Just recently, when we were waiting for the order to arrive, one of my colleagues mentioned how she would like to develop new Christmas traditions. This got me thinking about the different ways to celebrate Christmas.
Growing up, my family had oyster stew (or chili) on Christmas Eve before we went to church. Our gifts from Santa were unwrapped in front of the fireplace. We all got oranges in the toe of our stocking, except for Mom, who usually got a velvet box or note leading her to her special gift from Dad. I know the way my family celebrated Christmas was fairly common, so I will not bore you with any more stories.
There are many unique Christmas traditions, here are just a few.
The people of Catalonia celebrate Christmas with a pooping log, yes you read that correctly. Caga Tio is a small log with a smiley face that lives on the dining table. Every day he is fed sweets and kept warm with a blanket. On Christmas Eve he is beaten with sticks and poops out gifts for the good children.
I am sure you have all heard of Yule Logs, but have you heard of the Yule Lads? Icelandic children are visited by 13 mischievous trolls who roam the countryside the weeks before Christmas. Each of the Jolasveinar has its own personalities (much like the seven dwarfs) including Doorway-Sniffer, Sausage-Swiper, Pot Licker, and Window-Peeper. The trolls deliver gifts to all the good children who put their shoes in the window.
I would really like to know how this tradition got started. In the week leading up to Christmas, Venezuelans attend a daily church service called Misa de Aguinaldo. In Caracas, it is customary to travel to the church service on roller skates. This practice is so widespread many of the roads are closed until 8 am.
One of the sweetest traditions I found was decorating Christmas trees with spider webs. This tradition celebrates an old tale of a poor woman who could not afford to decorate her tree and awoke on Christmas morning to discover a spider had covered it in glorious, sparkling webs.
The funniest tradition can be found in Japan, where Christmas isn’t a big thing. What is a big deal is KFC, yes Kentucky Fried Chicken. The demand for KFC on Christmas Day is so high that reservations must be made to dine in and delivery orders are placed weeks in advance.
It doesn’t matter how you celebrate Christmas as long as you are surrounded by friends and family.
"Christmas isn't a season. It's a feeling." —Edna Ferber