Michael B. - Sales & eCommerce
Every Christmas morning, after the kids have opened their gifts, I make them Eggs Benedict… although they didn't always like it when they were younger, they seem to appreciate it now.
Terrance W. - Front Office
My holiday tradition is Christmas Eve, ornaments exchange party, family and friends we exchange ornaments brought or made. I have Christmas ornaments dating back to the 1940's passed down by aunts and great aunts. My parties started in the seventy's and I also make them and Christmas bulbs.
Jenny B. - Catering
On Thanksgiving, the men typically clean up the meal, we fire up the Johnny Mathis and Perry Como holiday music and all the ladies and children create "make-it-take-it" crafts which are usually Christmas oriented. Each family brings a craft and the means for everyone to make it. We have all sorts of creations from the past few decades.
Lynn S. - Front Office
- Each child gets a certain amount of money to pick out their own ornament. We usually go to Valley View. Afterwards, we go to Hampden to see the lights plus other places for lights.
- We do family Christmas on the 24th. After presents are given, we play a game with special game presents (funny) then, afterwards play hide/seek.
- We do an extended family get together where all bring food and then, we sing carols and take a family picture. (We pick a numbers from 1-12 and do the 12 Days of Christmas song with actions and more - try to be creative.)
Nicole M. - Marketing
We make the fresh pasta in abundance, to eat on Christmas day. Our family also writes a poem every year that incorporates new activities/updates on each family member. It rotates each year from family to family. Conveniently, we only need to write it every ten years. But it's really fun to listen to everyone's accomplishments from the year!
Denise N. - Spa
Our Christmas Eve starts at 5pm. We do the exact same thing every single year. We go to the early church service, come home and eat lobster, filet mignon and homemade mac n cheese. Then we snuggle around the fireplace and watch the movie The Grinch (with Jim Carey) and then my favorite part...: the kids still sleep on the floor in our bedroom Christmas Eve and we fall asleep watching a Christmas movie so we can all wake up together on Christmas Day. Even though my kids are 24 years old, they still insist on these traditions and we do the same exact thing year after year.
Bethe B. - Sales
- Our family is Norwegian-American and we enjoy the Swedish Meatballs/ Riced potatoes/ Lutefisk and Lefse for Christmas Eve
- Opening one present on Xmas eve and singing carols
- Making special cookies for the holidays to enjoy and share with friends, neighbors and family.
Tracy K. - Sales
Our biggest tradition happens on Christmas morning. My husband goes down stairs first, while the kids and I stand patiently at the top of the stairs. He gets all the Christmas lights turned on, puts the music on, brews our coffee (a must), and makes their hot chocolate. It is complete torture for the kids to wait, they can barely contain themselves. But once everything is ready they run down the stairs and we get that "wow" moment. That moment is my favorite part of the day.
Stacey S. - Human Resources
For my boys (ages 10 & 7), they both get to open their presents to one another. This way, the gifts & thoughtfulness doesn't get lost in the Christmas day shuffle. It's nice.
Denise R. - Reservations
- Being able to open one and one only Christmas gift on Christmas Eve
- Going to my Grandma's house on Christmas Eve with the entire family for Christmas Eve dinner
- Getting a bag of dirt and a dump truck as a gift as a little girl every year because I was such a Tomboy growing up. One year I came down the stairs to look under the tree and see no bag of dirt or dump truck. I was SO up set that my Uncle snuck outside with a sandwich baggie and was literally trying to dig up dirt (keep in mind this is December and the ground is frozen) and put it in the bag. He and my Dad then found an old truck in the basement and they hurried up to put it under the tree without me seeing. I know now this as an adult because my Uncle told me the story the other day. My Father passed away on December the 27th years ago to lung cancer, and my Uncle knows how hard this time of year is for my sisters and I, so he was telling us stories the other day. They might seem meaning less to some but the world to my sisters and I.
Sandy C. - Accounting
- My mom used to read to my brother and I on Christmas Eve "The Night Before Christmas" and so she bought one of those recordable books from the Hallmark store and recorded herself reading the book. So my children and I gather on my bed before they go to sleep on Christmas Eve and we listen to my Mom read "The Night before Christmas".
- On Christmas day my parents, brother, and my mother and father in law all come to our house to open gifts, have dinner and talk about what we are grateful for.
Donna R. - Human Resources
We typically go to Mass on Christmas Eve with my Mom (and Dad when he was alive) with all the siblings and grandkids. We would then go back to their house and have dinner and open the gifts that were exchanged among the siblings and cousins. Rudolph usually showed up at some point outside the window and the little ones were always in awe. (We used a red pointer and would reflect on the trees….worked great). Everyone went home in excitement of the Christmas morning.
On Christmas Morning, each family opened gifts from Santa and then all of the families drove back up to my parents house where Santa came up there. We enjoyed watching everyone open more gifts then Mom would always fixed a big breakfast (including Stollen….a German bread). We would all go home tired from all the morning activities and then drive back up to Mom (and Dad's) for a nice Christmas dinner. These were such wonderful traditions.
Since Mom's stroke 5 years ago, we have had to modify tradition a bit but we try to maintain it as much as possible.
Cheryl B. - Sales
Since I was an infant my dad has always read The Night Before Christmas to us all. We sit on the couch and huddle around him in our jammies. It is now my kids and my nephews on the couch next to him but there has not been a year that has gone by that we have not done this tradition.
We always decorate our Christmas tree while listening to the Partridge Family Christmas CD. It is such fun, upbeat music.
Jaime P. - Catering
- We have always opened one gift on Christmas Eve and then the rest on Christmas morning.
- I go to my brother's house every Christmas Eve and he always has the kids gather around him while he reads a Christmas book.
Andrea B. - eCommerce
- Going to Mom's and decorating the tree with my family on Christmas Eve
- Banberry tarts - my family's signature cookie. They were my father's favorite cookie and mother passed the recipe on to me to take over for her after my father passed away.
- A first this year - baking cookies with my 2 year old nephew!
Whatever you celebrate this season, we wish you peace, hope, and joy from our family to yours!
