There are many Christmas traditions that we know of, the Christmas Tree being one of the most well known symbols of the holiday. However there are many others, some that are a little more obscure, and yet still just as important to some as the more conventional ways of celebrating Christmas. If you’re looking for something a little more this Christmas, try one of the traditions apart from the more popular ones you already know of.
Reindeer Food
This is one for your children. Kids will love the idea of being able to feed the reindeer that Santa Claus has to pull his sled across the skyline as he places presents under the Christmas tree. It’s also a way for your children to unleash their imaginations, because the wonder a child has can reinvigorate your appreciation for the holiday as well. Reindeer food can be whatever your children want it to be: oats with glitter added to the mix, candy canes sprinkled with holly berries, or even just plants with glitter added. It may not seem like much but to the children, it means the world, so help them make their dreams come true this Christmas and let their imaginations take you away for the season.
Watch Polar Express
This movie is fast becoming a Christmas tradition across Australia. It’s shown on Freeview TV close to Christmas, and on Christmas Eve a few times in recent years. It’s a great way to bring the family together and reinvigorating the Christmas spirit, especially if some of your family members have lost that belief in the beings involved in bringing Christmas to life. If you don’t like advertisements breaking up the movie, you can always watch it on a subscription channel such as Foxtel, Netflix or Stan. Make it a part of a Christmas movie marathon so that the entire family stays together for the day, eating and watching together for the holidays.
Yule Logs
Yule or Yuletide is used synonymously with Christmas and was celebrated by Germanic people historically. It’s not as celebrated as Christmas but to those who do know of it, it’s just as important as Christmas is. This winter festival is celebrated in the months of December and January. The Church in the fourth century decided to use this festival to celebrate the birth of Christ with a 12 day feast, known as the Feast of the Nativity. This feast was supposed to correspond with another pagan holiday that celebrated the winter solstice. In recent years though, it’s more a celebration of the Christmas season. The burning of the Yule long was a tradition for centuries, where a log was lit on Christmas Day and burned for 12 days following Christmas. This was thought to prevent misfortune for the New Year. Many households now present the log in the shape of a cake that can be enjoyed by many and will lead to good fortune in the year following.
Watching Christmas Lights
Some cities will have a light show to entertain the citizens in the days leading up to Christmas. In some residential areas, entire streets will put up impressive light displays of their own, illuminating the driveway and delighting passersby. If you live close to a street that enjoys and actively participates in these displays, you and your family can always take an evening stroll after dinner and watch as the sun sets and the lights begin to turn on. Wander along the street and see Santa Clauses, reindeer and candy canes among the brightly lit ornaments.
Mistletoe
This particular tradition is very well known, however not many know the origins of the traditions that come along with this particular plant. It grows on a range of trees, such as apple and oak trees, and is actually considered to be a bit of a pest since it uses its host to grow out from its branches. Interesting that this was and is considered to have connotations of love, friendship and good fortune tied to it! Old Norse mythology promoted this, and it’s where the custom of kissing originated. This continued to grow in popularity in England, where one berry is taken off for every kiss until there are none left, whereby the kissing concludes. So if you’re celebrating with friends and family and want to show some love, hang mistletoe from various rooms so that everyone can experience some love and friendship this Christmas.
DIY Baubles
If you want your children to unleash their creative side, have them decorate and make their own Christmas baubles to hang onto your tree! It’s a great way to make use of any leftover decorations that you’ve had lying around since last Christmas. Children love to make things that will be displayed and hung onto your tree, so let their imaginations run wild and let them use those wrappings to make something beautiful that they won’t forget.
You might celebrate one of all of these traditions, but maybe you want to make your own traditions. If one of them is going away for the holidays, you might think about wanting to store away valuables so that they’re safe until your return. Spacer can help you this Christmas, with Hosts listing their spaces on the platform that you can choose from and rent. However, if you have extra space, there’s no harm in renting it out, as you get to help someone in the community as well as earning a little extra money for the Christmas holidays. Have fun trying out new things and creating new traditions and have yourself a Merry Christmas.
