With finals week closing in and the semester coming to an end, the Blessed Trinity community is eager for Christmas break. Every year, Christmas is celebrated worldwide, but it is a different experience for each family. The holiday season is a time when families grow closer to each other, and what better way to bond with your family than Christmas traditions? 

Blessed Trinity’s Christmas tradition is to put up a Christmas tree in the lobby called the Jesse Tree where ornaments are hung to symbolize certain members of Jesus’ family tree. Within the school, there are many students and staff who participate in similar Christmas traditions. 

Mr. Pham, a religion teacher at BT, participates in two family traditions every Christmas. The first is a White Elephant party. He explains, “My cousins and I used to do a Secret Santa gift exchange, but it has recently developed into a White Elephant party.” A White Elephant Party is a great way to add some competitive spirit while keeping a lighthearted and fun approach to Christmas. Pham says that his family puts a 30-dollar budget on each item to keep the presents simple and to save money for other presents. Gift exchanges like these can bring a lot of fun to Christmas and help to bond with your family in a way that otherwise would not be possible. Another tradition that his family participates in is attending midnight Mass on Christmas Eve.

Sophomore Mary McLean has many Christmas traditions, including attending Christmas Eve Mass, reading a story, and drinking a soda with Christmas Eve dinner. McLean points out, “Even though they might not seem extraordinary, [she and her family] cherish the memories and sentiment behind each tradition.” Christmas Eve Mass is a great tradition shared by many Catholic families that helps to foster a better relationship with God. 

Elaborating on this tradition, McLean says, “After Mass, we come home and all open one gift, which is always matching pajamas!” After opening the gift, her grandma reads The Night Before Christmas to everyone. McLean adds, “Even though we are all older, it is still a bittersweet and familiar feeling to hear the story each year.” 

The last tradition that her family participates in is her parents giving a small bottle of Coca-Cola to each sibling with dinner on Christmas Eve. She says, “We have looked forward to this tradition each year since we were younger.” When asked how these traditions originated, McLean replied, “They originated years ago, and many of them were passed down with how my parents were raised… some were started by my parents on their own.” 

Gabe Simpson, another sophomore, also participates in Christmas Eve Mass, and his dad makes a special meal on Christmas day. Every Christmas morning, Simpson’s dad cooks a french toast casserole. He says that it is one of his favorite dishes and always looks forward to the smell of french toast casserole on Christmas morning. When asked how the tradition started he said, “The recipe for the french toast casserole was first made by my dad’s friend and was given to my dad about five years ago.” He highly recommends this dish and says that every family should consider making something similar on Christmas morning.

With Christmas coming up, now is the perfect time to incorporate a new tradition into your family. Whether it is unique to your family or a common tradition shared by many others, a Christmas tradition can be a great way to become closer to your family and create fond memories of the holidays. No matter what, Christmas should always be about being with your family and commemorating the birth of Christ. We wish everyone a great end to the semester and a merry Christmas.