If you celebrate Christmas or Hanukkah, do you do maintain traditions in
the same way your parents did or have you created your own?
Yes we put the
Christmas tree up, the lights, we play the music the whole thing
Savannah,
17
Melbourne, FL USA
Yes.
Melissa,
20
PA USA
As long as my mom
is alive, I will be spending Christmas at home and therefore the traditions
I grew up with continue.
Cindy,
41
VA USA
My parents didn't
have any special Christmas traditions. We created our own. We always play
Christmas music when we decorate the Christmas tree. We always play "The
Sinatra Christmas Album", "Christmas With the California Raisins"
(much, much better than it sounds from the title), and "Mannheim
Steamroller Christmas". We buy or make a special ornament for each
year that is marked with the year. After the tree is decorated, we take
pictures of the family sitting in front of the tree. We always open the
presents on Christmas morning, starting with the youngest and going to
the oldest. Someone always says "Just what I wanted! Just the right
size and my favorite color!"
Cathie,
53
Novi, MI USA
My family is in
that in-between stage when all the kids are grown up, but there is no
new generation. Our traditions have been slowly morphing for years. One
constant is that my Aunt Margaret hosts Christmas Day dinner at her house.
Felicia,
36
Lowell, MA USA
Mostly, I maintian
the old traditions. I think that's a big part of the holidays... to keep
fond memories of days gone by. But my daughter and I have also created
some of our very own traditions as well... makes it lots of fun!
Fisch,
47
Preston, CT USA
We
(my husband & I) do our own. The kids get to open a gift after Christmas
Eve mass. As a kid we went to church first on Christmas Day and then opened
gifts. We eat our dinner later in the day. But reason for gathering with
family and friends to celebrate the birth of Christ has not changed.
Janet,
45
E. Brunswick, NJ USA
Mostly
in the same way. But my friends and I (who see each other almost every
single week-end), get together and cook a big dinner. We eat and then
we party together. There's only eight of us or so (including significant
others), but it's a lot of fun.
Keri-Jade,
23
Brampton, Ontario CANADA
We
maintain some of the traditions from my family, and we incorporate others
as new members join the family or situations change.
Jane,
63
West Linn, OR USA
I
don't know that my family had any traditions other than exchanging gifts
and putting up a tree. And yes, we do those two things.
Reba,
57
Gaithersburg, MD USA
My
solstice traditions are up-to-date and personally tailored for my times.
Jill,
61
Saylorsburg, PA USA
I
still do it like my parents, but it's starting to mesh with my husband's
traditions. It will change again I am sure when we have children. When
we do though, I hope to keep traditions from both families while adding
our own :)
Tracy,
24
Ocean City, NJ USA
Traditions
were kept.
Stephanie,
25
TX USA
We
celebrate pretty much like our parents did.
Judy,
62
Easton, KS USA
No,
I don't maintain the Christmas traditions of my childhood. It's a long
story. Suffice to say that my Christmas celebration is very low-key and
focuses on church.
Laura,
37
Lowell, MA USA
We
do a little of both. This will be my first married Christmas, and I think
we're going to go to both our parents' houses again, although I'm not
sure whether it will actually be ON Christmas this time. But I think,
although it was a little weird splitting things up last year, that we
came pretty close to maintaining our old traditions. This year we do have
some new traditions starting, though. We went to the Christmas party in
our new neighborhood last night. We have our very own Christmas tree and
new stockings hanging from new stocking hangers on the mantle. My mom
got us a
Christmas memories book, so we get to make entries in that every year.
This is the first time I can remember not decorating my parents' tree,
so I guess some old traditions might be ending, but we are making an effort
not to give up all our traditions.
Karen,
23
Ames, IA USA
A
mixture of both old traditions celebrated by my parents (and probably
my grandparents) and new traditions that I started when my son was born.
Tam
I've
mostly copied the way my parents celebrated the holidays. In fact, my
family still goes to my parents house every year on Christmas to open
presents and have dinner. I'm sure I will maintain that ritual my whole
life.
Doug2,
30
Kansas City, KS USA
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