What the HC team love about Christmas

Posted on 16 December, 2014

Do you pull out the Christmas tree and decorate it on the first day of December? Send Christmas cards to every family member, every year without fail? Even to those you’ve don’t really ever see? Or maybe there’s that Uncle who tells his ‘stellar’ Christmas joke every year. You know the one we’re talking about because the punchline is always an epic fail and we know there’s always one in every family.

Well, these little gems that make you smile (or cringe) are called traditions—things we do year in and year out because…well, if we didn’t it Christmas just wouldn’t be Christmas. And whether you’re religious, cultural or neither, when it comes to the festive season, it’s these traditions that make Christmas something special for you and your family.

So in the spirit of Christmas and giving, we decided to create our own and ask the HerCanberra team to share their favourite Christmas traditions…

What traditions keep the Christmas spirit alive in your family?

“Eating. Lots of eating. Our Christmas tradition is a celebration of family and food with a long, long table set for 30 (in reality, a motley collection of mismatched tables of assorted heights and widths), which groans under the weight of a myriad of dishes brought by all and sundry. It’s always so special.” Amanda Whitley

“My favourite tradition used be the Christingle Service—it took place in a glorious Norman church in Maldon, which was lit by a huge Christmas tree and crib, and candles. The air was always slightly damp. My mum used to volunteer (us) every year to make the Christingles and we’d walk them round to the church through the ancient, ivy-covered graveyard. Inevitably one of my brother’s friends would throw a spider or a damp slimy thing at one of the girls, knowing we were pretty powerless to do anything in case we dropped a tray.” Jacky Sutton

“Christmas is not Christmas unless my sister and I make rum balls that are potently alcoholic whilst watching Love Actually.” Anna Riddel

“Watching Carols by Candlelight or driving around checking out the christmas lights while munching down on a McDonalds cone (depends who I’m spending xmas with).” Samara Gentle

“As a little girl, the tree would come out 1 December, Mum would pick the colours (being a florist) and then my little brother, sister and I would use Christmas-shaped cookie cutters to make decorations out of bread before adding them to the coloured collection of baubles on the tree. Come Christmas Eve (and in keeping with our German heritage) it would be off to Midnight Mass at our school church followed by cake and cordial after the service concluded. We were then allowed to open one present each when we returned home and then it was off to bed.” Jessica Schumann

“Egg nog made by my mum on Christmas morning! It’s never too early for egg nog.” Clare Watson

“This is coming from a ‘submarine’ Catholic—we submarine Catholics only pop up during the big events. Sad and shameful, yes I know, but there you have it…Anyway, my favourite tradition? Four weeks before Xmas we set up the Advent wreath and on Christmas Eve we go to Midnight Mass.  As for my more secular tradition: watch Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol and a new tradition now that I have a child—photo with Santa!” Belladonna Took

“Eating mangoes and drinking champagne while decorating the Christmas tree.” Rebecca Carpenter

“Going on an evening walk after dinner to see the Christmas lights in the neighbourhood.” Laura Edwards

“My sister and my daughter started making Christmas chocolates together when my first little girl was 12 months old. They’ve done it every year for 16 years now, along with all the children who have come along in both of our families since.” Emma Grey

“My family collects a Christmas bauble from every new city we visit.” Ashleigh Went

“Oh man – the Steads live for tradition!!! We have sooooooo many. My fave is eating the christmas pudding—Uncle Steve always “chokes” and continues to do so until the most recent addition to the Christmas table (friend, cousins’ girlfriend, extended family member etc) administers the Heimlich manoeuvre. We have had all sorts of things in our pudding – fooled money (instead of a coin), Kluger round, even a credit card!” Bronwen Stead

“A seafood lunch, followed by a nap then a big evening walk with the dog.” Minq E Faybah

“We keep nothing under the tree until Christmas Eve when we wrap the presents. The kids wake up to the presents “all of a sudden” being there and love it. We also have breakfast together as a family and say a thank you prayer together before we start opening pressies!” Kate Freeman

“I’m Canadian, so when home it’s going for a walk in the snow after the turkey is safely tucked into the oven to cook.” Wendy Johnson

“My Dad reads every card on every gift and hands out all the gifts under the tree individually. We (all 13 members of my immediate family) get to watch each person open their gifts. It takes forever but it’s worth it. I think I love watching people open gifts more than receiving them myself.” Emma Bourke

“Emma (above) and I must be soul mates as we’ve the same tradition (opening gifts individually). Drives my husband mad doing the presents one by one but I absolutely love it!” Kate Neser

“The rule is just one person handing out presents from under the tree, to avoid riots, BUT said person is required to wear a ridiculous Christmas hat.” Roslyn Hull

“Being forced by dad to watch National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation every.single.year (I still secretly love it though).” Kaylia Payne

“Our tradition is going to the annual Church Christmas carols, I love any excuse to sing carols LOUD. And of course, setting up our nativity scene (above is our newest addition), I love the true meaning of Christmas, which can sometimes be drowned out by everything else going on in the season.” Sarah Nolen

“My family always goes to church then opens presents on Christmas eve because my dad used to work on Christmas day. He doesn’t work on Christmas day anymore but we’ve kept the tradition.” Michelle Brotohusodo

“My favourite carol is We Three Kings, being a traveller myself I feel such a stirring over the line ‘…field and fountain, moor and mountain, following yonder star…’. My tradition stems from that, I ALWAYS am home with my mum for Christmas, in 43 Christmases I have never been apart from her, even when I have lived overseas I am home for Christmas.” Heather Wallace

“Since having our boys, my husband and I set up our own family traditions. We always spend Christmas Eve in our own home. Our boys wake up to gifts from Santa on Christmas morning. We then spend the rest of the day catching up with both sides of the family. It makes for a busy day, but it wouldn’t feel right to miss seeing family at Christmas.” Michelle Swadling

“Decorating the house with Christmas ornaments and keepsakes. My little brother and I would always put Christmas-y things up around the house and hand make a bunch of stuff for Christmas too, like baubles and paper chains.” Tess Parisotto

“On Christmas day, we used to travel from one family home to another, as my family and in-laws lived in Hobart and my parents lived in Launceston. So it was a great joy to have two Christmases every year, which the children especially loved! We also had a Piñata for the kids in Launceston (just because my mum thought it was fun). Jacquie Tewes

What tradition keeps the Christmas spirit alive in your home? Let us know…

Feel free to share it in a comment below – or even post a picture on Instagram using the hashtag #HerCanChristmas!