Does your family have any fun traditions around Christmas? Traditions were always a pretty big deal when we were growing up. So now that we’ve created our own family, I often heard how important it was for us to come up with our own traditions. So far, we don’t really have too many relating to Christmas, but we have kept some of the family traditions alive.
Sweet orange rolls, linguica and guamosas
My mom and dad on the deck making linguica on a sunny California Christmas.
We had Christmas breakfast at my grandma’s house when we were young. This often included orange sweet rolls (as seen here in my Newlywed Breakfast post). In more recent Christmases, we’ve had breakfast at my parents’ house instead. Now they include linguica, which is Portuguese sausage, and guamosas, champagne and guava juice. I have two of the orange sweet roll packages in my fridge, so I’m hoping to include those somewhere.
Shopping in San Francisco with my dad
For several years, my dad and I would go shopping in San Francisco’s Union Square. We usually would look for clothes and other stuff for my mom, but sometimes it’s just an excuse to do a little sight seeing and eating. Last year we saw puppies in the windows at Macy’s, grabbed a bite to eat at Boudin Bakery and stopped in this cute and surprisingly affordable décor store on Maiden Lane.
Nutcrackers, Ornanments and PJs
There are just some of the many nutcrackers that fill our house at Christmas time.
I’m not sure where the idea came from, but my mom decided early on that every year my brother and I would get a new nutcracker as well as a Christmas ornament. Usually the two had to do with something that had happened that year. Sure, it got a little crazy in the few years before we moved out because we started running out of room for all the nutcrackers, but I love it now because I already have so many fun and meaningful decorations. Also, we used to get pajamas on Christmas Eve, which I think a lot of people do.
So that’s just a few of our traditions. What about yours?
Most of my family lives on the East Coast, so there is just a tiny little bite-size of us that live in California within an hour from one another, so new family traditions have been started. Because our family lives so far away, it’s also really important for us to include our closest friends to participate with us.
In the last couple of years my Aunt Holly started a cookie baking party tradition for us. It usually takes place on a late Saturday morning a week before Christmas. We get together and bake all of our favorite holiday cookie recipes. At the end of a fun day of baking, we each get to take home a container full of delicious cookies.
This tradition is something that I look forward to every year now and not because I get to take home my share of goodies, but because it means I get to spend time with some of my favorite people in world. It also means getting to learn Aunt Hol’s secret recipes!!
Happy Holidays everyone and may you enjoy your family traditions this holiday season!
-Sara
With kids– the traditions you make .. make the holidays even better! And this year with my girls (ages 1 and 2) even more alert of the holidays, I’ve realized we’ve continued and started some of our own traditions including: driving around looking at Christmas lights, tree decorating as a family, baking cookies, etc. The new ones include: matching PJ’s on Christmas Eve which my family did a couple of years, Advent calendar and opening each box every night, and sitting on Santa’s lap.. EVERY year.
What cute memories, Em! My family did the ornament every year too (and gave mine to me when I got married to put on my own tree)!
Ok, I totally am in love with the ornament idea…especially because I made monograms ones this year for all of us. But I’m so curious about what your brother thinks of them now. I’m wondering if Ezra will love his when he’s twelve or twenty or….but I’ve at least started the tradition this year with a homemade one.