OUR FAMILY HOLIDAY TRADITIONS

          Even though there was never much money when we were growing up, we were definitely rich in family love and traditions.

          No matter how small we were, we always knew that Christmas was near, when my mom would bring out the Christmas colorbooks and a brand new box of Crayons. This usually happened on Thanksgiving. After dinner all the kids would lay on the floor and color festive pictures while the adults played cards (usually poker). We always knew which adults were losing the game because they would join us on the floor and enjoyed coloring as much as we did.

          We would always put up our Christmas tree about a week before Christmas, but were never allowed to turn the lights on until Christmas morning. We would wake up before the crack of dawn and wake our folks up. The hallway door to the living room was closed and we dared not peek. We had a huge wall/floor furnace in the hallway that we would all stand on while we were waiting for my folks to wake up and get ready. My mom would go out to the kitchen and make coffee and my dad would turn on the tree lights, while all five of us kids would try to peek through the grates on the wall furnace. It always seemed to take forever for that coffee to get done. To this day, whenever anyone mentions aroma therapy, I think of the combination of coffee and Christmas trees.

          After opening all of our gifts, we would all get dressed to go over the mountains and through the woods to Gramma's house. Actually, it was over a hill and through an orange grove.*g* After having her tea and toast (she was born and raised in Wales and wouldn't think about starting her day without first having tea and toast), Gramma would fix a huge breakfast with ham and eggs and homemade bisquits and the best jam in the world. All the aunts, uncles and cousins on my dad's side of the family would be there.

          Christmas evening was spent with my mom's side of the family, which included more aunts, uncles and lots and lots of cousins. Because my aunt had 6 children, this was a real kid-oriented house and it didn't matter how much noise we made. It seems that when you're a kid, the amount of fun you have is definitely relative to the decible level.

          In our household, we normally get out the Christmas decorations the day after Thanksgiving. I have made just about all of our holiday decorations, from the Christmas village that sits on the piano, to the centerpiece for the dining room table, to all the decorations on the tree. My youngest daughter LOVES getting out the decorations and arranging them. It was her suggestion a few years back that we have a victorian tree, so I made all new ornaments, and it is really does make a pretty tree.

          Two of the traditions that have carried on in our family are the coloring books and waiting until coffee is done before going into the living room to open gifts. Our coffee pot is much faster than the one my folks had...or maybe it's just that time goes so much faster the older you get.*s*

          We started a new tradition when our youngest daughter first started reading. My husband developed a rhyming scavenger hunt for her main present. He writes about 15 rhyming "hints" which he hides all over. The first hint will lead you to the second and the second to the third and so on. There have been hints left at neighbors houses (our elderly neighbors love this), in our car trunk, the mail box, tied to a tree, and everywhere you can think of. She just loves this and it is something she will always remember. Who knows...maybe it will be a tradition when she starts her family.

          More to come



          MY OTHER HOLIDAY PAGES

          Our Personal Greetings to our Family and Friends
          The True Story of Christmas
          Favorite Holiday Recipes of Family, Friends and Chatters from around the Globe
          Twas the Night Before Christmas
          The History of Santa Claus



          LINKS TO OTHER HOLIDAY SITES

          Christmas - A Christian Perspective
          Christmas around the World
          The Origins of Christmas
          Chanukah - The Jewish Festival of Lights
          The History of Gingerbread
          Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus
          A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
          How to Say Merry Christmas in Many Languages
          A Search for the Meaning of Christmas
          A Christmas Coloring Book
          Christmas Music
          Every Christmas Carol You Can Think of in Midi Format
          Christmas Carol Lyrics - You can have a great song-a-long
          Favorite Holiday Stories
          Santa's Favorite Recipes
          Christmas Trivia Quiz
          Ace of Space Holiday Graphics







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