Keeping with Polish tradition, we always celebrate Christmas Eve. We have dinner with family and friends. We read a passage from the Bible and then share a blessed wafer to celebrate the birth of Jesus. Even though no one in my family is religious anymore, the tradition remains. The first course of dinner is always borscht (beet soup) with dumplings that we made weeks earlier. Then we have a meatless dinner–when fish doesn’t count as meat–followed by singing Christmas carols and just hanging out. We recently started a tradition for gifts where everyone brings one gift and puts it in a pile under the tree for people to choose from without knowing what each gift contains. We always have too much desert and some coffee to wake us from our food-induced comas before saying our goodbyes.
-Katelyn Serpe
Many families make cookies around the holidays. Baking cookies with your family members can be a generations old tradition that is fun for everyone. Stories about previous holidays are often told while the cookies are baking and families become closer in the process. The best part is eating the cookies after!
Preparing all sorts of different foods for a large dinner is a big part of many holiday traditions as well. During the holidays, families and friends gather to have a meal together and preparing food for your guests is a popular tradition. Bonding over good food is always a good time!
Giving gifts is a holiday tradition that almost everyone participates in. Whether it be DIY gifts or ones from the store, presents from the heart mean a lot to the receiver. Remember: it is better to give than to receive.
Happy holidays!