Creating Your Own Christmas Traditions

Some of my happiest childhood memories were during the holiday season in my hometown of Ida Grove, Iowa.  There were weeks of festive cookies, a real Christmas tree decorated to perfection, visits with loved ones, white blankets of snow and evenings spent opening advent calendars and Christmas cards.  My mother would decorate the entire house so beautifully that holiday parties were an absolute must.  On Christmas Eve, we would watch Christmas Vacation, eat Rueben sandwiches for dinner and attend the evening service at St Paul Lutheran Church to sing classic hymns in a candlelit sanctuary.  To me, the holidays were truly magical and those family traditions made it so.

However, families naturally evolve: babies are born, loved ones pass on, folks marry in and people move away.  My family is no exception.  I live in Dallas, my brother’s family lives in Florida and the majority of my relatives are back in the Midwest.  Unfortunately, a mega-trip to Iowa is not feasible every December and my family understands.

Over the last two years, this complicated geographic situation has given me the idea to come up with some of my own holiday traditions.  I’m not sure what the final catalyst was—if it was the fact I’m becoming more and more like my mother every day OR if it was that my apartment seemed to lack the magic of my home in Iowa—but whatever it was, I’m glad it happened.  Here are some of the holiday traditions I’m beginning:

• Christmas Tree – to me, there is something seriously lacking in my home during the month of December if a Christmas tree is not present.
  • Last year, I went to Wal-Mart and procured a 6’ pre-lit artificial tree for approximately $25.  To dress it, I bought a silver tree skirt, blue balls, gold balls and silver balls (all purchased at a discount store, for example Garden Ridge).
  • I have also purchased a few ornaments of my own throughout my adventures.  Seeing these on my tree reminds where I’ve all been and how I’ve changed over the past few years.  One of my favorites is a little lobster ornament from Rhode Island.

My Christmas Tree

• Decorations – I come from a home where no room is spared from holiday décor, so naturally I had to put some things out…
  • I used the leftover gold and silver balls from the tree and put them around the apartment.  Right now, I have some ornaments in the center of the dining room table.  Last year, I scattered some around picture frames on my bookcase.
    • NOTE: Men do not seem to understand the need to have Christmas balls on the table or anywhere else besides the tree.  I am not good at articulating my reasoning for this, but I’ve stayed adamant that they are indeed necessary.
  • Last year, I also purchased a garland (cheaply at a discount store) to string over the fireplace I had at my old apartment.  This year I have put it over an archway in my current place.  I really love how festive garlands make the apartment look.

• Movies – When I was a kid, I LOVED the Christmas movies they used to show on TV.  Frosty and Rudolph were two of my favorites.  As an adult my tastes have changed a bit, and here are my favorites:
  • Love Actually
  • Elf
  • The Holiday
  • Christmas Vacation (it’s amazing how funny it as an adult, because I actually understand the jokes)

• Music – There is something about Christmas music that really puts me in the holiday spirit.  I don’t have any CDs of my own, so I put together this play list on GrooveShark:

• Ogling at Christmas Lights – there are some unbelievable homes in the DFW metroplex, and seeing them all lit up is incredibly impressive.  I get annoying excited by driving around and seeing how creative people can be.

These are just some of the things I have begun doing to create my own holiday traditions.  No matter what your background, I’d love to hear how you have begun your own holiday traditions.  Please share!