Creative Christmas Traditions

The holiday season is not only a special time of year; it’s also a time to be completely and utterly stressed. Tradition dictates that families gather at “Grandma’s” house for turkey and all the trimmings. It is usually on Christmas Day that all of our loved ones clamor around to discuss everything that Santa’s placed under the tree. With the madness of shopping malls and the agony of trying to find that perfect gift, it’s no wonder that people don’t forego all the traditional hoopla altogether. But who says that people have to participate in the same conventional practices every holiday season?

Every year, meals are prepared—gifts are exchanged—and all of this is done in the same places year in and year out. I have discovered, through research and a little creativity of my own –a few ways to turn the most blah holiday customs into something exciting and new.


“TURKEY SHMURKEY”- CELEBRATING OTHER CULTURES

Why in the world does everyone cook the same holiday meals every year? Turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, yams, stuffing and cranberry sauce are meal items which seem to bleed over from Thanksgiving—over into Christmas. I always wondered why people who were content to eat these items on “Turkey Day” were alright with eating the same things again just a short month later. It never made sense to me. And then I met a friend who told me about a tradition that she and family had started for the holiday season. She said that each year, they chose a different ethnic cuisine. The ethnicity would be researched, so as to make sure that recipes were followed accordingly. One year, she and her loved ones decided on a Mexican fiesta. Each member of the “cooking elite” was assigned a Mexican dish to prepare. The meal was a blast. They ended up having enchiladas, burritos, two varieties of rice dishes, and sumptuous desserts like flan, and fried ice cream.