It’s the most wonderful time of the year again, and everyone has his or her own unique traditions for the holidays. My family and I are really fond of the month of December, and we’re known for our quirky inflatable winter decorations that are displayed on our front lawn each year. This year we have a two-story reindeer out front! Starting one week before Christmas, we like to watch one holiday movie each night. Granted, it’s much harder to maintain special traditions like this as we kids get older, but we still manage to keep this one going no matter what.
My family is from England, and part of the English tradition involves cooking a goose rather than a turkey for Christmas Day dinner. We also make Christmas pudding, and inside the pudding is a coin. Whoever finds it in their slice supposedly gets good luck, but I’ve only ever gotten a stomach ache. Maybe this is because my Mom pours brandy on the dessert and sets fire to it. Actually we have Charles Dickens to thank for all of this, as his novel “A Christmas Carol†written in 1843 altered the face of these Victorian pastimes.
I think that a really cool part of living in Los Angeles is that we are exposed to all different types of cultural traditions; for example, I’m able to see a multitude of different religious practices and family traditions just from visiting friends’ houses.
I’ve interviewed a few Brentwood residents, and asked them what they and their families like to do over the holiday season. Here’s what they said:
Jessica Leader (Archer) said that, due to her South African heritage, “Christmas is kind of a low-key thing. It’s summer there, so we celebrate really differently.†Like my family, Jessica is very familiar with pulling “Christmas Crackers†during holiday meals. These beautiful novelties consist of a cardboard tube wrapped in a brightly decorated twist of paper, resembling an oversize sweet-wrapper. Once you pull both ends of the cracker, it splits, and out comes some kind of toy accompanied by a riddle or joke on a small strip of paper. Unfortunately they also contain really pathetic paper hats that we then have to wear.
Maddie Jacobson (Archer) is really excited about Hanukkah this year. When I asked her what her favorite part about this holiday was, she said: “I really look forward to spending time with my family, and my mom makes really good latkes. Also, my sister is going to college next year so I can’t wait to spend as much time with her as I can.†One of her favorite traditions of the holiday season is attending “Adopt a Family,†a program that delivers presents to families experiencing financial troubles in downtown Los Angeles.
Nikki Wilks (Wildwood) told me about how she and her family connect back to their Polish roots during the holidays. “Each year, we have a tradition of making pierogies a Polish delicacy similar to ravioli. It’s a really fun time where my whole family gets together and we cook for the entire day. The process is long but it’s so worth it in the end.â€
The one tradition all Brentwood families have in common is the gift of giving and service. Everyone I spoke to really enjoys being involved in charity work through their schools, temples, churches, etc.
So in the inimitable words of Charles Dickens:
The holidays are, “a kind, forgiving, charitable, pleasant time: the only time I know of in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of other people below them as if they really were fellow-passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys.â€
May we all enjoy peace and joy with our family and friends, whatever holiday we celebrate, and a very Happy New Year, too!
