What kind of traditions do your families enjoy during the Christmas
Season?
For the next few days, I will be posting some traditions that countries around the world enjoy or have brought to the United States. Maybe you will find some new ones that your family might like to try. For today, I am listing a few from the USA.
One of my favorite memories that we Americans do is pop popcorn to string for our Christmas trees. In between each popped kernel, we add a cranberry for color.
During December, we send out Christmas cards to family and friends. My sister-in-law makes some of her own to send out and they are very pretty. Sometimes we will get them from businesses that show their appreciation for using their services or products during the year.
In our country, many people decorate the outside of their homes with lights or other decorations. My parents had a Santa that they lit up every year for Christmas. I inherited him when they passed, and next year before Christmas, he will make the trip south to be passed on to my son for his own family to enjoy. In the meantime, I have had him to remember the Christmas' of long ago that I will miss until I will join them someday in heaven.
Most families hang stockings for Santa to fill on his nightly trip to visit them on Christmas Eve. And my own family did that as well when we were growing up. But because my father worked the 3rd shift for a lot of those years, we were not allowed to get up at the crack of dawn to run down to open our gifts and stockings until he was ready to get up just a little later in the morning. So what Santa did for us, was to hide a wrapped toy of some kind under our beds as we slept, to keep us busy during those couple of hours. I always thought that was so thoughtful of Santa to do that so my dad could get a little extra hour or two in. (he he)
For most Western European families, the traditional meal on Christmas Day is either turkey or ham with cranberry sauce. while many families from Eastern European origins favor turkey with kielbasi, soups, and cabbage dishes. Italian families usually prefer lasagna.
Both sides of our family originated in Germany, and my in-laws served ham and potato salad with their Christmas meal, while my own parents had ham, mashed potatoes, and gravy And though I love mashed potatoes and gravy, I came to take after my in-laws.when it came to my own family Christmas dinner. My mother-in-law had her own special way of making her potato salad that I still love many years later. I never quite made mine like hers, and sadly never asked her how she made it, but I have tried it over and over and finally a couple years ago came very close to her own for which I am glad for because I truly miss hers. Incidentally, when we cook a ham for a special occasion, my husband bakes it just like the one pictured, with pineapple, and maraschino cherries and just as his own parents did so many years ago. Um, um good!
So there are just a few of the traditions that we have during the Christmas Season, although there are many more. I hope you have enjoyed reading about them.
And of course, you know, before I go, I need to leave today with the answer to yesterdays question about what the 2 turtle doves were meant by in the Christmas Carol in The Twelve Days of Christmas. So here is the answer:
2nd of Christmas (December 26th also known as boxing day) St. Stephen's Day. He was a Christian martyr who died for his faith
So then the next day in this carol is three French hens. What did they stand for in the song? This one is a little easier but come back tomorrow for the answer.
(Some sources today from: Christmas in the United States of America -- Christmas Around the World -- whychristmas?com)
I hope you are enjoying this series and as always thank you for coming. And if you have enjoyed this blog or just this series, please give me a Christmas gift and pass it along to your friends. It would bless me more than I can say! As for all of you please have a blessed Monday!
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