Ein Schuljahr im Ausland

The Traditional Christmas

For Me, Anyway.

by Cara Doty

When someone mentions Christmas to you, you think presents, and a pretty tree all done up in lights and tacky little ornaments, right? Sure. For some people, the simple little symbol of a tree or a present is all you need to recognise Christmas. But in my family, the traditions vary quite a bit from the stereotypical "white christmas" everyone is so familiar with.

To start off, the Christmas feast isn't what you would expect. Most people eat either turkey or ham on Christmas. My family always picks a different ethnic food every year. Last year it was Enchiladas- for Mexico. This year it's Kung-Pao and Zsetsuan Chicken- For China. In years past, we've had French food, Thai food, Icelandic food (From my mother's side of the family, she's 100% Icelander), Danish food (From my father's side of the family), traditional English food, et cetera.
Another family tradition we have is to have Christmas twice. Once on Christmas Eve at my aunt's house, and once on Christmas day at my house. On Christmas Eve, everyone from my aunt and uncle's side of the the family comes over, we eat our supper, open presents, listen to music, and socialize. On Christmas day, it's a little more special. It's just my Parents, my Sister, and me. We sleep in (as much as you can, on Christmas), make a huge breakfast, look at what's in the stockings hanging over our fireplace, and start preperations for dinner. Once that's done, we settle down, grab a hot cup of tea, coffee, or hot chocolate, and sit down to open presents. These presents are the special ones that are left from after Christmas Eve at my aunt's, the ones that are the truly great gifts, the ones everyone waits a whole year for. And never are we disappointed.

Now is when the true feast begins, after all the preperations earlier in the day, we get everything as gussied up as we can, and set it out on a fantastically set dining table, with our chandelier and everything, We pass out the wine and sparkling cider, and have at whatever country's food we're sampling that year.
Furthermore, a different tradition that one may be more familiar with, is candy making. Every year, my mother and I get together and make cookies, candies, goodies, pies, cakes, and all other forms of sugary confections. Tons of them. Whether or not it's divinity, chocolate chip cookies, lollipops, almond bark, apple pie, pumpkin pie, chocolate mouse, or just plain old piroettes, we always make at least 6 dozen of whatever it is. And we then proceed to put them all in little gift baskets with a coffee mug, or a stuffed toy, or what have you, and give them out to all our neighbors. There is no other feeling quite like giving a basket full of goodies to the little old lady who lives next door. This, in and of itself, could symbolize christmas for me.
So whether or not it's turkey or Mexican food you're eating, some Christmas traditions dont' change, and oftentimes, they're the most important ones.

Love, Cara

more X-mas pictures

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Online Informationen

Der Spiegel - Focus - FAZ - Frankfurter Rundschau - TAZ - Die Zeit

Süddeutsche Zeitung - Netzzeitung - Tagesschau - N-TV - Neue Züricher Zeitung

Marler Zeitung - WAZ

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