What Are Your Holiday Traditions?

The Traditional Family Holiday        

Celebrating at this time of year for much of the country includes the traditions we hear about in song – chestnuts roasting, snow falling, sledding. Not here in sunny San Diego where Santa can arrive on a sailboat or surf board!

I asked my Facebook friends what their holiday traditions are and not one of them mentioned anything to do with cold weather!

Not surprisingly, many of them mentioned food. Everything from duck to beef stroganoff to sushi makes up the traditional Christmas meals.

Lots of people celebrate on Christmas Eve. My college roommate said that her mom insisted that it was the way they did it in Norway, but she thinks it was just because her mom didn’t want to get up early on Christmas morning. Then others talked about the day’s activities. After present opening, some go bowling, some go to the movies, some play poker. Very few talked about the religious origins of the holidays.

At our house, we have an extended family get together on Christmas Eve, and a more immediate family gathering on Christmas morning. My husband always makes breakfast, followed by hours of opening presents as we must open each…one… individually… going around in a circle, one person at a time.

Afterwards, we all traipse over to another family member’s place for his day-long open house. Ah, good family times.

What are your holiday traditions?