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'Tis the Season to be Jolly!

© Heike Boehnke

With the Fest of love, fun, giving, recollecting and food coming up, it's time to introduce new and bring up old family traditions. This will be my daughter's first "real" Christmas, and we can't wait to see her eyes when the flurry of lights, trees, Santas, music and cookies inhabit our lives. Christmas has always been a big family season for me. This is when children and parents take time cook together, create gifts and decorations, watch TV together, etc. Use this chance to talk to your children and find out what is going on in their lives, and just sit down a few minutes to recollect and count your blessings. Then let the good times roll!

FAMILY TRADITIONS

The holidays always seem to bring out those family roots! You may have family traditions that have been passed down for generations, or you may make up some new ones to suit your family! Growing up, we celebrated Christmas on December 24th. I was not allowed in the living room all day, since my parents were in there decorating the tree. In Germany, the Christkind (Baby-Jesus) flies by on Christmas Eve and brings the presents. This may seem very strange for Americans...especially if you celebrate a very religious Christmas. We would all get dressed up, and I was finally allowed into the living room. You can probably imagine my awe! This beautiful lit tree (it always seemed like a gigantic miracle to me!), and the wonderful presents. We opened our presents, and afterwards had dinner. Christmas Eve dinner was always very plain, usually Kartoffelsalat and Wuerstsche (Potatoe-salad and sausage), so that the focus could stay on the festivities and we weren't too full to go the midnight worship. We celebrated the first Christmas day at my uncle's house. The whole family met there for a day of a big, formal lunch and coffee and cake in the afternoon. When asking others about their family traditions, I received some similar variations from people who are originally from Europe. I have posted them in the discussion areas for you to enjoy!

My husband and I have decided to blend our traditions! We will definitely put up the tree a few weeks before Christmas, only because we enjoy it so much. Since my daughter is growing up here, we will dress up, exchange presents from the "real" people on Christmas Eve, have the German dinner, and go to midnight worship. We will, of course, put out cookies for Santa, since he will visit on Christmas Day with a surprise. We also take family Christmas portraits every year. It will be a great "milestone reader" when my daughter gets older (and I get older!), and the far-away family and friends love them. Check out Sears Portrait Studio for great props (this year we did the Christmas tree in the mansion prop!) and deals. They also feature games, a contest, and "Letters from Santa" that you can customize and print. I also sit down and write a letter to my daughter. I am bad about writing a journal, so I summarize all the things that happened the past year in our lives in this letter. I save them with her baby things. One day I will have them bound and give them to her as an extra special Christmas present. I also buy two dated ornaments, one for my daughter's collection and a duplicate for my collection of my daughter's collection. Only because I am too sentimental!