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View Traditions
Debra from El Segundo, CA US
I live in California and my best friend and her family live in Oregon. When Terri had her three girls, we decided to make every Christmas season a holy one, so each Advent, I send the family a gift to open each Sunday of Advent. These are usually spiritual gifts, a movie, a special plaque, a book, etc. I gave each of them a personalized Advent stocking that they hang when Advent begins and I also send little notes, one for each day of Advent that they put in these stockings and each day, they open one...I usually have them say prayers, do good deeds, keep their rooms tidy, etc. They love this tradition and I love doing it for them. This way they are truly preparing for the most wonderful birthday of them all...Jesus' birthday!
Donald from New Orleans, LA US
We have adopted a tradition of reading the Christmas story from the gospel accounts. We gather the entire family in the family room on Christmas eve, get everyone quiet, read the story and ask the youngest children to put it in their own words. Sometimes the impressions of what was just read doesn't get much traction, so we ask the older children to then re-explain the story highlights. When this has pretty much played out, we ask why we celebrate and give gifts, and then let each person down to the youngest grandchildren tell us why the gift of Jesus was so very important. Then we have a prayer, listen to some Christmas music, and each child gets to open one gift. Then we are off to Christmas Mass. It has become a tradition that we all look forward to. This year, the oldest grandchild will be reading the Christmas story so she is pretty excited.
Elizabeth from Griffith, IN US
I get my shopping done and wrapped before advent begins.
Each year I buy less and less and focus more on the
spiritual meaning behind the holidays. I begin a 30
day home retreat when advent starts. As much as possible
I clear extra activities from my calender that I can
let go of. I try to attend one or two faith based
activities like a nativity play or christmas concert.
I spend the extra time in prayer and study of advent
readings or whatever the spirit leads me to. I pray
about what and how to decorate my home. I take my
family into consideration. This has been my practice
for a number of years even while raising my children
which are now grown. What a difference the time and
attention to the spiritual part of the holiday has
made in my life and those I encounter.Ipray my sharing
is of help to someone else.
Elizabeth
ASUNCION T. REY from CEBU CITY, II PH
In our country, the Philippines... all catholic churches starts the celebration on December 16 until the 24th, It is a nine- days Novena to the Blessed Mother Virgin Mary which starts at 4:00 AM.... the early morning mass is full and overflowing with catholic devotees....
Since I was a child (am now 56 years old) our family attends this mass we call "Misa de Gallo"... the early morning is usually very cold and sometimes it rains heavily but we never miss celebrating mass.. there is always joy in our heart bragging to friends who doesnt celebrate the dawn mass. We usually have a petition for each of us for this 9 days for good health... successful career...unity in the family...financial blessings... good grades for the students.. for various other needs. After the mass... parochial organizations or communities are tasked or volunteers to give breakfast to children who line up for a cup of hot chocolate and bread. Sometimes.. generous sponsors gave early christmas presents to those indigent kids every after the celebration of the mass. Outside the churches are various native delicacies for sale which our parents bought and brought home.
This tradition has been observed all through out the country and in my own family now we are still doing the love of attentding a dawn mass. The singing of the choirs... the lightings... the "belen" or nativity set .. the priest homilies... the lighting of the advent candles and the overflowing of people around the church is something to be look forward that we dont want to miss any day...
cora from makati city, PH
I grew up in a catholic family that celebrates christmas in a joyful and special way. Eversince I can recall my mom would make a Belen ( nativity scene) for us children to appreciate. She makes them out of different materials, some recycled .
Up to the present time the idea of making them every year out of different materials - handmade paper, recycled cans, leaves, twigs, you name it I have done it...it;s my way of saying thank you Lord for all the blessings you have given me...
Tim from Tolland, CT US
First, Christmas trees have been a big part of our family's tradition. Every year Grandma visits and says something like, "Your tree is lovely." But for a number of years, we got our tree from a local farmer who was handicapped and couldn't tend to his trees, so their shapes often left something to be desired. One year, Grandma had to rush to pick out her own tree, and the result left her in tears. I had called her and heard her crying, so I asked what the issue was. Hearing her disappointment over her quickly acquired tree, I asked, "How bad can it be, what does it look like." Grandma then said, "One of yours!" But what we knew was that our choosing our somewhat unattractive tree brought such joy to the farmer. While he was suffering from Alzheimer's disease and more and couldn't even talk, he shocked us by singing Christmas carols as we visited his bedside. What a Merry Christmas!
