Holiday Traditions

What a wonderful time of the year! A time for remembering the true meaning of Christmas and to focus on the Savior. A time to be with those we love the most. A time to be extra conscious of others and to be a little bit nicer, a little bit more Christlike, and a little bit better in all we do.

As we begin the season, we've been asking around. . . what fun and special traditions do you have in your family to celebrate the season?


Laura Ralphs:

One of our kids' favorite Christmas Eve traditions is when we spend it with Luke's family is their traditional Christmas Eve pinata. Last year was funny because the pinata was Santa Claus and at first you could tell the younger cousins were being really timid about hitting Santa (after all, he is the one bringing them presents in the morning!) It didn't take long for the older cousins to get things going though and then they all realized that getting the candy and toys inside the pinata was worth it.

We also pick out a new Christmas picture book as a family each year to add to our collection. We usually try to pick something that has to do with what's been going on with our life (i.e. the year Matthew built his first snowman we bought "What Snowmen Do At Night" by Mark and Caralyn Buehner).


Liz Zundell

We have a few Christmas traditions. We put up our tree the weekend after Thanksgiving and then kick off the season by watching "A Charlie Brown Christmas." We also take a picture for the Christmas cards we send out. This totally stresses me out more than Christmas shopping. No Eric, you can't do bunny ears behind your sister's head. Ally, take your fingers out of your mouth. Kaylee, smile. Ryan, I know you hate the flash in your eyes, but you do have to look straight ahead. No, if the dog can't sit still, he can't be in the picture. No Ally, we don't want your blanket in the picture. No Eric, your guinea pig can't be in the picture either. CAN EVERYONE JUST LOOK AT ME AND SMILE????? Here Mike, you just take the picture, I'm going to Maverick. Merry Christmas!



Stephanie Pugsley
I love being home on Christmas Eve, but discovered that for some reason the kids have a lot of excess energy that night. As a result, one of our favorite traditions was born. We now decorate gingerbread houses before we settle down for the final spiritual reading of the true Christmas story out of the New Testament. We work in teams to create our houses and have contests to see who can make the longest icicles, the most colorful whatever, the best fences, etc. Working together is fun, while enjoying a pleasant evening without the hustle and bustle of the season.

I also have wonderful memories of being a child at Christmastime. I have distinct memories of helping my mother in the kitchen make all sorts of cookies, candies and fruitcakes. I was great at making almond "flowers" with maraschino cherry centers to decorate the tops of the cakes. (I must admit that I never learned to like fruitcake. I assume that once I grew up I would...they were made of all sorts of yummy things. sorry mom.) For me, it is hard to enjoy the Christmas season without all of those amazing smells in my home. I love her for teaching me to make gingerbread, spritz, sugar cookies, fudge, toffee, and biscotti. I love that my children are excited to help me make them now. MMMMmmmmmm I am excited to get started!!


Carol Theurer

The Theurer has a special tradition of planning a Christmas Eve spiritual fireside and dinner for their entire family. The entire family gathers for a lovely meal. Afterwards, they retire to the living room for a special message, which is different every year. Each year, Carol carefully considers the message and selects a gift which will remind the family of that message. At the end of the evening, every member of the family is given the gift to open. This special Christmas Eve tradition is something the family looks forward to all year long.


We'd love to hear about your traditions! Email them to us.