For today’s installment in the 12 Days of an Adventures with Sarah Christmas we’re sharing the traditions of Alyson, our fellow adventurer who handles all the administrative elements of organising our experiences:
“I think everything my family does is pretty standard for our part of the world, but there are some fun elements that are specific to us.
Growing up in a big Catholic family, Christmas was a huge day. We’d wake up to full stockings and presents from Santa. Then we’d all go to my Nana’s house where we’d have brunch and exchange gifts with cousins. Leading up to the holidays, all the cousins would pick a name from a hat at Thanksgiving, then shop for that one person to give a gift to on Christmas day so everyone didn’t have to buy a gift for everyone else. My parents and aunts and uncles would all do the same.
Then we’d go to my mom’s parents’ house, have dinner, and exchange gifts again. My Grandma loved giving gifts and she had 9 children all with kids of their own, so the number of presents was staggering! The hallways would be lined with stacked gifts as well as all around the tree too. While there were a lot of presents, it was really about being with the full family and experiencing the joy and excitement together. With so many people, it was hard to coordinate everyone being present at one time, so this was the time of year when we all prioritized that togetherness!
One year we got snowed in at my grandparents’ house. I had gotten a dollhouse that year, so my sisters (I have 1 older sister and 1 younger) and I set it up and played with it for days. Fun memories! Now I go to my parents’ house with my kids and exchange gifts with my sisters, their husbands, and my niece and nephew.
Another fun Christmas tradition for me was with my great grandparents, who were very into fishing. We used to get together to “fish” for presents from them. They’d wrap presents and put them in a raft, and make a chart of each person’s name next to a different pattern of wrapping paper. Then we’d take turns using a fishing pole with a paperclip on the end, trying to hook our designated present under the ribbon around it and pull it out.”
We have really been enjoying sharing our festive traditions with each other, it’s really helping us get excited about Christmas! Stay tuned for tomorrow’s installment for even more holiday cheer.
If you’ve missed any of the other posts, catch up on all the previous days of our 12 Days of an Adventures with Sarah Christmas here.
