What is your favorite Christmas tradition?
BRIGHT LIGHTS
My favorite Christmas tradition is when we light my grandpa’s Christmas lights for the first time. Someone pushes the button to light the backyard lights, and someone pushes the button for the lights in the front.
Every inch of space is lit with millions of lightbulbs. It is the most magical thing ever!
Paige Ahmann, age 13
Capital Electric Cooperative
HIDDEN ALMOND
We have a tradition on Christmas Eve which is an old Swedish custom my grandma did many years ago. She made a rich, delicious rice pudding and hid one almond in it. The one who finds the almond gets a special gift. We still look forward to this tradition!
Kay Blikre
Mountrail-Williams Electric Cooperative
BAKING COOKIES
People do so many different Christmas traditions from year to year. But one Christmas tradition my family does every year is baking and decorating Christmas sugar cookies. I love that we can all come together around the table and have fun!
Another tradition is listening to classic Christmas music when decorating the cookies. We roll the dough out with the rolling pin and use cookie cutters to cut out the shapes. Then, we bake them.
The cookies are the shapes of bells, Christmas trees, snowmen, stockings, angels and gingerbread men. Sometimes, we make the angels and gingerbread men look like our cousins. It is so much fun!
My mom sets the ingredients on the table and we are ready to begin. We usually get 15 cookies each, because there are seven kids in my family.
To decorate, we use cream cheese frosting that is different colors, with lots of red and green. Also for toppings, we use cinnamon red hots, chocolate chips, candy and lots of sprinkles!
My favorite part is eating them! No tradition is anywhere near as fun as this one! That is why I choose this tradition to write about.
Ellie Vetter, age 11
McLean Electric Cooperative
CHECKING THE STOCKING
There are many Christmas traditions in my family, but one stands out among the rest. Ever since I was young, I have had a Christmas stocking. This may be an ordinary and common tradition, but my family treated this as something special.
On Christmas morning, my siblings and I would run down to the fireplace, where the stockings were hung. We all lined up for a picture, then proceeded to open the stockings with excitement. I actually enjoyed opening them more than the presents themselves. My family still does the Christmas stockings to this day, and I always look forward to it each year.
Matthew Schaper, age 15
McKenzie Electric Cooperative
FUN GATHERINGS
Christmas has always been my special time because of our family. While I was growing up on the farm, my dad and mom worked hard on their dairy farm. Christmas Eve was really special for us all. Dad always bought a Christmas tree and let us decorate the tree a couple days before Christmas.
No gifts were put under the tree, because we all wanted to shake them and try to figure out what was inside. We opened our gifts on Christmas Eve after all the chores were done and the evening meal was finished.
On Christmas Day, Mom made a wonderful dinner and lots of goodies, especially homemade fudge and divinity.
Gift opening was finally done with lots of laughing and joking. The grandson usually made a paper ball from the gift wrap, and Dad would get a few chances to toss the paper ball around. Grandma would finally say enough, and it was time to pick up all the gift wrap.
Dad always made the best Christmas drink, a Tom and Jerry. Not everyone liked, it but I enjoyed the hot drink with Dad. The egg batter was always bought from George’s Bakery.
Christmas traditions have come and gone, with each family having their own plans, so big family gatherings have gone into the past. These memories will stay with each of us in a special way.
Margie Muth
Mor-Gran-Sou Electric Cooperative
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