Christmas Traditions
Article written by: Kirsty Wilson
Happy, merry, holly, jolly season's greetings here
I'm wondering what your family does at that time of year
Love and joy and peace on Earth and tidings of good cheer
Do you have tradition things for that time of year?
If you have any little people living in your home, you will most likely have sung those lines, albeit a little more tunefully than Olaf on his Christmas Adventure! Just as this character did in Disney’s short film, we can seize opportunities to learn about some of the traditions families in our community are keeping alive year upon year.
For one family, a tradition has evolved from finding a place where they could take their children during the pandemic, where they could enjoy fresh air and fun while keeping their little ones safe. The beach offered a sanctuary, and on one occasion treated the family to an enchanting tribute, in the form of a rainbow, to their very own little pot of gold: their little ones wrapped up cosy and safe, enjoying their hot chocolate. An annual outing to the beach on Christmas Eve sounds like the perfect, wholesome start to the celebrations. And what better way to celebrate all the things we are thankful for by gathering them all close together, wrapping them up warm and heading to the beach!
A family outing of our own that over the years became a tradition was enjoying a trip to the theatre to see a pantomime. Although our earlier theatre visits have taken us over the Forth, there is no need to travel very far to enjoy this experience. How lucky we are to live in a city boasting two lovely theatres, both of which offer a variety of festive performances.
I asked my sister what springs to her mind when thinking of traditions around Christmas time. Her response: cheese! When asked for clarification, she elaborated with cheese, crackers and grapes. I am sure these items have a prominent place on many people’s festive food shopping list!
Christmas Eve boxes have recently become a popular tradition for many families. This tradition is thought to have originated in Europe. A little research discovered that our continental cousins celebrate the big day on Christmas Eve, often swapping gifts and eating their Christmas dinner then, too. The beauty of these boxes is that their contents can be personalised for each recipient. For one local household, the boxes replace their stockings and contain the same sort of little knick-knacks. It seems a common theme is for pyjamas to be included in the contents. Whatever any other individualised tweaks, a shared feeling among all the families spoken to was their delight at getting to go to bed on Christmas Eve, and of course wake up on Christmas morning, wearing a new pair of festive PJs!
This brings us nicely onto another popular tradition. Matching family jammies is a firm favourite in our household while our girls are still young enough to see the fun. The only snag encountered is trying to keep up with the rate at which our children are growing. Cue another search for the next matching set, in slightly bigger sizes, and a nudge towards the reality that our little ones are growing far too quickly. But in the season of giving thanks, what a profound reminder of just how blessed we are to have the absolute privilege of watching our children grow.
These are just a few of the treasured traditions upheld in our community. For those who contributed by sharing some of their own family’s Christmas traditions, as the beloved Olaf sings:
Happy, merry yuletide carols, faithful friends are dear
Thanks for sharing what you do at that time of year!
On that note, what’s left is to wish all our community members a very happy Christmas time!
*Credit: Thanks to Disney for the lyrics
