Christmas is a holiday that is packed with rich traditions and history. Celebrated by most Christians on December 25, it commemorates the birth of Jesus of Nazareth and many people celebrate by going to church on Christmas Eve. Popular songs or carols that are sung include “Silent Night,” “Joy to the World,” and “Away in a Manger.” People in America like to decorate both the inside and outside of their homes with lights and greens. Decorating the Christmas tree is a fun activity everyone in the family can enjoy. One fun tradition is to hide a green Christmas pickle ornament on the tree. The first child to find it wins a gift or gets to open the very first present on Christmas morning. Since 2005, the “Elf on the Shelf” has become an extremely popular tradition. Parents hide a toy elf each night in various locations throughout the house from Thanksgiving through Christmas. The elf is supposed to watch over the little ones’ behavior and report back to Santa if they are good or bad. A tradition that comes from Germany is making edible gingerbread houses. They can be bought in prepacked kits and children of all ages have lots of fun putting them together. Leaving milk and cookies for Santa is a very special tradition for kids. This practice may have started in the 1930’s during the Great Depression. Parents wanted to teach their children the importance of giving back and being thankful, even through trying times, so they set out milk and cookies to show their gratitude. Nowadays, kids even like to leave a carrot for Rudolph! A tradition that lots of people enjoy is sending Christmas cards to friends and family. Children can help out by designing their own cards, or by signing and addressing the cards. A nice gesture is to send the decorated cards to nursing home residents to cheer them up. The first official card was believed to have been delivered in England. Another tradition that came from England is the practice of kissing under the mistletoe. Men are supposed to sneak a kiss from any woman who happens to be standing under a mistletoe hanging overhead. Kissers are supposed to take a berry from the mistletoe plant each time they steal a kiss. It is said that couples who kiss will be happy forever. There are many other Christmas traditions, but the last one I will list is watching Christmas shows and movies. They provide a time for families to relax and get in a festive holiday mood. Popular movies include “Home Alone,” “Elf,” “Frosty the Snowman,” and “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.” In recent years, a new tradition is to buy the same holiday-themed pajamas for each member of the family to wear for a family photo. Whatever your family traditions may be, I hope you continue doing them each and every year, and I hope your Christmas is very merry and bright!
