Embracing Tradition
Some of the most fascinating comments from all of you have been on this post. If you haven’t checked them out, do! I love reading about how you all decide when to set up Christmas trees around the world. In some places, it’s a topic of faith. For others, it’s all about tradition or trying to separate a December birthday from the bustle of Christmas.
I’ve been thinking a lot about decorating for Christmas. It’s our first time away from our parents’ house during the holidays. You know how it is – wondering which traditions to incorporate from your family and which ones from your spouse’s. Wondering what types of traditions to make your own.
We’re also battling with the challenge of where to fit any decorations at all – both during the holiday when we’ll have guests staying with us in our 450 square foot house and then after since we don’t have a lot of storage.
Even a little ol’ Christmas tree stand sounds huge right now.
I think if I were in the US right now, I’d be saying, “Katie! Quit talking about Christmas until Thanksgiving is here.” But even my husband is thinking about the Christmas season right now. We know it is because of the weather (constantly pouring rain) and the darkness (needing lights on at our desks any time of day). The idea of a bright and beautiful celebration is all too tempting. So is the thought that Christmas = a visit from family.
So we’ve found a Christmas tree solution for our small apartment. We both are in love with it and thinking about what we want the holidays to mean for us, and we will share our tree in the next couple of days along with the big holiday reveal I promised.
What’s your favorite holiday tradition that you most look forward to? Is it putting the star on the tree? Or does the thought of baking cookies make you squeal? Maybe it’s running outside when the snow is falling… any of which may have happened at your house already, right?
November 19th, 2009 at 8:52 am
Two things are my favorite – everyone sitting in the living room any night in December with all the decorations up and lights a’ twinklin’ with hot chocolate and joking and laughing. And on Christmas Day reading the nativity story from Luke 2 – I have it memorized and find the words so comforting and hopeful.
Here’s a confession…the thought of baking cookies makes me squeal not in a good way. So many of my friends get completely stressed by the mountain of cookies they feel committed (obligated) to bake every season. I thank my mother every Christmas for not making that part of my mindset. There are some Molasses Platter Cookies that I like to bake IF I want to and IF I have time and IF there is soon occasion.
November 19th, 2009 at 10:20 am
Katie,
( I to enjoy reading what other people post from all over)
One of my favorite things about the Christmas season beside my wife getting in the mood to bake cookies more, is when the christmas movies start showing. We all love Frosty and Rudolph for the kids and for us adluts there is National lampoons Christmas Vacation and of course Christmas Story about Alphie and his quest to get a bb gun for christmas. It was this movie that actually started one of my families traditions which was on christmas day instead of fixing a big meal we all go to a chineese buffet, kinda crazy huh?
Well last year was our first Christmas in Dallas since moving from Wichita, KS. and we did not do that. Instead my wife fixed us all goose which was somthing her family did as a tradition in Germany. Still it seemed like something was missing and my son pointed it out, it was snow! We do not get snow except on very rare occasions here in. In fact the only way my son got to go sledding last year was when we took him to six flags amusment park where they had brought in a machine to make fake snow for the kids to sled on. To be honest we are not even looking to forward to it this year because once again it will just be us and we will not be around family.
However we are very excited about next year for we know we will all be Germany celebrating with family. My wife and kids will already have moved to Berlin, and I will fly down to join them for two weeks as I will not have moved there yet. It will be nice to once again spend holidays with family members, and I look forward to being able to walk and shop at the christmas markets all around Berlin.
As for this year, I think becuase of the economy the stores have hit very early. The Home Depot had there christmas displays up two weeks before Halloween. The Commercials on TV started the week after. Much to my sons delight we are spending this weekend decorating and setting up the tree since we have friends visiting all next weekend. So it will be a christmas wonderland. Now if we could only get SNOW! can someone send us some?
November 19th, 2009 at 10:51 am
I personally can’t wait to bake cookies, get a tree and decorate it, decorate the inside of my house, put lights up outside and start wrapping all the gifts I’ve already purchased! I LOVE it all! Can’t wait to see what you’re doing for a tree this year, and of course you big holiday reveal!
November 19th, 2009 at 11:27 am
I Love Christmas so there are a lot of traditions! The first year my husband and I started dating I made him a Christmas stocking with a tree as part of the design, now every year I add a new embellishment onto the stocking. It might be a beautiful antique button, a favorite earring or charm. The stocking tree is getting quite decorated!
We have an annual Caroling party the weekend before Christmas, I buy goofy stocking stuffers throughout the year(some from thrift store and yard sales.), we’ve had craft night with girlfriends Wed nights at Paige’s for the last month. I pick names off of giving trees and let my nephew help pick out the gifts. Our friends host an awesome Mexican Christmas eve dinner for 20+ people followed by sledding (weather permitting!) Driving around town to look at the gaudiest lights with a carload of kids, Ladies Night in Old Town the first weekend in Dec followed by dinner out at a nice restaurant. Baking, if there’s time. I have homemade jams, herbal vinegars, dandelion brandy, and seeds collected from the garden to give as some of our gifts. British Christmas crackers (those thing with crowns, jokes and small toy inside) at the table Christmas day at my brothers house. There are more but I’ll stop there.
