Holiday Traditions and Why They Mean So Much

When I titled this narrative I started with "Christmas" traditions and then I realized that Christians are not the only habitancy who have traditions come holiday time and so the narrative name became "politically correct".

We had family traditions for several holidays when I was growing up. Most of them centered nearby what we ate but Christmas was a puny bit different. It wasn't just about the food. It was about family helping each other to get the job done and everything just as it should be for the special day.

Clean House

Humor me please as I talk about my family Christmas traditions.

My younger brother and I have three older brothers. When we were growing up they were already away at school and we seldom saw them except for the holidays. It was a big thing when they came home and we were all together because it didn't happen often. My kid brother and I still believed in the magic of Christmas and after evening meal Christmas eve we were sent to bed to have a nap before being woken for midnight mass. When we got up for church the Christmas tree was set up with lights and ornaments, the dining room table was transformed into a puny snow hamlet and decorations were up all over the house. There were no presents under the tree because Santa hadn't come yet.

After midnight mass we came back home to a French tradition called a "reveillon", a meal eaten after midnight to tide you over to a late breakfast the next day. There were crackers and cheese, raw vegetables and desserts and we talked about what Santa might be bringing that night. When the puny ones went off to bed the older ones started to wrap, wrap, wrap until the wee hours of the morning so when my brother and I came downstairs Christmas morning there were presents stacked high under the tree.

We all gathered for gift giving while coffees and juices were consumed. When all the presents were opened we sat down to a breakfast of waffles and sausages. You see, this was the way it had always been in my family. Weeks ahead of time we knew the disposition and couldn't wait for it to unfold.

Breakfast was cleaned away and work on the turkey evening meal began. My older brothers knew a thing or two about cooking. They got the bird ready while my brother and I ripped bread for the stuffing (my grandmother's recipe) and helped make the salad. No matter how young or old we were all in the kitchen together. While the turkey cooked they sat down to play our new games with us.

You may wonder why I have told you my family holiday traditions. Well, they are now traditions in my immediate family. They are the special times I remember as a child and I want that for my son as well. They are a part of who I am and they will carry on at least one more generation if I can make them fun and memorable for my child.

My parents are both deceased and my family lives hundreds, if not thousands, of miles away from each other now. We don't celebrate the holidays together anymore but that doesn't mean we forget. We are thankful for the times we shared and the memories we made. Traditions are a bond to our legacy and our past. I never knew my paternal grandparents but I can be pretty sure they had a reveillon every Christmas Eve at their home. And so did we.

Some holiday traditions you had growing up you may not want to pass down to your children but I believe you all have at least one that lives on each holiday season that is unique to you and your family. Traditions enable us to connect to our past and, hopefully, allow a piece of us to continue on long after we have left this earth.

Enjoy your holidays and your traditions.

Holiday Traditions and Why They Mean So Much