Christmas Traditions

Our son is home from University of Alaska, Anchorage for the Christmas holiday, and this year he brought his lovely girlfriend, E.J. from Shanghai, China. He very gallantly gave up his bedroom for her, opting to sleep in the guest room/study (knowing his sleep will be arrested for my 7:00 AM and 8:30 PM conference calls with Bangalore, India). My husband and I are delighted to have both of them here for Christmas!

E.J. is very interested in experiencing the full American Christmas experience. It’s a great time to evaluate what our family traditions are, what makes our traditions unique, and where to they differ? How do our traditions measure up to the noisy, glitzy, commercial portrayal you see in the catalogs and commercials? There is the Snow Village, and the Christmas tree of course, with the tradition of watching “It’s a Wonderful Life” while we decorate. There are several other holiday movies we watch, like George C. Scott’s “A Christmas Carol,” “A Christmas Story,” and “The Santa Clause.” There are the Disney Christmas stockings that we purchased on a visit to Disneyland in December one year.

I typically force some kind of bulb (paper whites, amaryllis, or tulips), and purchase poinsettias. We have accumulated a collection of Christmas mugs over the years, in which hot apple cider, egg nog, and hot chocolate are served. There are the goodies, like cookies, candies, and fudge, which we really shouldn’t eat (but do). Some of our traditions have become streamlined over the years, due to busy schedules (like the box holiday meals from Safeway). And of course, one or more of us usually catches a cold or the flu!

Some of the best traditions are just being together as a family and with friends – watching movies, talking, working on our projects, and going on outings. A highlight is attending the Christmas Eve candlelight service, singing and praying together, and experiencing the wonder of the season.