Tag Archives: Christmas traditions

Start a Holiday Tradition

The holidays are just around the corner. Your first Thanksgiving or Christmas as a couple can be very exciting. Getting prepared for holiday meals and family gatherings is a very special time for couples to bond and feel close to one another. Holidays are a time of year that most of us remember as a child. We remember traditions carried out and events that happened with our loved ones. Now that you are married and beginning a new life, you can begin to make and create your own holiday traditions and memories. Having a holiday tradition for your family does … Continue reading →

Yule Log Memories

It’s almost Christmas—do you know where your “Yule Log” is? Get ready it’s almost time to fire it up again. Not familiar with “The Yule Log?” It is considered one of the most heartwarming holiday television habits. Basically it’s a picture of a burning log, backed by a soundtrack of Christmas carols. Many families, including my own, turn it on while we open our Christmas gifts. The Yule log’s inventor created it especially for New Yorkers who lived in apartments without fireplaces. (It’s supposed to conjure up memories of home and hearth.) At one time the Yule log only aired … Continue reading →

A Family Christmas Tree

A decorator might find our Christmas tree mismatched, haphazard, an unpleasing balance. And to be honest, it is all that. We don’t have a color scheme. We don’t have a snowflake or Santa or Victorian theme. What we do have is an abundance of ornaments made out of construction paper. We even have some made of paper plates with tiny hand prints in flaking red and green tempera paint. To be honest, our tree is mismatched and there are some very homely ornaments on there. There is even one that is truly – trash. But that year my son thought … Continue reading →

Another Fun Tradition – Christmas Crackers

Christmas Crackers are essential to many British families Christmas celebrations. They were invented in the mid 1800’s. I remember being about eight the first time I read about crackers without prizes inside. I couldn’t figure out how or why people would do that to a saltine. The cracker is actually a cardboard tube wrapped in holiday paper. Inside the tube is a folded tissue paper hat, a small toy or two and a joke. Some people say the paper hats are crowns that symbolized the Three Wise Men. There’s also a strip of cap gun paper attached. Two people pull … Continue reading →

Fun traditions – Peppermint Pig

Holidays are filled with traditions. But no one says you can’t borrow traditions from other families or cultures. Particularly if you want to spice things up a bit. Here’s a fun tradition that my family borrowed. My brother-in-law introduced us to the peppermint pig at least a decade ago. He’d seen it in a catalog and thought we should try it. The peppermint pig started in Saratoga Springs, New York in the early 1880s making this tradition over 120 years old. The pig is a symbol of good health, happiness, and prosperity. This hard candy pig is a little smaller … Continue reading →