The months of November and December have to be my favorite time of the year. You have Thanksgiving with all the food and family get-togethers, and personally, I celebrate Christmas, which alludes to even more family gatherings and traditions. Last year almost all of these rituals were put on hold due to Covid, and if I’m being honest, I don’t really remember that specific holiday season very well, as a lot of the things that made it special were coming to me as a disappointment through their cancellations rather than a way to celebrate, so this week I thought I would talk about some of my favorite holiday activities that have become Fleury holiday trademarks.
Let’s start with Thanksgiving!:
- Turkey Trot: As a member of the Naperville North Track and Cross Country teams, it only makes sense that I would enjoy running on Thanksgiving. I love doing this race with my friends, as we all love to dress up in silly costumes while getting in our workout for the day. I have also done this with my younger sister since she has started to run cross country in middle school. I don’t usually get to run with her, so this is a really fun experience for us!
- Dinner: My grandma never fails to make the best food on Thanksgiving. My personal favorite is stuffing, but she also makes sugar cookies in the shape of turkeys that are always a close second!
- Santa Buddies- Now I know there is a strict divide between people who start Christmas before and after Thanksgiving, but my family definitely starts decorating for Christmas before Thanksgiving. That being said, Christmas shopping is already a priority the second November starts, but since I have so many cousins, we do a big secret santa gift exchange. Thanksgiving is when everyone gets together and chooses their names. My family has come to call them Santa Buddies. Let the shopping begin!
Now onto Christmas!:
- Decorations: This tradition has already started in my house! My mom decorates our house like a Hallmark movie every year, and it is one of my favorite things about the holiday season. It definitely helps me get through finals week since I have a pretty place to study that reminds me of winter break, which really ramps up the holiday spirit!
- Cousin Christmas Sleepover:
This is a fairly new tradition. A couple years back, my cousin and I had the idea to have a big sleepover at my grandparents’ house a few days before Christmas, and the concept stuck. We always have it on December 22nd and all of my cousins come in from out of town! We love to bake and decorate cookies, watch all the classic holiday movies, and just enjoy being together. This year we might even have a scavenger hunt all over Naperville! - Christmas Morning Breakfast: My family always has cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning. This has been a tradition since I was born, and my younger sisters and I look forward to it every single year. I mean who doesn’t love a good cinnamon roll?
I can always count on the holidays to lift my mood and remind me of all the amazing people I have in my life. I love participating in all of the fun activities with my family and friends. Especially after being isolated from family for so long during the pandemic, this year is going to feel like a breath of fresh air. I would love to hear about some of your holiday traditions! It is always so fun to hear people talk about how their family celebrates! Let the holiday season begin!
Macy, I wrote my blog about a similar topic last week because just like you, I’m really looking forward to the holidays this year. For many years, I have also run in the Turkey Trot. Even though I rarely want to wake up early especially on Thanksgiving morning, I ultimately have a great time with my family and going out in the community. Also, that Cousin Christmas Sleepover sounds like so much fun! All of my cousins are either living on their own or are far away, so that’s really nice you guys have that tradition.
Hello, Macy! Thanks for sharing your holiday experiences! Those cinnamon rolls and cookies sound very tasty…
I should say that I have a similar annual experience compared to yours around this time of year; about a month or so before Thanksgiving, Koreans celebrate our own version of it, called 추석 or Chuseok. During this time, our whole extended family gathers in our grandparents’ houses, usually on the day before Chuseok, and leaves on the actual day after a sleepover. I’ve generally celebrated Chuseok first at my paternal grandparents’ home, along with my cousins and their parents, before going over to my maternal grandparents. It’s quite a trip since they live at opposite ends of the country 😉
There are a number of traditions involved with Chuseok, but I think probably the most important ones would be those that involve ancestor worship; once our family first meets our grandparents, we make a respectful, formal bow to them before getting down to business. This same type of bow is also involved when the adults of the household make food offerings to the deceased on the day of Chuseok. In my household, these are usually things like fish, meat, pears, and vegetables, most of which we eat after the offering session is over. Some of my memorable experiences from these gatherings are having to watch out for fishbones and so sticking to fried pumpkins instead.
Ultimately, in my opinion, no matter which culture you come from, I think both the Thanksgivings of Korea and America have a key communal component. Whether it be paying homage to your ancestors or gathering together for a run, these occasions are times for the whole family to come together, put aside their differences, and commemorate the end of another year. Thanks for sharing and I hope you have a great Thanksgiving holiday!
Ugghh! I can totally agree with you that last holiday season kind of sucked. My mom tested positive for covid on CHRISTMAS EVE! That’s like the worst possible timing. She was so sick that she couldn’t wrap any of my brother and I’s presents, which I wasn’t at all angry about, but it looked so sad having half the presents under the tree just in brown boxes and such. I also didn’t get to celebrate Christmas with my Dad and Stepmom for two weeks because we all had to quarantine. ANYWAY, I love that you have such special traditions! I have always wondered what the Turkey Trot was like, I am not a runner myself, but it sounds really fun and I know a lot of people enjoy it. Also, I have to agree with you that stuffing is one of the best Thanksgiving/Holiday food items. I am vegetarian, so stuffing (which I’m sure someone could say is somehow not vegetarian with the spices) is something I stock up on when filling my plate.
I love your house! Literally, it looks like out of a magazine. I know you had showed me other pictures in person of you kitchen, and I am so blown away by the effort that must have been taken in doing all this. I can’t imagine my house ever looking like that. Thank you for sharing about your holiday traditions Macy!