Traditions, New and Old

I love having traditions. It’s one of my favorite things about being an Aggie. Don’t get me wrong: I like new things as much as the next person. But traditions help me to appreciate history, whether it’s global or familial. As a Puerto Rican, we get to celebrate Christmas the 25th of December, and also the 6th of January, Epiphany. When I was young we would get shoe boxes and fill them with hay, leaving them by the door, or under our beds. The Three Magi would come by and leave gifts, and the camels would eat the hay. The Magi got shafted.

With my kidlets we observe both, adding other global traditions for fun, and because it teaches them how differently certain cultures view Christmas traditions. One of the fun traditions we have is the Christmas Pickle:

No, it’s not hanging on the tree yet. But our tradition holds that whichever child finds it Christmas morning, gets a special present. We have other traditions, including church, caroling, and a movie marathon of White Christmas, A Charlie Brown Christmas, The Nativity Story, and It’s a Wonderful Life. Whaaaa…?? It’s the ONLY day I get to call what we watch on TV!!

And what traditions do y’all enjoy during the holiday?