Here’s a piece of advice; be careful not to leave yourself in debt to a newsletter editor! But, on to the task at hand.
I imagine that the source of most holiday traditions are faith-based, a happy accident repeated, or a cherished childhood memory. For me, with a devout Catholic mother, Christmas always started at midnight mass. Until Latin was abandoned and midnight became 5pm on Christmas Eve! A happy accident? One comes to mind but that was after the holidays. Some childhood memories are still vivid, but circumstances intervened.
I grew up in a large, Victorian apartment in West London. Heating was by coal fireplace, including the bedrooms. The kitchen and dining room were separated from a huge living room by a long L-shaped corridor. In post-war London, getting coal was difficult and so we lived in the dining room year-round and the living room remained closed. Except on Christmas Day, when the oversized fireplace was lit and the door unlocked to reveal a decorated tree and the wrapped presents. Anticipation had been building and that made it so special. Later, after moving to Southern California and to entertain our infant daughter, I started a log fire to re-create the mood. We had to open the windows and patio door to cool down! Even after forty-five years in the US, Christmas remains my preferred holiday. Thanksgiving was new and, at first, an opportunity to buy two cheap turkeys and store one for Christmas, but is now another welcome chance to gather and enjoy our extended and growing family.
As for the cliches about the English; do we pull crackers and don paper hats and read the dad jokes inside before eating turkey and roast potatoes, roast parsnips and brussels sprouts with Christmas (plum) pudding for dessert and Christmas (fruit) cake later? You bet!
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