“Never let the influence of the modern world affect your
traditions and who you are”
I’m truly a traditional person. I value family, memories, milestones and celebration. The Holiday season is my favourite time of the year because I can dive deep into traditions I’ve held dear for many years. In an ever changing world, practicing activities that bring to light happy memories is comforting and more important than ever.
Even though Thanksgiving has passed here in Canada, I still like to partake in a small way in American Thanksgiving. It just so happens to always fall on a Thursday which happens to be one of my days off and I spend this day watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and writing up my Christmas cards to mail out to family. I plan this tradition in advance each year by choosing and ordering my Christmas cards online and planning a cozy meal. In light of the Thanksgiving holiday down south, I usually purchase a piece of turkey breast and make my Turkey, leek and mushroom pie. A chilly November afternoon, the Parade on T.V. (and later Football) and a delicious savoury pie in the oven; the anticipation of a full day of coziness is enough for me to stick to this tradition for years to come.
At the heart of every family Tradition is a meaningful experience
I’m lucky that my family shares in my love of tradition and I guess in a way, I enjoy tradition because that’s what I was taught.
Every Halloween we get together at my sister’s home to carve pumpkins and this tradition starts as early as a week before when I visit the Pumpkin Patch to choose the perfect pumpkin to carve. By this time Starbucks starts to dole out their Holiday beverages and I like to stop for a drink that I can enjoy while I peruse the pumpkin patch.
On December 1st my husband and I journey out to buy our Christmas tree. Once home the Christmas Music goes on and we spend the evening tree trimming. On this date I gift my husband an ornament for the tree and I make a pot of Mulled Wine to sip while tree trimming. With the house festive and the lights twinkling, we sit down to watch the first of many Christmas movies. I usually love starting with Miracle on 34th Street or Home Alone.
My husband and I share a love for Christmas so when we got married we decided on a winter wedding in the alpine village of Whistler BC. It was such a magical wedding and we return to the Four Seasons Whistler every year for our Anniversary and re-live a little of the beautiful memories from that day: wine in the lounge next to the fire, dinner at Araxi Oyster Bar and shopping in the village while the snow falls.
My younger sister and I do what we call “sissy’s Christmas” each year. When we lived in the same town, we’d get together and cook dinner, bake cookies, watch a Christmas movie and exchange gifts. She’s now married to a Texan so sissy’s Christmas has been moved to Zoom. We plan for this tradition at least a month in advance as presents need to be bought and shipped and I usually plan a fun Christmas Movie Trivia game to play while we sip a holiday cocktail and share Holiday plans.
My oldest sister hosts a Christmas Cocktail Soiree at her home each year where friends and family gather to catch up and hang out before the Holiday. Festive attire is required and there are colourful cocktails for everyone’s taste.
Do you have annual traditions? Today I’ve shared some Holiday Traditions but there are many more we keep throughout the year like our annual trip to the lake cabin with my husband’s family each August and my Birthday trip. Tradition is comforting and something to look forward to; it’s important to have things to look forward to don’t you think?
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Love,
Jennifer