Holiday traditions – every family has them. From Santa arriving Christmas Eve to going to midnight mass, right down to the meal you share and what time it’s served. The RD team shares a few of their favorite family traditions of the season.
Krista, RDH: “One of our family traditions is getting up and making homemade cinnamon roll bake, head to visit Santa Claus, then return home to make and decorate Christmas cookies.”
Jenny Ruoho, DDS: “We have our extended family gathering on Christmas eve. We all bring wrapped presents and play “the game” after dinner. The game is played with a dice. If you roll the number you call, you get to choose a present. After all the presents are opened, the game continues for 10 more minutes. If you roll the number you call in this round, you get to steal someone else’s present.”
Sherry, RDH: “My family’s Christmas tradition is to put the ornaments on the tree together. My mother has been collecting an ornament for me, my brother, and now for her granddaughters that signify something important that has happened in their life that year. Like the year I graduated from hygiene school she bought a tooth ornament. It’s fun to look back through the memories every time we decorate the tree.”
Ashley, RDA: “One of our family traditions is with my family on the weekend we celebrate and have Christmas at the cabin up north. We go out into our woods and pick out the perfect tree and hang lights on it. We have many many more but celebrating at the cabin is my favorite!”
Traditions vary from family to family, though a symbolic element of the holiday season is the Christmas tree. The Fir tree has been a symbol of Christmas for thousands of years, originating in Northern Europe (though no one is exactly sure where!). Candles were used to decorate Fir trees to represent stars in Victorian times, and to this day candles are still used to decorate the Christmas tree in many parts of Europe.
Opening presents on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day is another tradition that varies per household. Santa travels over 220 million miles on Christmas Eve – his busiest day of the year! Some families open presents on Christmas Eve because Santa visits their house earlier on his route. Other families open presents on Christmas Day just as Santa slips back up the chimney. To learn more about Santa’s Christmas route, his toy-making elves and holiday activities to enjoy with the family, click here!
From all of us at Relaxation Dentistry, we hope you enjoy this holiday season making countless memories celebrating your own family traditions. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
