Holiday Traditions I’m Most Looking Forward To

In a world that often feels uncertain, it’s nice to have things you can rely on. It might sound cheesy, but perhaps Jessie Frederick, the singer and composer responsible for the Full House theme song, said it best when he asked, “Whatever happened to predictability?” Bella Grace readers know that I’m a creature of habit, so it’s probably no surprise that I love holidays because I love traditions.

Each year, the holiday season starts with my birthday, which is usually right around Thanksgiving. I know going into it that I can count on lunch at the same place with one of my closest friends, as well as a bottle of luxurious hand lotion she always gives me. It’s something I look forward to every year, as I know it gives us a chance to catch up and chat about how excited we are for the holidays to arrive.

This is a time of year filled with things I do annually. Not because I feel obligated to, but because I truly enjoy them. Some of these traditions date back to my childhood and even generations before me, while others have been established in recent years. Most might not feel significant or meaningful to anyone else, but they’ve grown more important to me over the years and help keep me present in the season, even when I might be feeling a little lost or overwhelmed.

My Favorite Holiday Traditions:

• Snacking on the turkey-shaped cheese ball my aunt makes every year and joking with my family about how little it actually looks like a bird.
• Browsing the Black Friday ads after enjoying our Thanksgiving dinner, making a list of all I want to buy, and ultimately purchasing nothing.
• Going to the mall just to surround myself with the festive atmosphere.
• Taking far too long to pick out a Christmas tree and figuring out how to best hide its “ugly” side.
• Having a gift-wrapping party with friends so we can spend time together despite the ever-growing to-do list that comes with this time of year.
• That first viewing of National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation and reciting our favorite lines.
• Vowing to make something new for Christmas breakfast but never actually steering away from our beloved egg and sausage casserole.
• A coffee-fueled stroll around our neighborhood to look at Christmas lights with friends before enjoying a dinner filled with good cheer and food.
• Christmas Eve spent in pajamas.
• Guessing how much Grandma’s Christmas lasagna weighs.
• Standing around my best friend’s kitchen island each New Year’s Eve, talking and laughing while making more dumplings than we’ll ever be able to consume.

What traditions are you looking forward to this year?

Explore more ways to enjoy the holiday season to its fullest in our newly released Bella Grace Issue 42.