Christmas has been deemed “the most wonderful time of the year” in a song made popular by Andy Williams. Indeed, much time is spent each year to make it a magical season. I was recently reflecting on Christmas traditions and it was fun to think about the fact that while many traditions have been passed down for generations, some of our family traditions originated more recently.
I was excited to learn that decorating Christmas trees originated in Germany, a tradition that was first brought to the United States by the Pennsylvania Germans, from whom my husband descends. These ancestors hold a big place in my heart, as I spent countless hours researching them for my four-generation project for accreditation. Knowing our tradition of decorating a Christmas tree each year began with them adds a fun new layer of understanding about their lives.
Other traditions that we have passed down in our family, including hanging Christmas lights, writing letters to Santa, hanging Christmas stockings, and celebrating Christmas day with a big family dinner have been handed down from our British Ancestors.
I once read that the advent calendar originated with a housewife in Munich, who got tired of always answering the question, “How many days left until Christmas?” I prefer to think of advent as a time of spiritual preparation for Christ’s coming. I remember with fondness my mother’s advent calendar, a flannel nativity. Each day we would hang a part of the stable, an animal, Mary, Joseph, and finally the baby Jesus on Christmas Eve. As we have carried the advent tradition on in our family, we have tried to associate our advent calendar with Christ-related activities or symbols for each day of December.
Family traditions from my childhood that we have carried on include new Christmas pajamas and, one of my personal favorites, a waffle supper on Christmas Eve. Some of my best childhood Christmas memories involve gathering at my Grandma’s house, the smell of hot waffles, bacon, and eggs filling the air. This is a Christmas feast we look forward to each year, although this year it will be much smaller. We look forward to gathering with extended family again next year!
Some traditions are those my husband and I have started with our own family. Barry has purchased a Christmas ornament for each family member every year since we started having kids. These ornaments are a treasured part of our family narrative, as he has chosen them based on life events or fun memories from each year. We also fell in love with coconut bread, which Barry’s grandmother gave us one year as a Christmas treat. It has become a fun gift to give to our friends and neighbors each Christmas, and our kids have come to associate its smell with the holiday season. Attending The Forgotten Carols has become one of our favorite family Christmas activities. I’m so happy we were able to stream it this year and watch from home.
My favorite traditions are associated with centering our thoughts on the real reason for Christmas – the birth of Jesus Christ. Years ago we began watching the Christmas Nativity set to Amy Grant’s Breath of Heaven song at the end of our waffle supper on Christmas Eve. New nativity videos have come along, but this is my favorite way to end the night – in quiet anticipation of the birth of Jesus Christ. On Christmas morning, before opening our presents, Barry opens our big family Bible and reads the Christmas story from Luke 2 before we open our gifts. This helps center our thoughts on our best gift – the birth, life, and atonement of our Savior Jesus Christ.
Family traditions are a part of every person’s family history. They add meaning to our celebrations and create family connections. They help us remember our heritage and pass on a strong family narrative, which helps promote a sense of belonging. As you celebrate with your own family traditions during this holiday season, I wish you joy and peace.
