Christmas Traditions

They say the first time you do something special, it is an event. If you repeat the event a second time it becomes a tradition. In our family we have several christmas traditions that continue to this day.

Growing up as a young child I can remember going to Grandpa & Grandma Campbells for christmas eve. At one time, Aunt Bobbie gave all of us grandkids, her nieces & nephews, a book of lifesavers. Brandy, my favorite daughter in law, shared with us a few years ago that this had been a tradition in her family as well. Many years later when the original "Campbell" clan gathered for christmas, everyone brought a "generic" gift and numbers were drawn.. Seems like a spice rack showed up as a gift more than once, so I guess that makes it a tradition.

One of the earliest Christmas traditions in the family that LaDonna and I have is white miniature marshmallows. When Jennifer was about 7 months old LaDonna and I had a tin pail and two tin cups we ate popcorn out of. Jennifer would want some popcorn also, but had no teeth. Besides, popcorn is not good for 7 month old children. Instead, we gave her white miniature marshmallows. In her first christmas stocking she received some marshmallows. Since then ourkids have always received marshmallows in their stocking. Sometimes they come with instant cocoa packets, placed inside of sandwich bags, small vials, coffee mugs, etc. But, they have to be the white ones, colored marshmallows are frowned upon. Part of the fun nowdays is finding new and creative ways to present the marshmallows. The kids still enjoy marshmallows in their stockings, even Jeff, Andrew and Brandy. From what I understand Julia, J.C. and Jetta get marshmallows in their stocking as well.
Another family tradition is our Christmas Eve monopoly game. It began after we moved to Kansas City when Jennifer, Susan and Matthew were all able to understand the game. It has gone through some changes but basically we play a normal game for one hour, except no hotels are used. At the beginning of the game you get your money, game piece and any food and drink you want. Anyone leaving the table for any reason during the time of play must put $50 in "free parking". After one half hour an intermission is taken for potty breaks, and refills. The game continues for another half hour. At the end of the game all properties and cash are counted and the one with the most money wins. Matthew has finished last more than once, so I guess that is a tradition.



A more recent tradition is the wearing of christmas hats or antlers during the opening of presents. The tradition began when I got my Santa baseball cap. During later years I acquired the santa hats, antlers and other festive hats for family members to wear. The "show" has even gone on the road as we've taken them to Lebanon for family christmases with my mom, Dale and my brothers. It's been fun to see everyone wear them and especially watch grandchildren try to keep them on their head.

By the way, I do have a spice rack in the basement. You never know when that tradition may reappear. -30-