Christmas Customs By Allison Bowser
Celebrating Christmas traditions is something done so frequently that some forget that they can be considered traditions. Everything from the most popular, like putting a Christmas tree up or decorating, to more obscure ones that may be family exclusive are celebrated during the holiday season. Having interviewed several students, here are some of the Christmas traditions you can find around Lenape Tech by those who celebrate. Some of the most common traditions found to be celebrated where decorating the tree, opening presents, and picking out the Christmas tree, for those who had a real tree). One student interviewed also said she feeds her Christmas tree to her goats after the holidays.
Opening presents is a quick and easy way to feel joy. The excitement of tearing the paper off a mystery gift to reveal something that had been handpicked by a family member or friend is an easy way to cement the tradition as a thing to hold dear. Not to mention that it is easy. The action of wrapping up a gift is a skill that isn’t too difficult to learn, and the gift doesn’t necessarily need to be something valuable, especially if the receiver is able to appreciate the sentiment no matter what it is. Decorating the tree each year is an easy way for members of a household to come together. The shiny ornaments designed to catch the eye are always fun to dig out of whatever storage container they are being held in, not to mention that it can be a blast to the past as well. Parents tend to have the habit of collecting what their children make them, which of course includes handmade ornaments. The memories made while decorating the Christmas tree are some that many can hold on to for the rest of their life. Speaking of decorating the tree, Lenape Tech students that have a real Christmas tree said that they enjoy the tradition of picking one out.
More obscure Christmas traditions can be something that are special to only one family or that not many can relate to. The most surprising one that was found during interviews was from Neveah Zak, who stated how her family eats Christmas dinner for breakfast before opening Christmas gifts. Another tradition given was how one student would burn his Christmas tree after the holiday season with his family. One tradition that happens in households that have small children is making reindeer food. It’s a combination of oats and glitter or sprinkles. Young kids can then throw this in their yard Christmas Eve as a gift to Santa’s reindeer.
