Are there holiday traditions, special objects or places that trigger particularly happy memories for you?
Sledding with childhood friends, a memorable holiday vacation or a family tradition celebrated through the years… Your special memories can also be unexpected gifts for those toughest of days. Let’s take the focus off our struggles for a little while and reflect!
Happy Holidays, everyone.
This is a great topic, thanks for posting! For me, growing up we always had the big Christmas dinner on Christmas eve. That way, my mom would be more relaxed on Christmas and us kids wouldn't have to wait as long to open gifts :-). We always had cookies and hot chocolate for "pre-breakfast" while opening presents. Another fun tradition each winter is we would go to the local mountains and go sledding. My grandma would go with us, she was very adventurous. I remember one time when my grandma was having more fun than us kids just sledding down this hill over and over. It came time for the last sled of the day and she climbed up the hill further than anyone. I was tired by then and waiting at the bottom of the hill. Grandma got on the sled (the saucer type) and down she comes flying, faster and faster. She started swerving and then oops, flew off the sled. She rolled down the hill a couple of times before stopping. She was laughing hysterically along with the rest of us, except my mom who was mad / scared. My grandma's glasses had flown off and we had to search in the snow for about 10 minutes but did find them. Amazingly aside from a scratch on her face she was fine. Over the years we would tell that story over and over. My grandma passed away 10 years ago but that memory from childhood burns bright and I have told my daughter all about her great grandma's grand sledding adventure!
Before my parents divorced when I was 12, we would all go to Red Lobster a few days before Christmas for crab legs. Some of my favorite memories are getting a doll called Baby That-A-Way (she crawled) that I really wanted, my mom puting a few unwrapped gifts under the tree after I went to bed on Christmas Eve…one year I snuck downstairs really early and saw a book under the tree and was so excited 
Also, my mom making snowflakes out of paper with my sister and me is a great Christmas memory. Hope all of you have a wonderful and pain tolerable holiday!!! Xo
My fondest memory is from third grade. It felt very special because although I had three siblings Christmas I felt like the only one that year. My mother knew we needed to pick up a cookie sheet for contributions to the class recipes and I was the only with her when we had done a little Christmas shopping that evening.We made several stops at various stores down town before we bought it. We had a school chorus performance that year and my mother bought me, what I thought, the most beautiful yellow dress with a flower in the center. She gave me a pretty necklace to go with it. I asked my mother to come to the performance but she did not say 'yes' definitely. I already knew some parents would not be able to make it. There was the possibility she would have to stay home with my three siblings. I remember singing the songs at home and my sister liked one in particular and asked that I sing it for her a couple of times. On the night of the performance I still did not know if my mother would show. I remember looking out to the audience and seeing her sitting there all by herself. It was a wonderful surprise. I think back and realize it was probably not knowing for sure made her appearance even more special. So every year when I hear the song 'Do you hear what I hear?" the memory seems like it was yesterday.
Hello ,
Just love the memories people have shared!
Would like to share one of my own. Just recently on facebook my sister shared a picture of her nativity scene, with a stable and figures of Mary, Joseph, Wisemen, Shepherds etc. That triggered a memory for me. First I recognised it as being the one my Mum used for many years. I had wondered what had happened to it! My Mum passed away 8 years ago, so it was happy/ sad to remember. She had bought the figures in Germany, where my sister was born. My sister is now 49years old, so it has been going for that long! What my sister didn't know was that my Dad made the stable. So gald my sister has kept the traditon going.
One of my fondest memories is spending the holidays withe my best girlfriend when I was twelve, up in the mountains at her parents cabin in Grand Lake Colorado. Approximately 1975. It was snowy, cold and we spent the entire time riding snow machines and cross country skiing! Good times! 
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As a child I recall very hot nights with no air conditioner or fan and 43° heat (about 110°) waiting for Father Christmas to come and put presents in our empty pillow cases. Then on Christmas Day my mother would cook roast chicken which was a real novelty and Christmas plum pudding with stacks of fresh cream. We had threepences and sixpences placed in the pudding. It was sooo exciting. I loved my family so much and my parents would go “all out” to make sure the day was wonderful. I do hope you can all go to bed tonight and just dream about the good times in our lives. It helps. Merry Christmas to all you freinds out there. Mary Michelon Australia
I love reading about everyone's Christmas memories. My favorites are from my children's childhoods not my own. There are so many but I think my favorite was telling my children that Santa would be coming into their rooms and touch them on the cheek to make sure they were asleep. After they settled down and drifted off we would go into their rooms and my husband would touch them on the cheek. We coated his thumb with black mascara and then I dusted it with grey eye shadow so that it looked like soot from the chimney. Each year they treasured that thumb print. One Christmas my daughter cried when it got washed off during her bath five days after Christmas. So much fun.
