Christmas traditions come in many forms. Families have long standing traditions especially for the holiday season. Whether baking cookies from scratch, opening matching pajamas on Christmas Eve, or taking a ride on the Polar Express – this time of year is magical.
Earlier this year we asked a few of our contributors to share their favorite Thanksgiving traditions. It was fun to see how we all celebrate differently, so we decided to take a look at how we all make merry during Christmas! See what some of our local moms had to say below!
What do you think of when you think of Christmas? I think of spending time with family and friends, the smell of hot cinnamon rolls in the oven, and watching the joy on our children’s faces as we pass through neighborhoods with elaborate Christmas lights. There is something about the magic of Christmas that is truly so special. I think what makes the season special are the family traditions. In our family, we have a few traditions going on– we’re only in year 3 of creating our own family traditions, so we’ll see what sticks.
One of my absolute favorite traditions is baking homemade cinnamon rolls on Christmas Eve with the kids. They love helping make and roll out the dough. The next morning I pop them in the oven and voila! I’ve also carried on a family tradition my mom started – picking out a yearly ornament. Every December my mom would take us to the store to pick an ornament. As we got older we would choose ornaments that represented our year. She would write the year somewhere on it and that made it so much fun to look back on. I’ve started doing the same for both of my boys, and it has been one of their favorite things to do! Plus, it’s always fun to see what they select.
– Victoria Smith
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The magic of Christmas is undeniable. It’s in us – that want for something made of pure joy and kindness. As adults we can sometimes veer away from it but it’s there, and the day you get to see Christmas through your child’s eyes, it’s like witnessing it for the first time all over again. I could name 100 traditions I love during Christmastime, but my absolute favorite is taking my daughter to see Santa. Thankfully, Waco has tons of great opportunities to go see the big man in red!
My mom was the queen of holidays and celebrating. She made each one magical and memorable. If you were to ask her if Santa was real, she would simply answer “Yes, I saw him”. My whole life, that’s been her response no matter who asked, their age, family or friend, that’s her answer. He is real, our meanings of that can vary, but the magic, the joy, the love, it’s real. So every year I take my daughter to meet Santa and see her eyes light up at the man who is full of magic. The sparkle he leaves in her eye melts me.
We were all raised differently, therefore we all also raise our children differently. I know many choose to forgo Santa, and I have deep respect and honor for that choice! But for me, I’ll keep this magic real every single day of my daughter’s life, just like my mom did, and still does for me.
– Dani Stone
Christmas Eve always trumped Christmas morning for me. Even as a kid, there was so much magic in the night before Christmas. My parents instilled in me a number of traditions that took place that evening and I still hold them dear.
The celebrations started early afternoon with church. We always went to the 3PM service so we could have the rest of the evening to relax and enjoy the last little bit of wonder of the night. After church, we would head home for dinner. Rather than a “traditional” Christmas meal, we would have a shrimp + crab boil. My parents and I would sit at the table, peeling shrimp and cracking crab … laughing all the way. Once the mess from dinner was cleaned up, the three of us would load into the car, with some hot chocolate, and drive around the neighborhood to look at lights. Our little part of town was very festive, so we didn’t have to go far to see the good stuff. When we made it home for the night, we would each open one gift. My parents always gave me festive pajamas – as I got older, even though I knew what I was going to unwrap, I was as excited as ever.
Traditions don’t have to be grand to be special. They leave a mark no matter the cost or size. Starting my own traditions with my husband and daughter has been special and carrying over some from my childhood has been pure magic.
– Maggie Moore
