Some holidays are steeped in tradition while others come and go with barely a notice. Some traditions are as old as the holiday they serve while other traditions are being born with every passing year. One tradition that is relatively new is Santa calls. Santa phone calls on Christmas eve are gaining in popularity as children all over the world are calling Santa the day before his big trip to wish him a safe journey and seal the excitement of the holiday. It is never too late to start establishing traditions of your own to make those happy memories that your children will remember their entire lives and hopefully pass on to their children. Here are just a few traditions that other families enjoy during the Christmas holiday and in particular, Christmas Eve.

Many families take this night to go to a church or synagogue together as a family unit. There is something very special about going to a service on Christmas Eve that is like no other service you will attend. It is a tangible feeling, as if the very air around you were alive with it. You can see it in the eyes of everyone you meet at church. You can hear that special tone in the priest or pastor’s voices as they deliver their Christmas message. It is a feeling of hope and of love and of togetherness that is unlike any other night of the year. Even if you have never been to a Christmas service, it is an experience that you will never forget.

Another tradition that is very old is Christmas Eve caroling. People make it a point to meet and have fun as they visit their neighbors and lift their voices, heralding the Christmas spirit. This is also a joyous and wonderful feeling that you will not soon forget, especially if you do this as a family. Some people are too shy and are very afraid at first. They worry about what they will look like, or worse, sound like to their friends or even strangers. However, once you have conquered this needless fear and really let yourself go, most people find that they are sorry that they did not do it years before. It is a truly liberating feeling that stays with you forever.

“Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house…, ” There are not very many people who do not know the rest of this first famous line from a story that is read to children on Christmas eve by a parent or other family member. This wonderful story, written by either Clement C. Moore or Henry Livingston Jr. (Let the controversy ramble on) has been a tradition for as long as Christmas has been the Christmas that it is today. There is no better night to read this aloud than Christmas Eve over a cup of hot cocoa.

Many families have picked up the tradition of allowing the children (and adults, I want mine!) to open one present on Christmas Eve to calm them down and take the edge off of the anticipation that derives them of sleep. This is one Christmas tradition that almost everyone enjoys although not everyone agrees with. It is usually a less expensive gift that will not take the true excitement from the next morning, after Santa’s big visit.

Finally, the tradition of baking cookies is one that everyone can get behind. The house is filled with the wonderful aroma and most wives and mothers swear they gain ten pounds just smelling them. Santa needs the energy on such a long night so the tradition continues that once the stockings are hung on a windowsill or the chimney, we lay out a plate of cookies and milk for Santa, and a carrot or two for the lead reindeer.

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