Hometown Moments & Memories
6
Heart of Tradition A
t the heart of tradition is the sharing of simple pleasures with the people you love. As the Christmas season rolls in, I can’t help but think of the traditions that have personalized this holiday for my family and me. Even with three sons now in their twenties, I still reminisce about the years when they were living at home and we engaged in our favorite activities each holiday season. Beginning with the tree, we’d make a day of it, trekking to a nearby Christmas tree farm to select the fullest tree worthy of displaying the family ornaments. There was a day set aside to make Christmas cookies
and an evening designated to drive around viewing beautiful homes illuminated with holiday splendor. On another evening, we schedule time to gather as a family and watch a DVD of A Christmas Story. I got into the habit of making cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning, a tradition my boys still enjoy if they sleep over on Christmas Eve. One of our favorite activities, which has grown as familiar as gathering for Christmas dinner, is our tradition of taking a day during the season to go out to breakfast together and then spend time walking through the lobbies of downtown hotels to view the decorations. There are abundant opportunities to
take a Christmas-themed family photo as we peruse the elaborate holiday displays and enormous Christmas trees. As our family has grown to include significant others and grandchildren, we always anticipate sharing family customs with those who have entered our clan. The children want to help guide Santa’s reindeer team to our house. They enjoy helping make reindeer dust, which is a mixture of oatmeal and glitter. Just sprinkle on the lawn Christmas Eve and it never fails! Then before we put the little ones to bed, they help lay out Santa’s cookies and milk. And we don’t forget to leave some fresh carrots for Rudolph and his reindeer buddies!
