Moms Talk

Making Christmas Merrier with Holiday Traditions

Do you have cultural or family traditions that make the season brighter?

The holidays are a time for family, immediate and extended. Family and the holiday traditions can be what make the holidays the most special time of the year. There are some classic holiday traditions, such as Christmas trees, gift exchanges, Christmas cookies, Christmas music and more. When I was a child, we used to go to a cut your own Christmas tree farm with my grandparents. I remember thinking the giant Santa statue at the Christmas tree farm and the hot chocolate after we cut down the tree were my favorite parts. We never decorated the tree until Christmas Eve and we always left a few ornaments for Santa to finish off the tree. My son is still young and although we are continuing some of our older traditions, we are also starting new…

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What Are Your Thanksgiving Traditions?

From different terms to different ways of celebrating, people have different ways of giving thanks.

Thanksgiving traditions vary by region and by family. I grew up spending my Thanksgiving with family in one part of the Philadelphia area or another: Chestnut Hill, Mt. Airy, Haverford, Havertown, Wayne, Paoli or Media. To my family, Thanksgiving was about being together. The Thanksgiving gatherings started out a little bit like a cocktail party, but it was about connecting and catching up with family members who we didn’t see frequently. My family didn’t turn on the TV and watch the football game. That just wasn’t part of our tradition. Now, I’m married and frequently spend Thanksgiving with my in-laws, where the TV is frequently on and they call stuffing “dressing.” The food on the table is a lot more starch-based than I’m used to, but …

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Lauren Avellino Turton

1:49 pm on Wednesday, November 23, 2011

I grew up in a traditional Italian family. We always spent the holidays with a large group and enjoyed a lot of delicious food. Thanksgiving was one of the best menus. My Mom made escarole soup, tons of escarole soup with the little meatballs, which we couldn't get enough of. I enjoy the turkey, but her stuffing recipe is by far the greatest. It too takes on an Italian twist. Basically, the …   more ›