My Christmas Tradition

A holiday season that would have been filled with cooking, a crowded house, and chaos unfortunately won’t be happening for my family this year. Though many events will be taking their place, a lot of my family traditions have been canceled this year.

For the past 16 years of my life, every Christmas, my family and I would drive to Maryland to spend time with my grandparents. My cousins from New York would meet us there early in the morning and we would spend the whole day cooking. The dull Christmas tree in my grandparent’s living room would soon be tricked out with lights and ornaments. After eating together, my cousins and I would exchange presents. Lucky for me, I have 5 cousins on my mom’s side of the family so I never leave Christmas day empty-handed. Sometimes, if time permits, I will spend the night there. If not, my parents and I head back home very late in the evening.

Another yearly occurrence of ours is going to church for the Christmas Eve Service. My parents and I would normally attend service and watch all the Christmas performances that the church prepared for our congregation. We would end the night off by lighting candles and singing a song all together.

However, drastic changes have now altered this yearly routine for my family. This year for Christmas, instead of driving 3 hours to visit my grandparents, my parents and I will be staying home. The Christmas Eve Service will be held online through a Youtube live stream and instead of simply handing my cousins their presents, I will be sending them to them through the mail. Although the holiday season will be much quieter than usual, I hope that it is still filled with the same amount of love and joy that it brings to us and our community every year