I hope you all are enjoying the holiday season.
Traci
Wow Traci, that is a great suggestion, how special for your children. I wish my daughter were young enough to believe still in Santa - I would totally "borrow" your great idea. Thanks for sharing!
Traci said:
I love reading about everyone's Christmas memories. My favorites are from my children's childhoods not my own. There are so many but I think my favorite was telling my children that Santa would be coming into their rooms and touch them on the cheek to make sure they were asleep. After they settled down and drifted off we would go into their rooms and my husband would touch them on the cheek. We coated his thumb with black mascara and then I dusted it with grey eye shadow so that it looked like soot from the chimney. Each year they treasured that thumb print. One Christmas my daughter cried when it got washed off during her bath five days after Christmas. So much fun.
I hope you all are enjoying the holiday season.
Traci
Traci, that is so sweet! I wish I had children to try out Santa’s thumbprint! 
Hello Traci,
That is a really lovely tradition, hope your chidren carry that on.
Hello,
Really great replies, enjoyed seeing what other people do.
Reminded of one of our family traditions to-day. My Mum and I always enjoyed having a glass of sherry when we cooking Xmas dinner. My Mum never drank throughout the whole year. After one glass she was quite giggly, forgetting where she put it, and drinking mine! We have kept up that tradition, even tho she died 8 years ago, and some of my children don't like sherry that much!
I try not to set aside any gift as a favourite as any gift is welcome. Some years ago though, I was approached by a family friend and local social / community worker and she gave me a gift that I will always remember as it led to a wonerful evening with friends of that time. The gift was a ticket to a small, somewhat personal, concert performance by a legendary folk / rock group that I really quite like. The group was / is internationally known but just happens to be from my region and named after a much loved 'local' island of historical and religious significance - a place that was my favourite holiday destination as a child. The gift was also very special to me as I was going through a very rough time in my life and would not have otherwise had access to the ticket and my friend knew that.
I'm 'welling up'! :)
My favorite memory has to be when my Mom and Dad, who had been separated for years since I was very, very young, had gotten back together. It was Christmastime, I was around 8 or 9, and my Dad whom I didn’t have a relationship because of the separation, brought me and my little sister each stuffed animals and reintroduced himself to us. I don’t remember alot of my childhood at that age, but I know I will never forget the feelings I had for my Dad on that day.
Happy Holidays, all.
Hugs,
Laurie
BaltimoreBaby, AnneV and Auburnm, I am so glad you enjoyed reading about our family tradition. I don't have any grandchildren yet and I may not get any but I frequently share with young parents that we know about the tradition because we had so much fun and it made the holiday so special for our kids.
There were no thumb prints from Santa this year but I think this season will stand out as one of my favorites. I have worked for years raising my kids to be kind compassionate individuals and sometimes it seems as if they have not listened at all. This year was proof that my son was absorbing the values and manners that I wanted him to learn. He has always been a thoughtful, sensitive young man but sometimes the manners part of the equation wasn't there. He doesn't eat with his hands or burp at the table or anything like that, but many times the social niceties just were not there.
This year my husband went to visit his parents for Christmas and I stayed home. (Thanks to all of you who supported me with the decision to stay home). My son and I were invited over to some friends for the evening. The night before my son and I stopped at the grocery store and he asked if we needed to bring anything to dinner. I explained that our hostess said we didn't need to bring anything. He quietly said to me, "We can't go empty handed, that would be rude." OMG he had been listening. We picked up a cake, discussed bring wine as an option, and they he picked out flowers for our hostess. Here was my baby acting like a sophisticated young man, and a very thoughtful one to boot.
After we got home that evening and it was just the two of us, he gave me my Christmas present. It was a book about raising puppies. You see i have applied to volunteer with a local dog rescue. I can't have a grown dog that needs exercise and training, my body just could not take it. But what I can do is bottle feed infant puppies who are without their mothers. Naturally I am a bit nervous since I have no experience with whelping and newborn puppies but now I have a great book on the subject. I love that he cares enough about my life and what is going on with me to be able to pick out such a great gift.
Traci