Holiday
Memories Rests on Traditions
For most people, holiday seasons bring with them warm memories
from years past. Traditions are the stuff those memories are built
on, and each family has its own special tradition that comes either
from the long ago past or has been built in just one or two generations.
by Patricia Stelzer
May 31, 2004
The number of years a tradition has existed doesn’t matter. A tradition’s
uniqueness comes from the love and sharing that has gone into its
creation. Traditions can be built around any holiday, be it Halloween,
Thanksgiving, Memorial Day or Fourth of July. But most families are
fondest of those surrounding Christmas.
Important Christmas traditions bring a sense of continuity to family
members whether they are living in the same town or hundreds of miles
away. Brothers and sisters know exactly what their siblings are doing
to celebrate the season. Cousins know just the right greeting to send
one another. Aunts and uncles understand what is important to their
nieces and nephews. Traditions span distance and generations.
Many holiday traditions have come from immigrants who brought their
special observances with them. Many of those, like the Christmas tree,
have become a part of almost every family’s Christmas celebration,
thanks to the German immigrants who brought the tradition with them
to their new land. Yule logs grace many homes, stockings to be filled
with treats hang on fireplaces, and nativity scenes hold a special
place of honor.
Some of the most cherished traditions have been created in this country
by writers like Clement C. Moore who penned “Twas The Night Before
Christmas”. He is responsible for creating the reindeer and the jolly
St. Nicholas who came down the chimney. Thomas Nast, one of the first
true political cartoonists, is basically the man responsible for the
American image of Santa Claus. And who doesn’t know about Francis
P. Church’s reply in the New York Sun to Virginia O’Hanlon’s question
‘is there really a Santa Claus. Christmas carols written many years
ago remind us of the Star, the Wise Men and the Shepherds who journeyed
to see the newborn child. From these stories, drawings and music were
born the traditions held dear by so many of us, but some families
have gone on to develop very special traditions that are theirs to
share with one another. Lest we forget, Charles Dickens’ story of
Scrooge and Tiny Tim added words to the English vocabulary. Everyone
understands what a Scrooge is and everyone understands that Tiny Tim
is the symbol of love and hope. But these aren’t the only traditions
of importance.
We recently learned of one that has become a part of a family’s Thanksgiving
celebration, but it is one that could easily become a Christmas tradition.
The family purchases one of our rustic signs, has everyone sign the
back of it, dates the sign, and then gives it to one member of the
family as a keepsake. What a great new tradition. Every family could
do something similar, and it doesn’t need to be a sign. It is the
idea that is important. Finding some “gift” that symbolizes the holiday
and sharing in that “gift” is a heartwarming way to give special meaning
to family gatherings. Every time the recipient looks at that keepsake,
it becomes a reminder of loved ones sharing the holidays. At Christmas,
it could be a little like finding the pickle on the Christmas tree
and receiving a special memento, an old tradition that made a comeback
in the 1990s.
Another family we know collects money on Thanksgiving, then uses
the money to help a family in need at Christmas. One holiday activity
leads to another, giving special meaning to both. They share the tradition
of giving with one another, and each year a different member of the
family decides who or what will be the recipient of their joint gift.
The giving and the decision-making extend to the youngest members
of the family. Everyone participates equally, and the children learn
to actively become a part of the family’s belief in sharing the season
with those less fortunate than themselves. Other families bake cookies
together, sing carols together or trim the tree together.
A tradition’s age or origin isn’t the important element. The sharing
and caring that become a part of it are what memories are built upon.
Make this the year that a new family tradition is born or an old one
is resurrected. Handed down from generation to generation, traditions
form an unbroken link within families, countries and cultures. Traditions
become part of the ties that bind us all together. What an important
role simple tradition plays in all our lives.
- Patricia Stelzer
Pat Stelzer is a writer, columnist, reporter, and retired school
teacher, currently an adjunct instructor at a community college.
She has a long running interest in home decorating and in rustic
or folk art pieces, her own 175-year-old home a veritable collection
of many types of Americana and folk art. She has recently published
her first mystery novel, "DANGEROUS RESEARCH, BY GEORGE!" Information
about it can be found at www.PatStelzer.com
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