As a ritual loving person, I just adore all of our holiday rituals. Every year, it seems like we come up with even more. And you’d better believe that we have them for all of the holidays, not just the winter ones! Here are a few that I especially like. They aren’t especially elaborate but they are ours.
Reindeer Food: We started this when Wood Sprite was in preschool and one of the school holiday parties featured reindeer food as a craft. It’s super simple: all you do is mix together some oats with glitter. Then you put it out on the lawn for the reindeer on Christmas Eve night.
Advent Calendar: Every year, on December 1, I start an advent for Wood Sprite. Every day she opens a little door in a big Advent box (which has had several incarnations over the years, from a homemade box with bags in it to an origami cup poster to our current box) and gets to do a craft or activity depicted on a slip of paper in the door. I usually tuck in a chocolate or treat as well.
Opening Gifts: Last year we started opening gifts on Solstice, since we’re a secular household and it started to feel silly just sticking to the holiday everyone else does for the sake of traditions. As much as I love traditions, they have to be meaningful to me for me to want to stick to them! This is a bonus for Wood Sprite, who gets to open hers early.
What holiday rituals are your favorites? Alternatively, which do you dread, and why?
Photo courtesy of Wikipedia
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