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2026 Week 18:Tradition #52Ancestorsin52Weeks

 Growing up, Christmas always felt an exciting time. My mum would start baking her Christmas cake weeks in advance and nearer the time the Christmas decorations would go up. My mum liked floral art so she would spend some time making up various seasonal arrangements, even using a paste of washing powder to create snowy scenes. The decorative paper chains would be hung around the room - thankfully that is not a tradition anymore! But some 'habits' are passed on and they become tradition just over a couple of generations.

One of those habits comes down from my dad. It was my dad who decorated the Christmas tree. He would spend what seemed like hours checking the fairy light bulbs. In those old sets if one bulb went, then the whole set wouldn't light up, so each bulb had to be checked one by one - and what if there were more than one dud bulb?? After the light check was completed, then they had to go on the tree. This process took what seemed like forever too - and I wasn't even allowed in the room at this point!! He was so particular about placing the lights so there were no gaps. He would view it from all angles, even going outside to check how it looked. Then, when he was happy with it, he would start putting on the baubles - no, I wasn't even allowed to help with that! When I finally was allowed in the room, all that was left for me to do was throw the tinsel (lametta) on the tree. (I'm quite sure he would re-adjusr that too, when I wasn't about).

Now, you might think that the length of time and the fixation of getting it all 'just right' was just something that stuck with me because I was a child and time moved slower when you were anticipating something. But no. I now do similar. I may not have light bulbs to check but I spend ages 'getting the tree just right' and I don't 'allow' anyone to help. And I'm not the only one - my sister used to do similar and now her daughter is the same. Tradition? or learned behaviour?? Or is it genetic?  I'll leave you to decide.

A more traditional tradition is that of 'pillowcases'. Most children get a stocking filled by Santa. I got a stocking and a pillowcase. Every Christmas Eve, my mum would get us all clean pillowcases and pin a piece of paper with our names on to each one so Santa knew which was whose. And by all our names, I include my mum and dad. Yes, the adults got a pillowcase too! On Christmas morning these pillowcases would be filled with things which were too big for a stocking but not the 'main present' under the tree - games, books, selection boxes, bubble bath ....   I guess today's 'Santa sacks' are similar, (we now use sacks too) but our pillowcases were their forerunner.


And yes, I continued that tradition with my children and still do so today as my daughter still joins us at Christmas! My sister did similar with her family and her daughter has continued with her family. And our 'pillowcase' routine is not a 'free for all' - each person takes something out in turn. It used to be that we had to have had breakfast before we opened the pillowcases, but we have now broken with tradition as far as that was concerned - it was possibly to stop children gorging on chocolate before breakfast. We are more sensible :)

In this day and age, it does seem very materialistic continuing with the pillowcase tradition, especially as we are all adults so less content with a chocolate bar than a five year old, but it is still fun. And now I don't have to play Santa to myself!

My son is unlikely to follow that tradition with his family. They live in Denmark and have adopted the Scandinavian (Icelandic) tradition of 'Jolabokaflod', the giving and receiving of books on Christmas Eve. After opening them, you are expected to cosy up with a hot drink and spend your evening reading.  He has made us part of that tradition too, which is lovely. And that ties in with Katie and I always getting new Christmas pyjamas on Christmas Eve and putting them on early!

Passing on old traditions is no bad thing, but creating new ones is good too.


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