Snow has fallen and the holiday spirit has made its entrance. For my family as Hindus, the holiday that brings this excitement is Pujo time, which has passed already. But in America, when we hear “holiday season” we instantly think Thanksgiving through New Year’s. Wait, no. Let’s be honest. In America, when we hear “holiday season” to most people it means Christmas.
Even though I grew up in a Hindu home, Christmas was still celebrated. It was more about the sprit of sharing, giving, and being together with family and friends. My parents gave me and my sisters and brother the magic that came with it, too. We decorated our house, had a tree, stockings, and even had visits with Santa Claus. They also got us The Muppet’s Christmas Carol. We watched that movie a zillion times. On Christmas morning we would wake up to find our stockings filled. There as always a can of pop at the bottom. We opened presents a little bit later after the rest of our family came over to the house. My dad made a feast of a breakfast and what made it really special was his signature corned beef hash. That was our tradition.
As we got older, our traditions grew up with us. Soon, us kids were all teenagers and young adults. The magic that came from Santa transitioned to the magic of “Secret Santa.” And if you have been following along, you know that my family is obsessed with cooking and eating. So what else happened? A new tradition of a cooking contest started. It was really competitive but oh so much fun! I may have to write another blog post just about that contest that we called our annual throw down.
These are some of the memories I truly cherish from my childhood and young adult life. Christmastime has made another transition in my life. Over the last 10 years, my sisters and cousins have moved all over the country and we are not always together to celebrate. Some of us now have our own kids and are staring to share some of these traditions as well as creating new ones.
What holiday traditions do you remember from your childhood? What have you kept and what have you started? Wishing you a very happy holiday season and happy and healthy New Year!