How do you celebrate the "Real Christmas Season" with your family?

[Allegra]

In the US, Christmas tends to be celebrated backward, with the vast majority of celebrations during Advent, and everyone closing up shop the day after Christmas. The same thing happens at Easter, with everyone celebrated prior to Easter Sunday and then nothing being available during the actual Easter Season. This is problematic to the Catholic parent who is trying to have a penetential Lent or a subdued Advent per the liturgical calendar. By the time we show up to the party, the Polar Express has left the station, the light shows are being packed up, and people look at your really weird if you stand outside their house and sing Joy to the World. In order to avoid missing out on the Christmas traditions of our community, we might be compelled to participate in secular Pre-Christmas events a bit more than we’d prefer, and there isn’t much going on publicly afterward. So how does one go about making the “real Christmas Season” memorable for the family? Any great, heart-warming traditions that bring families together and might be more meaningful that the splendor of the pre-Christmas bonanza?

 

[Smurfie]

so this year we are celebrating advent with a advent candles and daily reading accordingly. really looking forward to advent with the kids

 

[HeDa]

I kept the Christmas creche out until Feb 2nd Feast of the Presentation of the Lord this year. The flowers I had put around it still looked nice and since it was the first year I had it I wanted to look at it.
The advent candles are already prepared in the basement and will be brought up next weekend.

Mom is not to pleased about me leaving the dinner table way early so I can be in church on time for Christmas midnight Mass and Easter vigil.

 

[13pollitos]

We have the advent wreath at home, we participate in La Posadas, decorate for Christmas on Christmas Eve, and we leave it all decorated until after We celebrate Three King’s Day. Whoever finds the baby Jesus in the Three Kings bread makes tamales on Feb. 2 for the Presentation.

 

[JanetF]

I have a December baby, so for the past 20 years, I’ve tried very hard to keep the events separate. Although her birthday is in early December, it still impacts how we celebrate. In the past few years, I have waited until after mass on the last Sunday of advent to decorate my house. This means my tree is up later that most others (even in my family…my mom’s tree was put up this past weekend). I used to be a get the tree up the weekend of thanksgiving person, but the season stretched out so long and I missed out on the importance of advent, so we re-prioritized. While it may be difficult at times when the “rest of the world” is already in the Christmas groove, I have found waiting to be beneficial to our family.

For the feast of St. Nicholas, I usually give her a new pair of Christmas PJ’s. She’s away at college now, so she has to wait until finals are over next week to actually see what I picked out this year

Since I work full time, I do have to spend most weekends in December preparing, shopping, baking cookies, etc, I’m lucky to work for a university that shuts down the week after Christmas, so I get to enjoy the season by relaxing and enjoying family (and cookies).

Also, when my daughter was a toddler, and money was tight, I instituted the “Santa brings 3 gifts” rule (like the wise men). You can also save $$ by the “Santa doesn’t wrap gifts” rule

Then there’s the advent calendar, a few years ago I started printing out the saint of the day info for my daughter for each day of advent, this eventually took root and she has become quite an expert on saints (after continuing during lent too). When she was younger her advent calendar which has huge pockets and used to cost me a fortune to fill, I left the last pocket for the key for Santa to get in our house because we don’t have a fireplace (not really a house key) and we would put the key onthe door knob on Christmas eve before going to mass. We still throw out reindeer food on the front lawn for the Rudolph (cheerios, carrots, with a little gold glitter mixed in so they can see it). When she was little I used to make snow tracks on the steps into the living room (baking soda sprinkled around a boot)

Having little ones can make this season so much fun, so my best advice is to relax, enjoy and don’t overdo! You don’t have to buy into all the secularized stuff that’s out there (like elf on the shelf) to have a meaningful holiday.

 

[13pollitos]

Also, when my daughter was a toddler, and money was tight, I instituted the “Santa brings 3 gifts” rule (like the wise men). You can also save $$ by the “Santa doesn’t wrap gifts” rule

This is very similar to what we do. For Christmas, Santa brings two “needs” and one “want”. On Jan. 6, the Kings bring candy, drinks, and a family gift to share. And neither Of them wrap gifts either.

 

[mrsdizzyd]

We live by the mommy buys all her wrapping paper after Christmas for 50 cents a roll and makes auntie wrap the gifts after the kids go to bed on the following Christmas Eve rule.

 

[HeDa]

I have done that too. Now I prioritise one single colour wrapping papers and just change the ribbon colours and decorations.

Student loans are paid back in November so I have bought Christmas presents in September and October for several years. This saved me from going totally mad in December for many years. Now it is just something for my niece (late December birthday and Christmas present) and a $10 gift that is given to one adult in the room who celebrates Christmas with us.

 

[Rob2]

Any great, heart-warming traditions that bring families together and might be more meaningful

For me it will be , after the Christmas Eucharist , a family Christmas dinner gathered round the table , followed by relaxation and conversation , with one or two nodding off .

 

[starlady]

My family always got together on Christmas Eve when my brothers and I would open the gifts that we had gotten for each other. We always went to Christmas Eve Mass, and would have a meal of various meats, cheeses, crackers, fruit, etc. with a great variety of Christmas cookies. Cider, coffee, non-alcoholic eggnog, sparkling juice to drink (which, now that we’re older, usually includes wine as an option to drink as well). Then Christmas Day we would open gifts from parents. Leave decorations up until Epiphany.

My husband, who is originally from Mexico and is a baker, often brings home Three Kings Bread. I love Mexican sweet bread, but that is perhaps my favorite thing that he makes. We also often attend at least one night of Las Posadas.

Our family is just starting to grow, so I’m really excited to share Advent and Christmas (two of my favorite liturgical seasons) with our kids as they get older.

 

[TheLittleLady]

We do secular stuff in December, then celebrate Christmas beginning on Dec 25 through Candlemas. Epiphany is our big gift giving day.

 

[Secant]

So this is more a list of Advent activities, but in my family, we have the Advent wreath that we do every night for a pre-meal prayer. We do a Jesse tree every night. We also have a Shepherd on the Search (kind of like elf on the shelf except with prayers, Bible readings, and meditations on the coming of Jesus. As a note, my family and in-laws think that we’re nuts for focusing too much on Advent, so you may have to just get used to that.

After Christmas morning, all decorations stay up until epiphany, when the three kings make their appearance at the nativity in a little celebration. Also, we keep singing and playing Christmas carols through February.