Christmas is here and that got me thinking about Christmas traditions.
We have a few in my family, with some of my favorites involving Christmas lights. We always drive around looking at the all the houses decorated in Christmas lights. My favorites are the ones that are tuned into music and it’s impressive to see what people come up with for their decorations. I wouldn’t even know where to start with syncing the lights up to music.
Last week we drove around looking at the houses that were participating in the Columbia County Light Fight, and I was impressed to say the least. But that was only eight houses and there’s a lot more that I want to see.
Besides lights on houses, we also go always visit the lights at Evans Towne Center Park. Not only do I enjoy looking at them, but it’s also fun to take pictures in the giant ornaments and with the lights around the park.
Another tradition we have is watching all the old, well-known Christmas movies. My favorites are Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Santa Claus is Coming to Town, Frosty the Snowman, How the Grinch Stole Christmas (the cartoon, not the live action one with Jim Carrey), Rudolph’s Shiny New Year and A Christmas Story. But there are a few that are always shown around Christmas that I just don’t think are Christmas movies. I’m talking about the Harry Potter moves, which I love but don’t think they are Christmas movies, and A Nightmare Before Christmas. Would the latter be considered a Christmas or Halloween movie? Either way, I just can’t get into it.
I also enjoy baking around the holidays. Cookies are always a must, from sugar cookies to chocolate chip, I love making them. Last year I made melted snowman cookies. They were sugar cookies with icing and a marshmallow on it to look like a snowman had melted. They also had M&M’s and a face and arms drawn on them with icing. They actually turned out pretty good for my first attempt. A few years ago, my mom and I made a yule log cake and as a first attempt I would say we did a pretty good job. Was it perfect? No. But it tasted good and didn’t break apart when we rolled it, so I count that as a win. I also always make chocolate chip pumpkin bread, which I absolutely love. It’s definitely a holiday must for me.
Another tradition we did when I was younger involved my parents hiding a pickle in the tree, and the person who found it first received a prize. This is a German tradition that my parents picked up from somewhere, and I love it. I’m pretty sure my brother found it more than me – and I’m blaming that on my shortness. Yep, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
We do a lot more during the holidays, but these are the main ones that stick out to me. As the years go on, we’re constantly adding traditions and I can’t wait to see what comes up in the future.
I hope everybody has a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
Stephanie Hill is the managing editor and covers Columbia County government for The Augusta Press. Reach her at stephanie@theaugustapress.com.
