The
Holiday’s are a time of celebration and tradition for people everywhere. There are the usual Christmas expectations
that every Christmas celebrator is expected to fulfill. For instance, there is
the Christmas tree. This tradition of bringing a tree into one’s home,
stringing it with bright, colorful lights and loading it with ornaments is
widely practiced. Also, singing Christmas carols and sharing a meal with family
is a common Christmas Day activity.
Although there are many followers of these holiday traditions, some
people have gone outside the norm and found unique ways to enjoy Christmas.
Since
Christmas Eve is the big build up to Christmas morning, the excitement brings
many families together. Colonie senior, Mike McKay, explained that Christmas
Eve was spent in the movie theaters. Like many other people, it became a
tradition for his entire family to go out to a Christmas Eve movie. Also, it is a common practice for people to
snuggle next to a warm fire and watch It’s
a Wonderful Life, the renowned Christmas movie. But for senior Jaclyn
Welch, Christmas Eve is celebrated with her family’s own tradition. They put on
a talent show for each other. This
family wide competition is held each year and each person is given a chance to
out shine another, but in a friendly way. It features acts such as Jaclyn’s
aunt and uncle doing a synchronized dance.
Also, she has performed as an expert hula-hooper ever since she was
young. This is the kind of unique
tradition that makes the holiday even more special to a family.
My family is
another example of hosting odd Christmas Eve traditions. Every year my father
comes home with two giant boxes. Each box contains about 75 rolls of toilet
paper. This serves two purposes; we are supplied with toilet paper for a cheap
price for a really long time, and we get to play with a whole lot of toilet
paper. Toilet paper activities include stacking them in doorways and then
smashing trough them, or simply chucking them at your cousin. Also if you are
lucky enough, you are allowed to open some and completely wrap one of your
unwilling family members in toilet paper. It is definitely a different
Christmas Eve activity, but for us it is the best part of the night.
Christmas Day
holds a whole new array of traditions. Many which seem to take place during the
opening of gifts. Senior Ally Ferral said that she opens her stocking after her
presents, which is out of order in most people’s eyes. Another example is
senior Sam Smith who said he has to open his cat’s and dog’s presents
first. It’s funny because when he told
me this in a crowd of people, almost everyone, including myself, chimed in and
said that they did that too. Apparently
pet owners are on the same page that their pets deserve the first presents of
Christmas morning.
Another Christmas
Day custom that can be changed is the meal. Some people have adopted the
tradition of going out for a late night Denny’s meal, while others stay home to
cook. They prepare uncommon meals such as chili, turkey, or fried chicken. In my family, fried meatballs are the best
food of the day. However, Melissa McGee of Colonie takes the show with her
family’s tradition of eating crab legs on Christmas Day.
Despite the shared
ideas of Christmas celebrations, many people have come out with their own
unique traditions. These traditions are what make the holidays more personal
and more treasured to them.
