The holiday season is upon us! It is a season of honoring traditions with family and friends. A few of my fellow staff members shared some of their holiday traditions with me.

LeRoy’s holiday traditions span the whole month of December. “A few from our family: each of the children prepare a gift for one of their siblings – selected in advance so they can be thoughtful about it. They get very excited seeing their gift being given. We do secret Santa with treats to neighbors and friends. We plan a different event each day in December leading up to Christmas that involves a game, activity, or craft.

Sometimes traditions happen unexpectedly as with Ann’s family one Christmas Day. “On Christmas Day a few years ago (I think my girls were in middle school) just as I put a ham in the oven, my oven exploded! It turned out to be the best thing ever! We had to improvise and so we left the mess and went to a movie and out for Chinese food. We enjoyed it so much that it’s become a tradition, every year we go to a movie and then go out for Chinese food on Christmas Day and we love it! Christmas time is the one time a year that I make my mom’s Swedish Rye Bread and Sausage in Rye (like pigs in a blanket with homemade rye bread). It takes a good part of the day to get it done so that night we always eat fresh bread and peanut butter for dinner. Then we put the rest in the freezer and have Sausage and Rye right away Christmas morning when everyone is up and opening presents.”

Nita has wonderful memories of putting up their Christmas tree. “I remember the smell of the attic – the dank air – and the sound of the stairs as I followed Mom upward to the boxes that were opened only once a year. The box with the tree in it was so big, we’d each take a stair and pass the branches down to each other, the last person making individual piles in the living room according to their color code. The ones with the tip of the stem marked black were the biggest, for the bottom of the tree, and so, would go into the metal trunk last. Our family – being avid puzzlers – loved building the tree together, watching it take form. After the branches, came the lights; then the angel; the homemade decorations and the tinsel. O Christmas Tree! With us for at least 15 years, with tradition and memories for a lifetime.”

One of Pam’s traditions is decorating Christmas cookies with her family. “With four sons you can probably imagine the mess; and the older they got, the more mess there was. However, the cookies were delicious. When possible, this tradition has continued on with grandchildren. I have incredibly artistic grandchildren who seem to be less messy. Their decorated cookies are also delicious, but they are almost too beautiful to eat!!” If you are looking for a new Christmas cookie recipe, be sure to check out “Let it Snow: 24 Recipes for Festive Sweet Treats” by Agnes Prus (641.5686 Prus) or “Holiday Cookies: Showstopping Recipes to Sweeten the Season” by Elisabet der Nederlanden (641.8654 Nederia).

Sue O’s memory centers around Christmas Eve. “Every Christmas Eve everyone in my family would get all dressed up, go to late afternoon church and then come home to a wonderful supper of ham, baked beans, and fruit salad. My sisters and I would not be very hungry due to the excitement of thinking of the presents under our tree. We had to wait until everyone was done eating, and the dishes washed and put away. Then we’d all go into the living room and take turns handing out gifts. After all the gifts were passed out, my dad would yell, “Go!” and everyone would open their presents all at once! Just imagine the ripping of paper and the squeals of surprise as the mystery contents of the wrapped boxes were revealed!”

Carole’s Christmas Eve tradition was; “My late (and former) mother-in-law was of Swedish ancestry, and the Christmas eve dinner was always the same: hard boiled eggs and tuna fish in a white sauce, served over mashed potatoes. All white foods. And the dishes were not cleaned from the table after dinner.” If you are interested in learning more about Swedish traditions, stop at the library and take a look at “Jul: Swedish American Holiday Traditions” by Patrice M. Johnson (641.5686 Johnson).

My favorite holiday tradition is getting together with my family to make lefse. Our lefse making tradition started with my mom and me and has continued with the next generation. Mom and I struggled to get it right until I attended a demonstration at Retzlaff Hardware and received a recipe. No more struggles! The holiday season doesn’t seem complete until we have made the lefse.

During this busy holiday season, I hope you are able to take a moment to appreciate and enjoy all your family traditions.

The library is located at 17 North Broadway and is open to the public Monday-Thursday from 9:30 a.m.-8 p.m. and Friday- Saturday from 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m.

The library will be closed Mondays, December 25 and January 1 for Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.