Category Archives: multiple post feature
These past few weeks of holiday traditions have been wonderful, haven’t they? Much thanks to my friends and family who agreed to participate- I have loved reading every word you shared! I thought I’d close out this series with my own favorite holiday tradition…
In my family, growing up, we slept “in” on Christmas morning and then all met in the kitchen to prepare our Christmas breakfast. My Mum would start a pot of coffee and make fresh-squeezed orange juice, my stepfather would cook up eggs and potatoes, and my siblings and I would set the table oh-so-pretty. Then we’d gather around our large kitchen table, all eight of us kids, with parentals and usually my maternal grandparents as well, to partake of our breakfast. The crowning glory of the breakfast was our traditional Apricot Roll. The Apricot Roll has been a Christmas morning treat on my maternal side of the family for eons. I’m not exactly sure where the tradition originated, but I know that my Mum grew up with Apricot Rolls on Christmas morn, and her Dad before that, and I think even my great-grandfather before that! Of course it was only natural that when I married, I brought the Apricot Roll tradition with me.
The Apricot Roll is a flakey, gooey, melt-in-your-mouth wonder of a breakfast pastry, but the ceremony around preparing it and serving it, and enjoying it with family on Christmas morning, is what makes it such a great tradition. I know most American families wake up early on Christmas morning and attack the presents under their tree, but my family always ate breakfast together first, and that time that we shared together, the calm of eating together formally despite the excitement and anticipation of what awaited us in the living room, is what makes this such a special tradition for me!
{As an aside, I had planned to share the recipe for my family’s Apricot Roll, but was informed by my siblings during a Facebook conversation the other day that this is a secret, sacred family recipe. So my apologies– no recipe. But I do make a few extra Apricot Rolls each year for nearby friends, so maybe you’ll be one of the lucky ones!}
Since tomorrow is Christmas Eve, I’m going to take an internet break while I spend time with my family, reveling in all our own favorite holiday traditions. I wish you and yours a very, very Happy Christmas!
My family definitely qualifies as non-traditional. Our relationship with Christmas is spotty at best; we always celebrated it, but the way in which we did it? No pattern at all. One year we’d have a tree, the next we wouldn’t. One year we’d have stockings, the next we’d only open one present a day until they were all gone. There wasn’t much that we’d point to as our tradition of the year.
Now we’re all grown and gone, and traditions are even more tenuous, so a few years ago we decided that we needed to start something that could be consistent from year to year. We’re all really loud, and we all love to sing, so we decided to go caroling. But not just any sort of caroling: oh no. When my family does anything, they have to make it the craziest, most flamboyant version of it possible. So we decided to go caroling with sock puppets. OH YES. And not only were these sock puppets, but they were very improvised sock puppets. As in, we pulled socks over our hands and proceeded to mouth the words as we sang very enthusiastically.
That first year we went, we sang in my sister’s neighborhood, which happened to be a sketchy section of town. As we strolled down the sidewalks, bellowing “joy to the world” to crack addicts, flapping our sock-clad hands wildly, my husband lurked at the back of the group, acting as though he might have been kidnapped and forced to join this group of obvious loonies. So of course I sang louder.
In the years since, we’ve started to plan ahead a bit more. We pick a neighborhood where we know people, and plan a time when they will be home. We still improvise the puppets, though. And some nights, as I stand under the stars, singing my heart out and surrounded by the people I love the most, I think that maybe I know what the angels sounded like on the hillside. Or at least what the shepherds would have been like if they could sing along.
Every holiday my grandmother breaks out her ‘West Texas Beer Bread’ – and it is JUST that… bread made from well, beer. And ‘the cheaper the better’ she always says. My grandmother grew up amongst real cowboys, farm animals and tumbleweed on the plains of Lubbock, Texas in the 1930′s.
Somewhere in her family this recipe arose and it has been made in our kitchens ever since. The recipe could not be more simple –
I made this for my doormen in my upper east side apartment the last four years at christmas and they must be crying in their mistletoe that I’ve moved this year….
Happy Holidays !
This bread is so good yet so bad for you, unless you’re a cowboy of course. I don’t melt a full stick of butter over the top, more like a quarter. Heavy!
Grease and flour a bread pan.
3 cups self rising flour (dont substitute here… experience showed this was a disaster)
1/2 cup sugar
1 can of cheap beer. Cheaper the better. Lone Star would be a good choice .
Mix, bake 45 mins at 400 degrees.
Take one stick of butter, melt, dump over top of bread, bake 15 mins more. Watch closely last 15 mins, it easily burns the last 15 mins. Let cool, or hey life’s short, eat as soon as your mouth can take it. : )
Every Christmas morning, while my sister and I were still sleeping, my dad would wake up early and BLAST** a christmas mix CD “Happy Christmas Party”. The songs were like adults trying to be hip and singing tunes to a younger beat…they were horrible. But they bring back those memories of Christmas morning when we wake up to find gifts under the tree and my mom starting to prep for the delicious meal with our family. After a few hours, the music turned into Frank Sinatra’s Christmas.
