My extended family is very small and we don’t have a lot of traditions for the holidays. Most of my extended family lives in Texas and sometimes we don’t get to see them during the holidays. My immediate family is also small and now that my sister and I are older we don’t spend a lot of time together during the holidays. Since we all have jobs and work at different hours it is difficult for us to spend multiple days together. However, we do have a few traditions that have managed to last through our busy schedules.
One tradition my mom and I started while I was in high school is to get hot chocolate and then drive around different neighborhoods to look at the Christmas lights. We started this tradition after my sister went to college because we wanted something to do that was just the two of us. We both really enjoy looking at Christmas lights and some houses in our area are even professionally decorated. Every year we go to a different area and look at the Christmas lights and it’s a great way for my mom and me to enjoy the holidays together.
Another tradition my family has is baking Christmas cookies. Each year we set aside a day over winter break for my mom, sister, and me to bake cookies. We make so many different kinds and we will also decorate them together. This has been a tradition for us since my sister and I were kids. It’s one of my favorite things to do because even though we have busy schedules, we are able to find a day to spend together.
Even though my family is small and we all have busy schedules, it is nice to find time to spend together besides on Christmas day. These traditions help put us in the holiday spirit and give us time off from work to spend time with each other.