Wednesday, October 12, 2011

How To Have A Traditional Christmas

By John Rooney


There are plenty of Christmas practices that are gradually being lost in the current day's high technology, always-on-the-go world. But Christmas is the perfect time to slow things down and get back to basics to really enjoy the season. Here are 3 ways to have a conventional, old-fashioned Christmas.

1. Decorations

For many individuals, decorations are what make Christmas time special. The right decorations can set the stage for a normal Christmas and let the whole family become involved in creating the Christmas spirit.

Begin with an old-fashioned Christmas tree. Traditional decorations were all hand-made. Take a day early in December to get the whole family together to create the decorations like stringed popcorn and chains made from colourful paper. Play Christmas music, serve eggnog and get everybody into the spirit.

Check your local thrift or antique shop for some old style decorations. Wax or blown-glass ornaments were commonplace in past times, and there are typically some great examples to be found in thrift stores for next to nothing.

You can also look for antique tins with Christmas themes. These make great candy or fruit dishes.

2. Baking and Cooking

Baking and cooking come a close 2nd to the Christmas tree for creating the mood for Christmas. Cookies, pies, and hot cider are all staples of an old style Christmas party.

The whole family can take part - even the non-bakers. They can help to decorate the sugar cookies or gingerbread men. Kids can help cut the cookie shapes before they are baked.

3. Christmas Day

There are loads of Christmas day traditions that will help create old-fashioned fun. Find somebody to play Santa Claus and deliver the presents for everyone in the family.

Make the present exchange time special. Don't just tear into them en mass, give everybody a chance to open them separately. This gives everybody a better chance to show their appreciation, and folk get to look at their reactions.

If you are sufficiently lucky to have a white Christmas, take a little time out of the day to go sledding or have a snowball fight. Round it off by serving hot cider or hot chocolate.

These family traditions can be passed on from generation to generation, with every one adding their own extras.




About the Author:



Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...