Although it may not be picture-perfect every year, the holiday season gives us a chance to slow down and appreciate the time we have with the people we love.
The holidays give us something to look forward to when life gets complicated, and with exams right around the corner, there’s no better source of motivation.
That said, here are some of the Journal staff’s favourite holiday traditions, both old and new.
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My family celebrates Christmas, and on the eve of the 24th, we sit down to watch How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (the 1966 animated original, of course).
My mother especially loves this tradition and will quote the narrator word-for-word with the perfect intonation and accent. My father usually dozes off on the couch before the Grinch has even reached the top of Mt. Crumpet, but it’s alright—we wake him up in time for the ending.
Unlike in Whoville, the holidays are a quiet affair for my family, but this small tradition makes my heart grow three sizes every year.
—Norah Kierulf, Copy Editor
Lighting the menorah with friends and family is my favourite holiday tradition. A Hanukkah menorah has nine candles: eight represent each day, and the ninth, the shamash, serves as a helper candle to light the others.
The Jewish religion incorporates song into its religious practices, and gathering around the menorah, lighting candles, and singing the Hanukkah blessing was a fundamental aspect of my holiday season growing up. This tradition continues to mark my favourite time of the year.
Lighting the candles and singing their associated blessings corresponds with various values central to the Jewish religion: freedom, hope, light, community, giving, resilience, belief, and leadership. Taking the time to reflect on these values during the holiday season has proven to be a fundamental tool for grounding myself and concluding the year with a sense of gratitude.
—Aidan Michaelov, Assistant Sports Editor
Every year my mom and I bake upwards of 100 shortbread cookies. To the familiar tune of Michael Bublé Christmas music, we bake and decorate stars, bells, Christmas trees, and the occasional angel. It’s a tradition started by my great-grandmother, and one my mom remembers fondly.
The recipe is a Granny Peggy original—all butter and sugar in staggering quantities. Every year my mom recounts my first shortbread cookie tasting which ended in me running laps around the kitchen under the influence of the ultimate sugar high.
Growing up, I remember shortbread cookie baking day stretching from sunrise to long into the night. I insisted on making brown icing for the reindeer cookies and it wasn’t until she was tired and worn down that my mom agreed (she thought the colour was unappetizing; I thought I was perfecting the art of cookie realism).
As an adult, I admit shortbread cookies aren’t my favourite dessert, but I do love shortbread cookie making. We’ve never needed to make 100 cookies, but the tradition is me and my mom’s ode to the meaning of the Christmas holidays; spending time with family and putting in the extra effort to share a made-with-love-bite with others.
—Sophia Coppolino, News Editor
Although it’s not necessarily a tradition, my favourite part of the holidays is the first snow fall. Growing up in Jordan, we didn’t get snow often, so when it did snow we’d get days off from both school and work.
The few days everyone was home were great. We’d wake up early and gather at my late grandparents’ house, and after catching up with my aunts and cousins, we’d either go outside to the backyard or walk around the neighbourhood playing in the snow.
The best part, however, was when we were all tired of being outside, we’d gather around the fireplace and make sahlab, a Middle Eastern milk drink/pudding, and play Monopoly for the rest of the night.
Though I’m no longer in Jordan, I still look forward to the first snow fall of the season.
—Ali Safadi, Graphics Editor
My family is from Germany and Russia, and though most of my grandparents rejected this heritage when they came to Canada during the war, our Christmas traditions have been the one way it still lives on. For our family, the heartbeat of the holiday was always Christmas Eve. On Christmas Eve throughout my childhood, my family would stay up the entire night, exchanging gifts, singing, and drinking the good wine saved for special occasions.
I always used to watch movies where children unwrap their gifts on Christmas morning, and thought it looked a little boring compared to the loud celebration our family has the night before.
Since we’ve gotten older, my cousins and I have added our own flair to the traditions—such as doing gingerbread shots with our grandparents. This night-long celebration will always be my favourite part of the holidays.
—Mikella Schuettler, Assistant News Editor
Tags
baking, Hanukkah, Holidays, Traditions
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