The second tradition is found in my "Sheep & Goat" story telling, based on the parable of the Sheep and Goats in Matthew 25 that says "Whatsoever you do for the least of my brothers, that you do unto me." The sheep demonstrate corporal works of mercy and inherit heaven. The lord says, he's gonna come back for us and separate us as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats based on whether we cared for the sick, homeless, prisoners, thirsty, hungry, etc....The sheep get put on his right and enter heaven, but the goats???? I used to put my children on my lap, bouncing them from side to side, proclaiming, YEAH, we're with the Sheep, or OH NO, we're with the Goats! And I've since written a Children's book, Sheep & Goat Go To The Ice Cream Parlor to encourage selfless love described in the Parable of the Sheep & Goats. Why not click on the sponsor advertisement, A GIFT That Transforms to make Sheep & Goat a fun-filled but instructional tradition for your family. Proceeds pay for global corporal works of mercy, providing water filters to bring clean water to the 1 billion living without this vital resources and irrigation pumps to lift annual farm incomes of the 4 billion global poor, from an average $110 per year to $1100 per year -- a 10 fold increase.
Laurie from Midwest City, OK US
We celebrate St. Nicholas Day, December 6th, in anticipation of Christmas. St. Nicholas gave to those who had none. We remember his gift giving tradition by putting our children's shoes on the porch. In the morning there is a bag of chocolate coins and a small gift in each shoe. We started this while living in Germany and thought their tradition was one we would enjoy in our family.
It has became a day of special significance for us two years ago. Our oldest son, 12 at the time, became very ill and hospitalized in the Pediatric ICU of a major hospital. He was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. The nurse warned us that he might not make talk sensibly at first because his body was all out of whack and he had been close to a diabetic coma (he had been misdiagnosed the day before as having "just a virus"). When we came in they asked my son if he knew what day it was. He said, "Yes, it's St. Nicholas Day." The nurse said, "See he thinks it's Christmas. He's confused." I told her, "No, he is making perfect sense. Today is December 6th, St. Nicholas' Feast Day. We have a special celebration on this day every year." She, not being Catholic, said, "Oh, then he is okay and making sense." I said yes and a special prayer in my heart that my first born son would live to see another Christmas.
nina from , other
In the Philippines before Christmas day, Catholic churches have 9 days Christmas novena which we call "misa de gallo", celebrated every morning starting at 4am and ends on or before 5am. our whole family and other families in the community attend this beautiful masses everyday. few hours before the mass starts, noises can already be heard in the houses, meaning, everyone is preparing to go to church. after the mass, my family and sometimes visitors, eat together different kinds of Filipino foods and delicacies, that my mother prepared that night before or few hours before the mass. thanksgiving prayer before meal is important.
Christine from Alexandria, VA US
Living in metro DC it is really hard to cut your own live Christmas tree. While you can go to a Christmas tree farm in the area, and you can tag a tree to cut closer to Christmas, you can't be sure it will still be there when you get back :-( So, (ugh!) about 12 years ago we joined the crowd cutting a tree on Thanksgiving weekend. Please don't grimace too wide, our tree first has a three week life as an Advent tree - no lights just the violet and rose bows to help it fit into the season. I also use this time to place any artificial greenery without any trimmings to add some winter coziness without the Chrismas light. Then once we get into the O' Antiphons closer to Christmas we find a couple of (usually weekend) days to transform the house into Christmas cheer.
Our tree has usually been a Virginia or White Pine and if well taken care of, it lasts until Epiphany. To make it last longer, we have also given our Advent tree the "no room at the inn" treatment and left it outside for a week or so in water in the cold and damp before bringing it inside. This not only delays the decorating, but keeps the tree fresher longer.
Stephanie from Kansas City, MO US
We keep Christ in Christmas by using the old tradition of a child leaving a shoe out on the eve of St. Nicholas Feast Day for St. Nicholas to fill with a small treat. The evening of December 5 (the evening before St. Nicholas Feast Day of Dec. 6) our children put their Christmas wish list in their shoe for St. Nicholas to take back to heaven and talk over with Jesus. This also explains very well how "Santa" knows all things about them. Because Santa is St. Nicholas in heaven!
Mary & Bob from Glenside, PA US
After Christmas we gather as a family, go through all our Christmas cards and select one representing the three magi. We then place that card over the front door of our house during the coming year. While this involves Christmas, I guess it is more of an Epiphany story. But then, it is all part of the Christmas season. Kids love checking out the Christmas cards when they arrive to see if one include the magi.
The Family from Salem, OR US
Every year for Christmas Day we either make or buy a store bought cake, write Happy Birthday Jesus on the cake. Just like birthday parties we sing happy birthday to Jesus and open presents.
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