Blogmas 1; My Favourite Christmas Tradition
Tradition is a peculiar thing, isn't it? At times we discard traditions like confetti; who celebrates St George's Day in England any more, when once it was traditional to dance and be merry in honour of the patron saint of England? And the traditional songs and dances of the countryside are left aside for modern pop and rock.
And yet at Christmas Traditions are alive and well, even if they are traditions that have been adopted or co-opted from other countries and communities. Carolling, making the cake the week before Advent, even advent calendars and candles are all Christmas traditions that help to make the build up to Christmas very nice indeed. Christmas trees, Christmas cards and Christmas carols all show the international love of tradition at a time of year synonymous with love, togetherness, family, children and warmth.
My favourite traditions are those we do as a family; my children and husband are the centre of my world and the reason I do most of the stuff I do.
I love the stockings we hang by the fire, the advent candle ring I bought when I was pregnant with DP, the decorations that we collected over the years on various holidays, the myriad of little traditions that we have built up, from what chocolates we get in for December to the stollen I make for Christmas morning breakfast.
I might tweak, I might add or occasionally alter the timing or move location but for the most part we do the same things at approximately the same time every year. Even though the little eyes wide in wonder at Santa's reindeer teethmarks in the carrots are now more likely to giggle at the idea that I (as Santa's little helper) WILL drink the bottle of cider we have left out instead of milk for the last couple of years as a tweak to tradition, they will still make and decorate the Christmas Eve cookies to leave a couple for the Red Man.
Traditions run deep; you mess with them at your peril. Like an old and well worn jumper they are the comfortable constants in a world that preaches change and revolution. Roll on our family traditions; may my children carry them (and far more) to their own homes to build a Christmas that suits them.
And yet at Christmas Traditions are alive and well, even if they are traditions that have been adopted or co-opted from other countries and communities. Carolling, making the cake the week before Advent, even advent calendars and candles are all Christmas traditions that help to make the build up to Christmas very nice indeed. Christmas trees, Christmas cards and Christmas carols all show the international love of tradition at a time of year synonymous with love, togetherness, family, children and warmth.
My favourite traditions are those we do as a family; my children and husband are the centre of my world and the reason I do most of the stuff I do.
I love the stockings we hang by the fire, the advent candle ring I bought when I was pregnant with DP, the decorations that we collected over the years on various holidays, the myriad of little traditions that we have built up, from what chocolates we get in for December to the stollen I make for Christmas morning breakfast.
I might tweak, I might add or occasionally alter the timing or move location but for the most part we do the same things at approximately the same time every year. Even though the little eyes wide in wonder at Santa's reindeer teethmarks in the carrots are now more likely to giggle at the idea that I (as Santa's little helper) WILL drink the bottle of cider we have left out instead of milk for the last couple of years as a tweak to tradition, they will still make and decorate the Christmas Eve cookies to leave a couple for the Red Man.
Traditions run deep; you mess with them at your peril. Like an old and well worn jumper they are the comfortable constants in a world that preaches change and revolution. Roll on our family traditions; may my children carry them (and far more) to their own homes to build a Christmas that suits them.
Lots of our traditions have now fallen by the wayside now that the kids are grown up but we've adopted new ones. I'm sure our traditions will change yet again once they've left home and Mick and I are on our own.
ReplyDeleteFamily traditions are supposed to change, aren't they? I'm sure that a Christmas for just 2 would be a different style again.
DeleteI hope that you enjoy your old traditions and enjoy making some new ones along the way as well! xx
ReplyDeleteLovely post. I think you're right things do adapt and change over the years as families grow up.
ReplyDeleteLisa x