Even though it’s more of a memory, it’s my dad’s tradition and he does it every year when we sleep over too…even at this age.
**Blast means: jump out of bed because we don’t know what happened 
It was very hard to choose a favorite Christmas tradition because I have so many! I settled on one that goes back to my childhood. The community chorus in my small industrial town decided to begin a tradition of performing Georg Friedrich Handel’s Messiah during Advent season. My mother sang in the chorus and took my brother and me to some of the rehearsals (better than a babysitter) as well as the final performance. I learned early on the “miraculous” way in which Handel had composed this magnificent work for choir, SATB soloists and orchestra in a mere 24 days. It chronicles the life of Christ through various scriptures (in King James English).
It so impressed the King of England when he first heard it that he rose spontaneously during the Hallelujah chorus….prompting the entire audience to also stand as one simply followed the King’s leading. That chorus is probably the most famous, and it is often played at the end, although it actually appears earlier in the oratorio. It is has remained tradition to rise for its duration.
Well, nearly every Christmas since that tender age, I have heard the Messiah performed one way or another….and for many years, I performed it myself, on the piano accompanying my 9th grade choir singing several excerpts and even before that playing the violin part in the orchestra. Of course, I have also sung it numerous times and heard it presented by some very outstanding musicians. I never tire of it.
However, I think my favorite memory associated with “Messiah” is seeing the city-wide Lutheran performance at First Lutheran Church here in Tulsa. Over a hundred years ago, a lady from that congregation began the tradition with the performers all dressed in period costumes. The chorus enters down the aisles from the back of the church singing “O Come Emmanuel.” It is echoed from behind the altar. Slides of very beautiful paintings that parallel the text are projected on a screen above the altar. John the Baptist enters in his animal skin coverings singing “Every Valley Shall be Exalted”.
During the exquisitely beautiful Pastoral Symphony (an orchestral interlude), little children dressed as shepherds and angels mount a dimly lit, small platform stage. Mary holds the Christ child in her arms as she and Joseph surround the manger. It is certainly not the most professional performance I have ever attended, but it is the most spiritual. It only lasts an hour, so much of “Messiah” is cut, but for that reason it is also the perfect length (as well as capable of holding interest) for children. For many years, we took our growing family to see this and usually invited friends to join us and return to our home for a light supper and some tree trimming.
It remains a very sweet memory of my children’s early years, a season of the religious calendar that I particularly love, and a most gloriously beautiful work of genius and inspiration.
My favorite tradition with my family was having homemade pizza on Christmas Day! We weren’t much for the standard traditional food and it was such a fun way to end the day. Now when I am away from my family on Christmas I miss my mom’s pizza so much!
Scott [Katie's husband] and I always seem to be really busy right up to Christmas and made the choice 3 years ago to start going the fake tree route. We decided that if we were going to have a fake tree, we wanted a FAKE tree. We decided on a 6′ silver tinsel tree that we decorate with colored lights and red glass balls. Our tree skirt is a metallic red leather skin that I artfully wrap around it. Although completely nontraditional, the silver tinsel tree is our tradition.
My favorite holiday tradition is traveling with the family. I lived in Hong Kong when I was little, so my parents would take me to places in Asia for short trips (see attached photos – me in Taiwan). I continue with that tradition now that I have a little girl, we would travel to different cities or states and it’s so much fun!
People say the thing most associated with childhood memories is food. And, when it come to Christmas traditions (which are some of the best childhood memories I have) this is true. Terry’s Chocolate Oranges have been a Christmas custom for my family since I can remember.
One year my Mom placed an orange in each of her eight children’s stockings, which were hung above our fireplace. They all melted, but we ate them nonetheless, and every time I bite into a piece of that nostalgic, orange flavoured chocolate, I recall the many Christmas memories I share with my family.
Last time I checked, Terry’s Chocolate Oranges are available in Dark and Light chocolate at Walgreen’s and Walmart. I would definitely recommend this treat whose taste, to me, epitomizes Christmas cheer.
{Note: My youngest sister Lindsay (or “Maggie” as she is known to her family), is neither an esteemed artist nor an esteemed creative. She’s a high schooler. But she is a fashionista, a fledgling fashion designer and a very imaginative person. I have no doubt that one day, she will be an esteemed artist & creative. And I thought it would be fun to have a young voice in this series!}
I hope you’ve enjoyed reading the favorite holiday traditions of my friends Summer, Josh, Rebecca, Koes and Brenda! Haven’t they been fun? I love holiday traditions (I’ll be sharing a favorite, too!), and it’s great to hear what other people/families do for the holidays– there is such diversity!
Since it’s going to be a busy weekend, I’ve decided to wait until Monday before posting any more of these fun traditions- but I’ve got another new one scheduled for each morning of next week! Enjoy your weekend (holiday parties, out of state company, and Disneyland are all on my schedule!), and be sure to check back on Monday for more traditions, beginning with my baby sister!
