What is your Christmas Tradition? - Josh Bland
At Tweedy we have a mixing pot of traditions. Our shop is dressed in the English traditional decorations of a Christmas Tree, Baubles, Tinsel & wrapped presents under the Tree.
At home, as we have a mix of traditions as Josh is from Australia & Cacey is from England, New traditions have been created.
The Tweedy family opens a shared gift on Christmas Eve of matching Pajamas. Left out for Santa & his Reindeer. For Santa a Mince Pie & a Bailey’s. For Santa’s Reindeer, a Carrot & some Oats.
This year The Tweedy Fam decided on only useful stocking fillers. Niyah was able to open her stocking when she got out of bed. The lounge was closed off till Caceys Mum, Dad & Step Father came over to open their stockings & main presents. Holding off a 3 year old from her main presents wasn’t fun for Cacey & Josh. But Niyah understood, she was fine to sit back, have breakfast & talk about how Santa took a bite from his Mince Pie & the Reindeer made a mess with the oats.
Christmas Day was celebrated in the English way, with a Roast at Caceys mums house, Vegan Roast for Cacey, Josh & Niyah. Games were played, they had a great time.
Boxing Day. Cacey & Josh emptied their stall at The Southampton Christmas Market on Christmas Eve. The infrastructure used inside the Stall, clothing rails, jewellery table was then dismantled & packed into the Van, partly on Boxing Day & finished on the 27th. The rest of boxing day was spent playing games, eating & having fun at Caceys mums house.
New Year’s. Caceys mum went away for a few weeks, so Cacey, Josh & Niyah went for a sleep over, played games, ate heaps & watched Jules Holland to see in the New Year, kisses & then bed.
This has been a New Year’s tradition for The Tweedy Family since Niyah was born.
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New Year’s Day. Niyah was taken for her first official bike ride on her new bike in Lyndhurst The New Forest. Back home for Vegan Spaghetti Bolognese, Enchanto then bed for Niyah. Cacey & Josh enjoyed one of their favourite Christmas & New Year traditions.... Watching ‘The World’s Strongest Man’
Here are some other Christmas Traditions I had no idea about...
Sweden
The Yule Goat has been a Swedish Christmas symbol dating back to ancient pagan festivals. However, in 1966, the tradition got a whole new life after someone came up with the idea to make a giant straw goat, now referred to as the Gävle Goat. According to the official website, the goat is more than 42 feet high, 23 feet wide, and weighs 3.6 tons. Each year, the massive goat is constructed in the same spot. Fans can even watch a livestream from the first Sunday of Advent until after the New Year when it's taken down.
Philippines
If you thought the United States went all out with Christmas decorations, you should see what the Philippines does. Every year, the city of San Fernando holds Ligligan Parul (or Giant Lantern Festival) featuring dazzling parols (lanterns) that symbolize the Star of Bethlehem. Each parol consists of thousands of spinning lights that illuminate the night sky. The festival has made San Fernando the "Christmas Capital of the Philippines
Although Christmas isn't a national holiday in Japan (an estimated one percent of the population is Christian, according to Smithsonian Magazine), its citizens still find an interesting and delicious way to celebrate. Rather than gathering around the table for a turkey dinner, families head out to their local Kentucky Fried Chicken. The tradition began in 1974 after a wildly successful marketing campaign called "Kurisumasu ni wa kentakkii!" or "Kentucky for Christmas!" The fast food chain has maintained its yuletide popularity, causing some people to order their boxes months in advance or stand in two-hour-long lines to get their "finger lickin' good" food.
Iceland
Similar to the 12 days of Christmas in the U.S., Iceland celebrates 13. Each night before Christmas, Icelandic children are visited by the 13 Yule Lads. After placing their shoes by the window, the little ones will head upstairs to bed. In the morning, they'll either have received candy (if they're good) or be greeted with shoes full of rotten potatoes if they're bad. And you thought coal was a terrible gift!
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Finland
On Christmas morning, Finish families traditionally eat a porridge made of rice and milk topped with cinnamon, milk, or butter. Whoever finds the almond placed inside one of the puddings "wins"—but some families cheat and hide a few almonds so the kids don't get upset. At the end of the day, it is customary to warm up in a sauna together.
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New Zealand
Because summer falls during Christmastime for Kiwis, a number of their traditions center around a barbie, or grill, where families and friends gather for a casual cookout of fresh seafood, meat, and seasonal vegetables. The New Zealand Christmas tree is the Pohutukawa, a coastal species that blooms a bright-red color in December, providing shade during the sunny days as they sing carols in both English and Maori.