Families’ greatest hits

Chattanooga parents share the Christmas traditions their children love

By Jill Ralston

For many Chattanooga families, Christmas just would not be the same without celebrating time-honored traditions of yesteryear. From cinnamon-sprinkled eggnog to new Christmas jammies, when it comes to celebrating Christmas in the Tennessee Valley, each family has its own style.

A tradition does not have to be passed down from generation to generation to be considered special, says Sharon Braden, mom to Caleb, 15, and Jacob, 7. Although we think of tradition as something already established that we simply inherit, Sharon says creating new traditions with her children and husband has been a part of what makes Christmas—well, Christmas.

For 13 Christmases in a row, Sharon and her brood have thrown a birthday party for Jesus. “It’s our way of honoring Jesus and recognizing that he is the reason for the celebration,” she says.

The Bradens are not alone. Kasey Oneal, mother to son Kelby, practices the same tradition. “On Christmas Eve evening, we bake a birthday cake and read the Christmas story from the Bible,” Kasey says. “Then on Christmas morning, we light the candles and sing Happy Birthday to Jesus, complete with balloons and noisemakers.”

Christmas traditions can be symbolic of a family’s unique bond and are an expression of their individuality. And although they may be brand-new or old reliables, family traditions almost always have a common thread: quality time spent with loved ones.

Since traditions can leave lifelong impressions on a child, captivating their imagination well into adulthood, experts encourage parents to make each one count.

Key points in early development are related to children forming positive and healthy attachments to people and things such as rituals and traditions, says Valerie L. Radu, PhD, the head of the Department of Social Work at The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. She says rituals and traditions in a child’s early years can create a sense of confidence, security and well-being that continues into adulthood.

“The unique rituals and traditions that families create around holidays, celebrations or milestones further help a child understand their role and place within the family,” she adds.

A number of Chattanooga parents shared their own family traditions with us. Their stories tell a tale of love, laughter, faith, and devotion to family and friends.

“The Twelve Books of Christmas”

“Every Christmas I wrap up my son’s holiday books, number them, and put them in a basket on the fireplace. Counting backward from Christmas for as many books as I have wrapped up, we begin reading one book every night until all the books are gone and it is Christmas Eve. He looks forward to opening a ‘present’ every night, and we get to spend some quiet time together during a sometimes hectic time of year.”

Denise Stone, mother of two

“We Wish You A Crafty Christmas”

“Spend quality time with your loved ones by bundling up and taking a stroll downtown together to see the window decorations at the Electric Power Board, or drive through heavily decorated neighborhoods to admire lights from the car. Work a big holiday puzzle as a family—start it all together, and celebrate with hot chocolate or hot apple cider. Leave it out on a table so that it can be worked on throughout the month. Spend an evening decorating the tree, then camp out under it. Let your child make decorations for your home, such as placemats and place card holders for the table, a holiday centerpiece, paintings that can be hung in the windows, rolled beeswax candles, garlands from paper chains or popcorn, red and green bows, pine needles tied together with ribbons, and pinecones painted with glue and doused with glitter. Go Christmas caroling.”

Lynne Mulligan, EdS, program manager at Chattanooga Creative Discovery Museum,
and mother of one

“It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like a Toy Store”

“I always love to arrange all my daughter Chloe’s toys so when she wakes on Christmas morning, all her goodies from Santa will be laid out to look like a big toy store.”

Angel Daugherty, mother of one

“Bible Night”

“We always read the Christmas story from the Bible on Christmas Eve.”

Melissa Brown, mother of three

“Have a Simple Jolly Christmas”

“Sometime prior to the holiday, we all get in our pajamas and drive through neighborhoods looking at Christmas lights and drinking hot chocolate. Every Christmas morning, I make a sausage casserole that we eat after we have opened presents. The kids look forward to it throughout the year. I think it really is the simple things that we all cherish and remember the most.” (See sausage casserole recipe, this issue.)

Kathie Etherton, mother of three

“Oh Christmas Jammies”

“We allowed the children to open one present on Christmas Eve just before bed. It was always a new pair of pajamas (usually from a grandma). They would change into them, have a treat, and then put out a treat for Santa and head for their beds. Their stockings always contained a brand-new, fancy toothbrush and a beautiful navel orange, along with other small treats.”

Susan West, mother of two

“Walking in a Marzipan Wonderland”

“Something I did with my children growing up is make marzipan cookies—like the colonial candy. I always made the dough and colored it with food coloring in colors like red, green and yellow. Then we all sat around a table and used the dough like playdough to make little fruit shapes. We made oranges and apples with stems and leaves. (We used cinnamon sticks and cloves for the stems.) We also made bananas and peaches, plums and cherries. We used watered-down food coloring and little watercolor brushes to paint them to make the fruit’s skin look different. The cookies are almond-flavored, and they are delicious.” (See marzipan cookie recipe, this page.)

Cheryl Robinson, mother of five

“Santa’s Helpers are Coming to Town”

“When my son and daughter were growing up, they would take turns each year playing Santa on Christmas morning. They would wear the Santa hat and pass out all the presents from under the tree. Now, my two granddaughters get to play Santa. They look forward to it every year. Another tradition we enjoy is visiting a tree farm in middle Tennessee to cut down our own Christmas tree.”

Ron Wilkerson, father of two

“An English Christmas”

“I am originally from England, and we usually decorate the house as a family on Christmas Eve. We wrap all gifts on Christmas Eve and open them on Boxing Day (the day after Christmas). We also use this time to thank each family member for their presence in our lives, and thank God for the gift of life and His presence. There is plenty of food, friends, key family members and friends who share in this special time with us.”

Kathy Purnell, mother of three

“There’s No Place Like Grandma’s Home for the Holidays”

“On Christmas Eve, we always stayed at my grandmother’s house and wrote our wish lists as we watched Christmas classics like Rudolph and How the Grinch Stole Christmas. We would set out milk and cookies for him along with carrots for his reindeer.”

Sarrah Puckett

“All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth—On The Tree”

“Each year I would buy or make an ornament that signified an accomplishment each of my children had achieved. So when it was time to decorate the tree, it was a document of their life. Oddities on our tree include a clear ornament with my daughter’s two front teeth she had lost that year and a tape measure signifying when my 14-year-old son grew to 6 feet. There is even a peanut butter jar lid for my little one who would sneak peanut butter during the night.  Decorating the tree is a walk down memory lane for me.”

Paige Wolfkill, mother of five

“Have Yourself a Musical Little Christmas”

“Christmas Eve is when our family exchanges gifts and really observes Christmas, saving Christmas Day for extended family and friends. We all gather in the living room around the tree, and one of our sons or sons-in-law, or my husband, reads the Christmas story from Matthew 1 and 2 or from Luke 2. We sing a few favorite carols, and another member of the family, or two, leads us in prayer. Then we pass the cracker candy and appoint one of the grandchildren to play Santa (pass out gifts). One of our favorite traditions is the trimming of the tree, during which we play our old LPs of Christmas music, particularly Glen Campbell’s Christmas record. (Our favorite is ‘Sleepy Heads and Bunk Beds’).” (See cracker candy recipe, this issue.)

Connie Cloud, mother of five