15 Canadian holiday traditions

The spirit of gift giving
We started a special holiday tradition a few years ago when we noticed we were all becoming frazzled with gift buying.

We were worrying whether people would be satisfied with their gifts and whether we purchased a balanced amount for each person. We were forgetting the real spirit of gift giving. This, combined with the fact that as marriages and new babies came along, our family was expanding. So we decided to try something new.

We still buy for the young children, but the rest of us pick names at New Year's for the following Christmas. Each person then has a whole year to make a gift for the person whose name they picked. This isn't always easy but it really inspires the imagination. Over the years, the gifts we exchanged have included a painting, a carved wooden boat, a painted buoy, handmade placemats and runners, sewn clothing, a small bench, a painted floor cloth, a handpainted telephone table, a stone sculpture, wood burnings, and a memory scrapbook.

It's more difficult for some of us than others, as certain individuls are more artistically inclined, but everyone has come up with unique and original ideas. The trick is that everyone has to be involved and committed to it. My father really enjoyed doing this, and since he passed away this past January the many things he made for us over the years are even more treasured.
– Judith MacDonald, Halifax, Nova Scotia

Worth the wait
In my family we have a tradition on Christmas morning that used to seem like cruel punishment when I was a child.

We would wake up on Christmas morning at some ridiculous hour like 6 a.m. and find that magical stocking at the end of the bed. It would take me what seemed like hours to get it all opened because at our house, Santa liked tape. It was a good thing Santa and the elves liked tape because of the next tradition: we had to wait to open our presents till the second cup of coffee after breakfast.

It was agonizing as a child seeing all the presents under the tree and waiting for the adults who were lingering over coffee to allow my brother and I to start opening presents. I now know why things were done this way and think my parents were brilliant for the tradition they started.

The extra tape to keep us opening our stockings so they could get a little more sleep. Waiting until after breakfast to open presents so everyone was awake and alert and able to enjoy watching the children's surprise at the gifts. Even though it was hard to take as a kid, I am glad of this tradition and will do the same thing when I have kids.
– C.E. Cowperthwaite, Kingston, Ontario

An environmentally friendly Christmas
We work at finding more and more environmentally minded holiday rituals each year.

For our stocking stuffers our rule is, two-gift limit per stocking (except for the dog – he, being spoiled, gets more). All stocking stuffer gifts must be recycled items (second-hand books, etc.). This can be challenging and fun, finding nifty second-hand stuff.

We don't use wrapping paper, ribbons or bows. Instead, we keep various sizes of boxes (food containers, etc.) throughout the year. They are then used as wrapping after we paint and decorate them.

When we buy gifts, we don't go for the wow factor anymore. That seems to be what gets people spending far too much money and spending far too much time in the stores. Instead, we stick to a handful of gifts, moderately-priced and simply nice.

At least one gift to each person must be handmade. As an example, my husband made our daughter a mirror last year by finding a second-hand (and quite old) window frame. He knocked out the four panes of glass, then replaced them with mirror glass. He then refinished the wood surface and voilà! It's gorgeous.

A bit of a challenge, but worth it: Preparing a tasty Christmas dinner that doesn't involve meat. We enjoy it though, and each year we have a different menu.

Our Christmas tree is a genuine member of the family. Some people call such trees fakes but we prefer to think of ours as Henry. He is never decorated with a theme, but rather is decorated with 30 years of memory-filled ornaments. He is so beautiful when we're done that we can always declare, "Oh! Henry!"
– Jo Slade, Kelowna, British Columbia