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Christmas Traditions

12/22/2015

8 Comments

 
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My husband, Allan, and I have been crafting Christmas memories for almost forty years. We have added new ornaments to the tree each year to remind us of something that we experienced as a family, baked and decorated hundreds of cookies, read ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas with kids snuggling on our laps, tramped through woods on frozen ground to find just the right tree, strung lights across the bushes and roofline, hung the stockings my mother hand-sewed, created communities with Dickens Village houses, watched countless Christmas movies…you get it. While some of the traditions have evolved as our kids have grown (“Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” was replaced long ago with “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” and the outside lights are now just candles in the windows), many remain just because it is something we have always done. 

It will probably come as no surprise then, as our children are now young adults, that we are downsizing Christmas (or at least trying to). A few weeks ago I was having lunch with my thirty-something daughter. The conversation went something like this:

Me:      I don’t think I’m going to put up the stockings this year.
Ann:     What??? You have to! And they need to be hung on the staircase where they always go!
Me:       I’ve also been thinking about not baking as many cookies. After all, you just aren’t around to help me decorate             them, or eat them!
Ann:     But what about the Russian Tea Cakes and the Peanut Blossoms – you have to make those!

She must have quickly alerted her brother, because it wasn’t long before I got a text message from him.
 
I went home that day and thought about what she said as I looked over the pictures from Christmases past – a history of memories caught in a series of snapshots. What I came to realize is that although both of my children are beginning to start their own Christmas traditions, the ones they grew up with say “home,” and Christmas is about coming home to the comfortable traditions they helped create.
 
While there are some traditions I will always keep (like adding an ornament each year that symbolizes something special), there are others that eventually will change or maybe just fade away. But Christmas will always be about home and the memories we created as a family.
 
By the way, the stockings are up, but not all the cookies were made.
Merry Christmas!

8 Comments
Molly Hogan link
12/22/2015 05:53:48 am

Great slice! I loved the snippet of conversation with your daughter and the fact that your son contacted you soon thereafter to add his two cents. Tradition clearly means love, security and home to your children. No better gift than that!

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arjeha link
12/22/2015 06:54:51 am

Traditions are a wonderful part of the holiday. Often we don't realize the importance of these traditions to others until we think about doing away with them. Merry Christmas, Rose.

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Linsey Taylor link
12/22/2015 07:44:08 am

I love traditions! I like old ones & making new ones.

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Linda Baie link
12/22/2015 07:52:38 am

I know how you feel, and my children are older with their own children, so it isn't quite as important. I gave them both a box of their favorite decorations a few years ago, and now have a smaller tree, one that I can manage. We really don't eat as much, but I do try to make the fudge and some cookies for the grandchildren. Traditions slip away, but new ones start. I'm glad that my children know how important they are for their children. Thanks for sharing yours, and that the stocking are hung! Merry Christmas!

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Lisa Orchard link
12/22/2015 08:56:42 am

Christmas is my favorite time of year! I love that your kids still want to do all the traditions even though they're grown! I'm stopping over from a Slice of Life. :) I hope you have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

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elsie
12/22/2015 11:04:09 am

Traditions are what makes the holidays special. We have stopped putting up a tree unless my son is here. Yes, the traditions change but they continue on in the new families formed.

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Tammy and Clare link
12/22/2015 11:47:18 am

Rose…. I so needed this post. The traditions from my childhood are so dear to me now that my father has passed and my mother has Alzheimers. As I put up my mother's Christmas village each year I am filled with a feeling of home. Enjoy every moment and treasure each tradition!
Clare

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best dissertation reviews link
3/17/2019 02:40:43 am

It is a good thing that you are trying to keep all these Christmas traditions as alive as possibly it can be. Well, last Christmas was livelier compared to the past Christmas celebrations that I had and it seems like people have been taking measures on how to keep these traditions they had when they were young. I cannot imagine you doing that for almost 40 years already, and I am just so happy that you kept these traditions that long!

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