Does your family have Christmas traditions? I find it interesting to learn about the different ways families celebrate Christmas and how their traditions began. In most families, some traditions were started many, many years ago and the generations carry on the traditions. As children get married and have families of their own, they start a few of their own traditions. Even grandparents start new customs with their new grandchildren.
One Christmas tradition started by my mother with me and my brothers was the reading of The Littlest Angel on Christmas Eve. When I had children, I carried on the tradition and my brother did the same with his children. My grandbabies, great nephew and great niece were gifted this beautiful story by my father in hopes that they too will learn to love it and keep my mother’s memory alive.
Another fun Christmas ritual is our annual Christmas Eve party. Sharing Christmas celebrations between our kids’ paternal and maternal grandparents, we found ourselves home for Christmas Eve every other year on the years we celebrated Christmas Day with my husband’s family. On those years, we had a Christmas Eve party, serving tortellini soup, spiral ham, appetizers and the homemade Christmas cookies I had been baking since mid-December. We would attend the Children’s Mass (the kids were usually participants), and the kids would open one gift before putting out milk and cookies for Santa and the reading of The Littlest Angel. Now that our children are married and divide their time with their spouses’ families, we still have our annual party, having our celebration with them on Christmas Eve. 
A tradition that is a favorite with the kids (defined by my adult children and their spouses) is “Find the Pickle.” This Christmas tradition gives the finder of the pickle ornament a special gift. The kids practically knock each other over searching for the pickle. For them, it’s not about getting the extra gift, it’s about beating each other out for the prize! It’s a lot of fun - can’t wait for the grand babies to be old enough to compete with their parents!
Another favorite tradition is our "Christmas in the Country" celebration with my dad and my brother's family the weekend before Christmas. We all travel to my dad's home in the country, a real treat for my urban kids, complete with matching pjs, activities with the cousins, and an evening of game-playing.
Finally, the most meaningful tradition that I hope to instill in my family during the Christmas season is the tradition of giving. Each year, we contribute gifts to families in need through The Giving Tree in our parish. Additionally, as I purchase gifts for my family, I like to choose some that benefit others. This year, the kids all received screen cleaners in their stockings, proceeds benefiting the Riley’s Children’s Foundation. It’s important to me to stay grounded and remember the true meaning for the season.
After my younger brother passed away many years ago, my mother never talked about death. She always spoke in terms of life and eternal life. When you carry on family traditions, you carry on the memory of your parents, their parents, and so on. We are all a beautiful mix of generations that lived before us. What better way to honor and remember them than to carry on traditions that were important to them. What better way to guarantee that traditions never die.
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