DRIVE SLOW

Teacher Tyler Harless has a fun Christmas Day tradition within his family that he plans to pass down to his children when the time comes. “Growing up, we always had Christmas Eve dinner with close family. And then on Christmas Day, everybody had to be awake before we could open presents; and you always had to open the stocking first. Someone was always the ‘elf’ who handed out the presents; we would all take turns being the elf every year, one year it was me and the next year it was my brother, then Mom, then Dad. Of course, the elf had to wear the elf hat. Right now, my fiancé and I have a tradition of going on a Christmas Eve walk, and when we get a family, that’s probably what we’ll do when we exchange gifts. There’s something about a tradition that is comforting. Also, there’s just something to be said about watching one of your family members dress up as an elf. It brings your family together.” Teacher Jake Zimmerman incorporates his favorite holiday traditions into his family’s current fast-paced lifestyle. “Growing up, my mom and I always made a lot of cookies for the holidays. We would make some of the same recipes every year, but would also try new cookie recipes. If we liked them well enough we’d add them to the list of ones we made each year. I still make cookies with my mom during the holidays and I’m still learning from my mom both about baking and life. My own children aren’t quite old enough to bake yet, but I hope to pass on the love of baking to them. I think in many ways traditions are a reflection of what we value. Passing down those traditions is a way of teaching my kids what is most important in life and that we need to make sure we include those traditions in our busy lives.” Christmas Is What You Bake It

On the Twelf Day of Christmas Teachers & Traditions

Although teacher Kelly Kershbaum grew up with different holiday traditions than her husband, they now incorporate both of their traditions with their family. “As a child, my family and I opened all the presents on Christmas Eve, except for the ones from Santa Claus, which might not be the same as most people. Today, I still do this tradition, but Christmas Eve dinner is a little bit of a bigger deal because my husband’s family used to make a special meal. My husband lived in Austria, so where he was from, there was no “Santa,” rather a “Christ Child” who would come and bring the gifts. And their baking was twice as much as what I did on Christmas Day. For me and my husband, neither of us live near our families anymore, so it’s important to continue our traditions because its like you get to bring them with you if you bring the tradition there. And then carrying those traditions with you is special, knowing that some of the fun things that you’ll always be able to have will be passed down by your children, or maybe they’ll have other ones of their own that they’ll add.” Merry Mashup

Teacher Darcy Hassing enjoys being able to continue the traditions that she had growing up in the Kalamazoo area with her daughters. “ Home for the Holidays

My family didn’t have a lot of traditions when I was growing up. We would decorate the family tree the day after Thanksgiving and we would go to Christmas Card Lane and Bronson Park to walk through the lights. I have continued some of the traditions, but have added a few. Today, we have a family Christmas tree that has all of the ornaments the kids have received or made since they were born. I love putting those ornaments on the tree and remembering the past. We still drive around looking at lights and walking through Bronson Park. My Christmas Eve traditions with my daughters are my favorite. As they get older, I look back and cherish these moments. I think traditions are important because they bring us together. I want my daughters to have great memories of the holidays and pass those traditions on to their families, too.”