The world is filled with awe as the holiday season approaches. It’s a time of joy and happiness as people celebrate with friends and family. Everyone pulls out the decorations and displays that become part of their tradition. Families enjoy special activities like baking holiday cookies, going caroling or strolling through neighborhoods to enjoy dazzling light shows.
Each family’s traditions vary. Several years ago I asked students in my class to share a special tradition their family incorporated into the holidays each year. One student shared that his parents closed the hallway entrance to the living room and the awaiting Christmas tree by taping several sheets of wrapping paper across the entrance before they went to bed on the 24th of December. The parents went to bed smiling; knowing the children would follow the rule. The children were not allowed in the living room until the parents awoke so they were able to enjoy the excitement and joy that Santa’s delivery brings.
As I recalled traditions that I enjoyed as a child, I wondered what traditions my son would remember and also had he shared them with his family. Did my grandchild know of her father’s holiday favorites?
Suddenly I realized I didn’t know my own mother’s or father’s favorite holiday traditions from childhood. I began asking friends if they knew their parents’ traditions in childhood. My survey showed that no one I surveyed knew about their parents’ traditions.
My goal this December, as a grandparent, is to create a special memory each year for my granddaughter who lives out of state. I also plan to send her a written remembrance of one of my son’s Christmas events. I recently received an email from the website ‘storycorps.org ’. It was encouraging all of us to record or write our family stories with this message:
YOU ARE THE KEEPER OF YOUR FAMILY’S STORIES. PRESERVE THEM FOR GENERATIONS TO COME.
Books you might enjoy sharing with your children or grandchildren this month are:
What Do You Celebrate? Holidays and Festivals Around the World by Whitney Stewart. Grades K-4
Christmas Around the World by Mary Lankford. Grades K-3.
