Holiday Traditions

What holiday traditions do you have in your families?

Having two little kids is making me think about this a lot. In my family, we had lots of traditions. We read The Christmas Carol every year. We sang Christmas carols. There were rules about exactly what time my younger brothers and I could wake our parents on Christmas morning, and so we huddled together in one room from the moment we woke up, counting down the minutes until we were finally allowed to break loose and race downstairs to see the Christmas tree, the presents, and the fat, full stockings that we knew were already hanging by the chimney, waiting for us.

It was wonderful.

But of course my children won’t have exactly the same traditions – they can’t – because I’m blending traditions with my husband, using some of his, some of mine, and making up more just for our kids, ones that will make them feel nostalgic (I hope) looking back on them.

Every year, we make gingerbread Christmas cookies (using this fabulous – and vegan! – recipe) on Christmas Eve. Every year – at least while my kids are young – we watch Christmas Eve on Sesame Street. And we’re still creating new traditions, every year so far.

What about you guys? Whether you celebrate Christmas, Chanukah, Kwanzaa, or any other holiday, I would love to hear about your favorite traditions or memories.