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Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Christmas Traditions

Today in class I showed a video on how Christmas is celebrated around the world.  I know, I know...you're probably thinking, "What? How can she get away with that at school?"  (Which is an entire separate post in itself...I won't go there now.)  Well, this particular video featured celebrations of families from Scandanavia, Native America, South Korea, Mexico and Ethiopia.  Beings that a variety of cultures were being displayed, I felt confident in the safety of showing this video (Again, more feelings about this in a separate post!) 

HOWEVER, my favorite part of this particular class time was the student led discussion after showing the video.  I began the conversation with the question, "What Christmas or holiday traditions does your family celebrate around this time of year?"  This led to a very excited class sharing and innocently boasting about their family traditions...I absolutely loved every minute of it! 

There were many traditions shared from when to open presents to where "eves" versus "days" are celebrated to what is baked, cooked and eaten.  It was fantastic!  I took note on a couple of the traditions shared by my students.  Here are my favorites:

1. A stocking Advent calendar:  There are 25 small stockings (I picture the little tiny stockings about the size of a deck of cards) hanging from a piece of twine (very traditional).  Each stocking is numbered and each stocking has a little gift inside.  Like most advent calendars, a countdown takes place and each day a gift is removed from a stocking.  Love, love, LOVE this idea and I want to make my own! Where do Advent calendars originate from anyways?
2. Secret Santa or gift exchange (drawing of names) within the family.  This is WAY better then buying a gift for everyone.  Why do we by the gifts anyway?  There seems to be better reasons to be celebrating this time of year, don't you think?
3. One gift is opened Christmas Eve which happens to be "family pajamas".  Everyone in the family gets similar printed Christmas pajamas.  Sounds kind of cheesy, but I love this idea.
4. A family sporting event...football, sledding races, snowman building competitions, gingerbread house competitions....they went on and on and on.  What a fun idea! 

My family traditions...well, that's yet another post. 
Enjoy the Christmas season everyone!

5 comments:

Laurel said...

I would be interested in the "whole other post" as well, I feel like I have to be so uber careful about EVERYTHING, hence the "seasonal" lights because it's a scientific thing that the days are shorter and darker this time of the year.

Gina said...

what are you plans for the holidays? when will you be over? We HAVE to get together this time...

Still Life With Coffee said...

guess who showed "santa claus is coming to town" at school?
hee hee hee

Anonymous said...

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S.P. Avenger said...

The advent calendar origin dates back to the mid 1700's German Lutherans with the advent wreath. It held 24 candles and one more candle was lite each night of December. This evolved into marking on doors with chalk, and religious symbols hung on the wall until in 1902-1908, debatable on who actually made the first calendar that we recognize now. Again this was in Germany, and it spread across the world from there.