I could find no attribution I’m going to use it anyway because I love the idea behind it—so simple and pure. After all, my reverence for tradition today dates back 30 some odd years to my own childhood. Many of my most-cherished memories come from the wonderful customs my parents (and even grandparents) introduced me (and my siblings) to back then. They are so powerful that sometimes I struggle with altering them based on my own family’s desires and preferences. But then, isn’t that kind of the beauty of tradition—passing them down generation to generation but tailoring them just slightly to make them our own? The tradition itself doesn’t change, only our beautifully unique take on that tradition. I find that concept hauntingly sentimental, and one I hope to instill within my own children one day.
Speaking of our own unique interpretation, I’d love to share some of the new ideas I’m planning for my family this year, with the hope that we’ll add at least one or two of them to our already-bursting list of beloved holiday traditions:
1) Polar Express Night: We may not be visiting the North Pole in person this year or caroling and prancing alongside Santa’s elves, but I’ve decided there’s no reason our cherished train ride has to be cancelled. Instead we’re going to recreate our own Polar Express here at home: We’re going to don our most festive PJs, stream the movie soundtrack (thank you Amazon Prime!) for singing and parading around the family room, whip up a batch of sugar cookies and hot chocolate with marshmallows, and then end our night with a reading of The Polar Express story book. It’s going to be epic (I hope)!
2) Gingerbread Houses: We are a family that loves to experiment with homemade decadence and I can’t think of a more Christmasy way of using our combined skills than by baking, building, and decorating a gingerbread house (or two) from scratch. Our decor will include: gum drops, M&Ms, mini candy canes, Christmas sprinkles, mini marshmallows, flaked coconut, white frosting, and food coloring for festive holiday hues. I can’t wait to see how my kids deck out their happy homes!
3) Christmas Scavenger Hunt (Indoor): My kids had such a blast with the outdoor scavenger hunt I created for Halloween that I decided to recycle the idea for Christmas—only this time we’ll hunt inside for all things yuletide. And the best part: My kids can read now so that means it’s hands off for mom and dad. Instead, we’ll just sit back with a very merry cocktail and let them have at it! Win-win! Anyone have suggestions for a yummy Christmas cocktail??
4) “Caroling” & Coloring: I love to color. It’s fun, relaxing, mind-numbing, and a great way to spend quality time with my kids without having to play make-believe (if you know me well, you know I hate playing—it’s just not my strength as a momma and I avoid it at all costs, sorry not sorry!). But coloring, oh, coloring I will do almost any time my kids ask, and they ask a lot because they love it, too, especially my son. And since we play Christmas music pretty much every waking hour, I thought it would be kinda cool to combine coloring with an evening of “caroling” around the kitchen table. I’m quite sure hot chocolate and cookies will be involved, too!
5) Puzzle & Game Day: Much like the scavenger hunt, our “pin the spider on the spiderweb” game was a huge hit on Halloween, so I’ve decided our Christmas version will be “pin the hat on the elf!” My husband doesn’t know it yet, but he’ll be in charge of drawing and decorating the elf (I cannot draw to save my life) and I will handle the hats. I also bought a special Christmas Bingo game, Yahtzee (only the best game ever), Uno, and we have a few Rudolph-related puzzles that I thought we could do as a family. Finally, I saw a cute idea on Facebook for a Santa Claus Countdown Calendar that I want to replicate. It’s not exactly a game but I’m adding it here anyways.
6) Our church’s Virtual Christmas Concert: One of my fondest childhood (and even young adult) memories is Christmas Eve mass. I adored everything about it: dressing up, the candles flickering in the dark, the Christmas story/homily, the packed pews, seeing family and friends. But the best part was always the music and the choir. There’s just something about hearing Christmas carols played and sung live that fills me with such peace and joy. I cannot get enough. So, when I saw an advertisement for this concert at our church last year, I absolutely had to attend and I’m so happy we did because it brought back a lot of special memories. I didn’t think it would happen this year but then the church decided to host a virtual concert to “help add some normalcy to the Christmas holiday,” and I couldn’t be more thrilled! It’s slated for early December on a Sunday at dusk—exactly the time we used to attend mass when I was a child. I can’t think of a better way to spend a Sunday evening than listening to a choir sing classic carols while snuggled together in our home under the warm glow of our Christmas tree.
7) Josh Groban’s Christmas Concert & Trans-Siberian Orchestra’s “Christmas Eve And Other Stories”: Josh Groban is live-streaming his first-ever holiday concert and I don’t even have words to express how delighted I am. My favorite vocalist singing my favorite holiday classics during my most favorite time of year! I think it might be the second-best gift I could get this season (the first is being able to spend Thanksgiving with my parents after being apart for 10 months). Fingers crossed he plays “O Holy Night” and “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas.” I hope I’ll be able to see through all the tears I’m sure will be pouring down my face! He couldn’t have picked a more perfect year to bring a little extra holiday cheer to his fans.
And then there’s the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. I had the chance to see them live years back (early 2000s) and they rocked it, so buying access to their holiday livestream was a no-brainer. I love orchestral arrangements any day of the week, but for Christmas classics?! It’s a whole new level and an awesome one at that. I’m obsessed with their songs “Christmas Eve-Sarajevo” (make sure you blast this one at high volume) and “Christmas Canon.” Check ’em out if you’re unfamiliar. These virtual shows likely won’t become a family “tradition” for obvious reasons but what a way to end this Year That Must Not Be Named—with a boom, a bang, and a get the hell out! Now, if only we could get Michael Bublé on board, too …
8) Christmas Charity: Not sure this idea will pan out, but this year has really lit a fire under my butt to reach out and help others. So, I’ve been researching where my family can donate homemade Christmas cards. It would be so much fun to spend an afternoon writing and decorating holiday messages for children or seniors or anyone else in need and bringing some sunshine into their lives. Just to let them know they aren’t alone and that someone is thinking of them. We always donate Christmas gifts through our church’s giving tree, as well, and this year will be no exception, pandemic or not. This world needs more love, more kindness, more compassion, and I’m determined my family will do our part. It will be a valuable lesson for my children, too, which is extremely important to me.
And there you have it, a list of traditions, old and new, to celebrate the beauty and joy of this glorious holiday season and to make beautiful memories to last a lifetime—mine and my children’s. I simply can’t wait to get started!
Do you and your family have any special traditions? Share them below; I genuinely want to hear about them!