Christmas time is considered a time for traditions: baking cookies, sending cards to loved ones, covering a tree in lights, putting a key on the porch for Santa, and loudly singing Christmas songs. Within all of these activities that people participate in, most of them stem from memories of the past. During the season, everyone has different traditions and many come from other cultures and traditions around the world.
However, there are some traditions in America that are not commonly practiced. For instance, La Befana, which is Italy’s Santa, comes to the children on January 6th and not December 25th. In Austria and Germany, Krampus, based on an evil, half goat and half demon monster, has been scaring children for hundreds of years. Instead of rewarding children on the nice list, Krampus punishes on the naughty children on Christmas.
Though these traditions have not made their way to America, hiding a pickle ornament in a tree, which originated in Germany, has. The tradition of hiding the pickle in a tree has lots of different versions or interpretations, but the most commonly told tale is an old civil war story about a soldier in prison who begs a guard to give him a pickle to eat because he was starving. The guard ends up giving the soldier a pickle, and it sustained him until he was released, saving him from death. After, he went home and bought a pickle ornament for his Christmas tree. Nowadays, families, or Santa, hide it for kids so they can race to find it first and whoever finds it first is said to receive good luck for the rest of the year.
Stockbridge has lots of tradition such as the Festival of Lights event that recently took place on November 26th.This tradition kicks of the season’s festivities.
The students of Stockbridge also have traditions that they participate in within their own homes. Secret Santa is a beloved tradition that originated in America, and junior Dominic Hoeppner and his siblings open their secret Santa gifts on Christmas Eve.
“I don’t expect my parents to get me and my siblings gifts for Christmas half the time, so we do it so that we know we will always have a nice gift,” Hoppener said. “It’s just something that’s always constant for Christmas time.”
Not only do students participate in Secret Santa but it’s been a long-time staff tradition that has been brought back this year. Athletics department assistant Karen Bradford has run this tradition for 10 years, but when COVID-19 upended regular traditions, it had never been brought back. The high school administration had never expressed interest in starting the tradition over until she brought it up this year.
“People need to be happy again, and enjoy Christmas time again. We have so many new staff members just in this building alone, and this brings us together and has us learn new things about each other. It takes us out of our own little circle and brings us into one big circle in a fun way,” Bradford said.
In others’ homes, people have different traditions that are based around people’s religions, memories and past stories that maybe aren’t heard of as often as others like leaving a key on the porch if a house does not have a chimney or putting out carrots for the reindeer.
“My favorite tradition is family Christmas pajamas,” senior Josie Beutler said. “I was included last year in my boyfriend’s family celebration of wearing matching Christmas pajamas, and that was cool. It made me feel like a member of their family being involved in something that’s normally just for them,” Beutler said.
Beutler also has her own traditions which have been celebrated for many years. Some of her traditions like Christmas dinner, which she calls “Epiphany,” and Saint Nicholas day are from her religion. Epiphany is a very large feast, which is to “celebrate the revelation of God’s incarnate as Jesus Christ,” Beutler said.
Beutler will forever hold a special place in her heart for her family’s traditions and they will be passed down to her family which she hopes to have in the future.
“I think I would have to keep all of them. I plan on doing St. Nicholas day, and I plan on even doing it myself this year. I feel it’s important to keep my traditions alive.”
