|
|
|
WHAT'S NEW
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
Holiday rituals we love
|
|
|
Sometimes, the holidays just aren't complete without quirky family traditions. Homemakers staff reveal their favourite holiday rituals.
|
|
|
By Homemakers staff
|
|
|
|
|
What makes Christmas, Christmas? Every family's answer is as unique as snowflakes or Christmas trees. Here, we at Homemakers share the rituals and traditions that make the holiday so special for each of us.
Stocking surprises
On Christmas morning my family lets slip the grip of bed to check out Santa's gifts. Even though at 32 I'm the youngest in the room, and we've all stuffed goodies in one anothers' stockings sometime the night before, we all put on our best surprised faces and gasps. We even have my partner JP doing this, though he's not as convincing. We take turns appreciatively discovering our stocking's contents, marvelling at Santa's insight into our personalities, even for the items that we've tucked away for ourselves. I guess it's our way of preserving the magical feeling of Christmas, if only for one another's amusement. - -- Jessica Ross, executive editor
Oh, Christmas tree!
Every December my family and I trek to the country to cut our Christmas tree. We return to the same Christmas tree farm each year. Like clockwork my dad will make the same joke about picking out a Charlie Brown tree, and we'll search for the perfect one until our feet feel like bricks of ice. That this ritual is dependably the same makes it a holiday staple in our household.
-- Dayna Boyer, assistant web editor
Stocking stalking
Holding on to a few traditions from England, my family has always had our Christmas stockings left at the end of the bed.
When I was a kid, on Christmas morning my sister and I would open our goodies as soon as we woke up, then jump on my parents' bed to wake them up and help them open their stockings. This tradition has continued over the years and now our husbands, boyfriends and grandkids all descend on Mom and Dad's bed with us, all in our pj's, to open all of our stockings together.
-- Suzanne Lacorte, associate art director
Spirit of light
It's rare now to see a big church packed to the rafters. But our church, Emmanuel Howard Park United in Toronto, draws 1,000 people -- from many other denominations and even faiths -- to a service known unofficially as "Christmas Eve Unplugged."
While the sanctuary is lit only by dozens of candles, hundreds of people from all over the city join for a mix of ancient carols sung by an amazing chancel choir and folk-gospel songs performed by recording artist Ken Whitely. Christmas Eve can so easily become a last-minute crush of food preparation, gift-wrapping and house-cleaning that the spirit we really long to capture is sidelined by shopping and silver-polishing.
In this sublime hour, we find it again in the arms of our families, neighbours and friends.
-- Kathy Ullyott, editor-in-chief
Santa's wee helper
I grew up with six brothers and three sisters (no twins!). You can imagine the chaos and fun on Christmas morning. We were allowed to open only our stockings before breakfast.
After we ate, the youngest child able acted as Santa's (Dad's) helper in delivering the gifts one at a time to each recipient. "Is Jane here? I have a present for Jane. Is Jane here?"
"Yes, yes, I'm right in front of you!"
We had to wait and watch the recipient open his or her present, thank the giver and test it out before moving on to the next person's present.
Stopping only for the Queen's annual telecast, the gift opening lasted for hours. Over the years, I realized that giving was more fun than receiving. I would wait, near hysteria, to see the reactions to my carefully chosen presents.
-- Jane Curran, national account manager
Click to continue...
Page 1 of 2
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
