Well last week I asked you what one thing you would eliminate from your holiday schedule. There was lots of great answers & discussion in the comments. Now it’s time to flip that one on it’s ear and ask:
“If you could add just one event or tradition into the holiday season-what would it be?”
For me? Hard to say. We already do a LOT of holiday traditions. . . Christmas is just one of my favorite times! We already have a fairly full schedule of traditions: advent calendars, advent wreath lighting, reading the advent story bit by bit each night, decorating the tree w/associated meal, making gingerbread houses, participating in the pageant, getting a new ornament, reading “Twas the Night Before Christmas”. . . the list goes on and on.
I think that maybe we could add in something fun that was also charitable that the kids can get involved in-right now we do contribute to a few giving trees etc, but the kids don’t see any of that. Maybe make a tradition out of helping at a soup kitchen, or having the kids help pick out gifts for a needy child.
What about you?
We are adding a tradition this year. We’re adding in the celebration of Advent, including the wreath and candles. It’s something I’ve meant to do over the last few years, but this is the year it’ll actually happen.
I would also add something charitable. In the past, my son has helped pick out a present or two for a giving tree, and I would like to continue that, but it would be fun to do more. Maybe help make up some food boxes or something for the food bank.
I really enjoyed the comments to that last post as well!
As far as adding in traditions, things we’ve developed since our kids were born are: Christmas pickle ornament hidden on the tree [first one to find it gets a gift, but really just gets kudos in our house], making a gingerbread house together [I use the kits but it’s still fun and messy], and letting the Jultomte visit every day of Dec. until Christmas. The Jultomten, or Christmas elves, are a Scandinavian tradition.We have a tiny wooden elf and he hides throughout the house and watches people to report back to Santa. Every morning when the kids wake up, they look for him.
I’d like to add Lucia Day into the mix this year, as we’ve only done it once. It’s another Swedish holiday tradition – see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Lucy's_Day
A friend of mine in the upstate NY town where I grew up makes many loaves of Christmas stollen in advance, freezes them, then during the weeks before Christmas brings one to each of her friends in the area and asks them to have a slice at breakfast on Christmas morning. I live in a different state now and would like to start this tradition with my friends here.
Some of our family traditions are to add a new ornament every year, I cook the same foods for X-Mas Eve and Day, and We read the Nativity story, and The Night Before Christmas to our children. The new tradition I started last year was to have the children clean out the toys and clothing that are still servicable and we donate them to actual families who can use them that I am acquainted with. I include the children in baking some goodies and we purchase a couple of things to take with us as well. I enjoyed doing this last year and I had such welcoming feedback that I will be doing this again this year. Giving is so much more important than receiving and as I look around at the store I work at and the push of buy and buy, I literally feel sick to my stomach about a sweet and joyous holiday being ripped apart by commercialism. I enjoyed reading all of the other comments on traditions. I may have to incorporate some into our Christamas Holiday.
I’d add more at-home time. It’s not even Thanksgiving and I’m tired of running around already! The December calendar already is jammed and I haven’t even started shopping. I do most of it online, but one of our traditions is to let each kid go out alone with me to buy a gift for the other. Sadly, the past two years I’ve wound up doing that the weekend before Christmas. Yuck!
We did a few projects last year, and the one that was the biggest hit was cookie Christmas trees made by stacking stars. I’d love to do more of that type of thing – it keeps us together and incorporates fun at the same time.
I would add caroling! When I was a little girl we did it with girl scouts (and maybe other groups) and I always had fun bundling up and walking around a neighborhood with our little candles singing. I would love to get my family to do that, but I know that they would never agree to do it.
There are many lonely and forgoten people in nursing homes and hospitals during the holidays. Cards made by the children (or adults)are always appreciated. Jumping off from your idea, Frugalupstate, this year I will use my rudimentary card making skills to make a card for every person on the floor I work on. then everyone will have one card with their name on it and signed by the Christmas Elf.
Ever since my mom was diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease), we had our Christmas celebration, including a huge sit-down dinner at my sister’s house. She was the only sibling with a downstairs bathroom. That all began 15 years ago. Well, Mom died 2 years ago and last year we decided to lessen the holiday stress for that sister by having finger foods instead of the whole meal. The nieces (teens, early 20s) were incensed because they seem to associate Christmas with this large dinner. They offered to buy all precooked foods and clean up this year. My sister was upset that they were pressuring her to have the dinner. I sat her down and told her to listen to her own heart. How were the holidays without the dinner? Less stressful. I forwarded a message from Flylady that was about the same subject. We have to do what we need for ourselves. Christmas is not about food. It’s about family. She took my advice. So that’s our new tradition—–teach the children to care for themselves.
Thanks.