Coming into the festive season brings a whole new sense of appreciation into loving where you live. Even if you’re not a fan of the winter chill or the impending threat of snow, the general atmosphere of the latter half of November and December can be contagious. As an end of November baby, I often share my birthday with Thanksgiving which also happens to be my favorite holiday with Christmas coming in as a close second. According to this study, I’m not alone in this preference with 79% of Americans having a positive view towards Thanksgiving and 78% feeling the same about Christmas.
Traditions are a vital component in differentiating these holidays from those occurring earlier in the year. Although the same study found the overall attitude towards the holidays comparable across generations, traditions are found to be more important to the older generations when compared to millennials and younger. This may show my age, but I cannot stress enough the importance of tradition in both my immediate and extended family. While my family has experienced many changes over the last decade, holiday traditions have persisted.
It is a given that the TV will be left on throughout the entirety of Thanksgiving from the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade through to the NFL games. You don’t have to know me well to know that I’m a huge dog lover. My Shih Tzu, Lola, often accompanies me on errands while riding high in her doggie car seat. You bet I’ll be tuned into NBC for the American Kennel Club’s National Dog Show. Beyond the marathon that is Thanksgiving television broadcasting, traditions in my family are nearly entirely centered around food. Chaos ensued the one Thanksgiving where my mom unknowingly slighted the grandchildren by not making banana pudding– an accidental tradition. Banana pudding is now required at all family holidays.
While it is easy to get caught up within your own family and the often-present stress of the holiday season, it is always nice to give back to the community even if in a small way. Although my children are now grown, a highlight of the holiday season was always Christmas cookie day. We would spend a full Saturday making dozens of Christmas goodies and then drive around distributing our haul to friends and neighbors. In recent years, I have donated my time by volunteering as a Bell Ringer for the Salvation Army’s Red Kettle fundraiser. If you’re now primarily cashless, please consider keeping some change on you this holiday season!
Of course, nothing tops taking time off to enjoy friends and family. There are countless community events occurring throughout the next few weeks to drag you out of the kitchen or away from the dinner table to fully enjoy the extent of what the holidays have to offer. Here are a few of my favorites:
Middleburg Christmas Parade Downtown Middleburg feels like stepping into a Hallmark movie year round but especially during the holiday season! Get into the Christmas spirit and join the Hunt Country Sotheby’s International team at this not to be missed event occurring at 2pm on Saturday, December 2nd.
Leesburg Holiday Fine Arts & Crafts Show Attending holiday craft markets is yet another tradition shared amongst the women in my family. There’s nothing like bundling up and walking through stalls of handicrafts with hot cocoa in hand. Cherish your loved ones and support local artists this season by shopping small at craft markets. Leesburg will be hosting the 33rd Leesburg Holiday Fine Arts & Crafts show over the first weekend of December.
Leesburg Jingle Jam Like Christmas caroling but better! This fundraising concert has raised tens of thousands of dollars for juvenile diabetes research over the last decade. There are three showings this year occurring on December 8th- December 10th.
Comments