Oh, one more– Christmas movies mentioned above plus A Chrismas Carol and It’s a Wonderful Life. And going to see the Nutcracker Ballet locally or in Denver.
November 19th, 2009 at 11:28 am
My favorite thing about Christmas is actually Christmas Eve. After we put Indy to bed, dh and I turn off all the lights (tree lights on) and watch Holiday Inn (best. holiday. movie. ever.) and drink hot chocolate. We’ve been watching it ever since we got married, so this will be our 15th year. If we have no toys to put together (last year was a doozy), we might watch Going My Way too, but always, always, always Holiday Inn.
I love the calm that settles on Christmas Eve. All the rush, rush, rush is over and you can just sit back and enjoy the peace. Christmas Eve was even my favorite as a kid. Of course I couldn’t wait until Christmas Day, but I loved the anticipation. I’d lay under the tree and stare at the lights and listen to Christmas carols and then my parents and I would pile into the car and go looking at Christmas lights. When we came home I’d put out milk and cookies for Santa and go to bed.
There are so many things about the holidays I enjoy. I adore all the holiday gatherings and the fact that everyone is just, well, merry. :) I like how everyone seems to be in a good mood (except those who are too stressed out to enjoy the holidays).
November 19th, 2009 at 11:31 am
One Thanksgiving, my second son and his family came and then spent the night and left on Saturday. I made it my goal to have the tree up (which can be hard now that we are empty-nesters) and have their gifts wrapped and under the tree.
We let them open them, like it was Christmas and I *loved* watching just this one family enjoy the moment. The only bad thing was they were so wired, they had a hard time going to sleep that night. But I wish all my Thanksgivings were dedicated to just one family member at a time.
The tradition my children loved? Putting on Roger Whittaker Christmas album, Mannheim Steamroller Christmas albums and the bells that ring on the door.
Even though they are all establishing their own Christmas traditions, I hear from them as they get out their Christmas albums. And I do the same, and think of my sweet children of oh so long ago, now grown up with children of their own. . . *sigh*
November 19th, 2009 at 11:42 am
I can’t tell you how beautiful it is to read your favorite bits. I think I’ve been making dinner for well beyond an hour because I keep getting caught up in what you are all describing. Oh bliss!
Katie
November 19th, 2009 at 12:19 pm
My favorite thing about the holidays is the music. We have acquired a deep Christmas music collection, from jazz to traditional choral hymms to modern music. I have to hold myself back from listening to it too early, lest it become run of the mill. Examples of my favorites are CDs by the Cheiftans, the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Jethro Tull, and Sufjan Stevens.
November 19th, 2009 at 1:47 pm
Oh, I love Christmas!
We start putting up Christmas decorations the day after Thanksgiving, but hold off on the tree. We celebrate St. Nicholas Day (Dec. 6) while we put up our tree every year. There is a German tradition of gift giving for children on this date that my husband and I adapted for ourselves. We each buy other a little gift to open after the tree is up. The gift must cost less than $20 and have a Christmas theme. Then we sit by the light of the Christmas tree and watch “Love, Actually”. This has a sentimental attachment for us, but we also highly recommend it to others as great date-night fare. (Not for family viewing, though: language & some nudity!) We love to make gift from our kitchen as Christmas presents. We bake big batches of cookies and give them to friends, colleagues, our mailman, etc. throughout the month of December. Christmas Eve is always chili & cornbread. It makes the house feel so cosy to smell the savory chili simmering all day, allow us extra time to quietly sneak some goodies into the stockings. We enjoy Christmas crackers and wear our paper crowns through our Christmas dinner, too.
November 19th, 2009 at 5:41 pm
Oh, I saw that photo of the Christmas market booth and now that’s all I can think about. We lived in Italy for 3.5 years and traveled all over Europe between Thanksgiving and Christmas, going to Christmas markets!! That’s one of the saddest things for me being back in the States now, no Christmas markets! No gluhwein! Oh, enjoy it for me!! :)
November 20th, 2009 at 8:21 am
Cameron — Christmas markets are a growing thing here in the states. I was at a decent one in downtown Chicago the day after Thanksgiving three years ago, and I’ve heard of others, various places. I hope you can discover one near you… gluhwein and all!
November 22nd, 2009 at 3:17 pm
It’s my first Christmas away from home too–wah! I plan on cooking all my favorites and getting my fellow lonely expat friends to bring theirs. Then we can have a multi-traditional Christmas! Who knows, maybe I’ll pick up some new favorites :)