6 Genius Ways to Celebrate the Holidays!

from hilarious to heartwarming, and everything in between!

Nov 22, 2024

One of the best things about writing this newsletter is hearing from wise, fascinating, and creative readers. When I recently asked, “What’s on your “good mother” list?” Sara Jane Mercer responded, “I make sure my kids have family traditions (usually unconventional) that they can look back on and look forward to each year!”

Her comment got me thinking about my own family traditions and how the most charming memories are often derived from spontaneous or unexpected experiences.

I was raised in a subtropical part of Australia, where Christmas was wildly different from the wintery scenes in British and American movies and books I devoured. Sweaty and wearing as few clothes as possible, we ate cold seafood and ice cream and spent most of Christmas day in the swimming pool or at the beach. Even after more than two decades of living in the US, each year when spring turns to summer, a part of my brain thinks, “Christmas is coming!”

These days, our festive family traditions are more traditional: starting on December 1, my kids alternate days to place ornaments on our beloved felt Advent Calendar, and they love helping my husband, Jim, make eggnog from a recipe that’s been in his family for generations. We spend Christmas day lounging around a roaring fire, listening to holiday music, opening gifts, and indulging in our favorite cold-weather foods like melt-in-your-mouth roast beef, crispy potatoes, and decadent trifle.

It’s funny how some things become beloved rituals while others don’t. One year, inspiration struck, and I changed “Walking in a Winter Wonderland” to “Walking in a Wilson Wonderland,” which included the extremely accurate lyrics, “Seems like Dad drank too much eggnog; and Mum says we need to quieten down.” Sadly, my mortified kids refused to sing along…

It’s never too late to make cherished memories, and now that my children are 18 and 14, I’m acutely aware that it’s our unique family traditions that will keep them returning to spend the holidays with Jim and me once they become adults.

And so, for inspiration, I asked Sara Jane, Joanna Goddard, Anne Kadet, Julia Turshen, Alex Steele, and Maddie Burton about their favorite and fun ways to celebrate the season.

Sara Jane Mercer’s family lives one of my long-time fantasies: taking an exciting family trip over the holidays à la Home Alone.

Sara Jane says, “For Thanksgiving, we usually travel, or we have a fully un-Thanksgiving meal in New York. We are vegan, so Thanksgiving food isn’t for us. My favorite place to travel for Thanksgiving is London as it’s already Christmas time there, and the city is so festive!”

I love the idea of forgoing “things” as gifts and making a vacation together our family Christmas present. Sadly, up to this point, my children have not agreed.

Joanna on their big sofa; Her youngest son, Anton, and a baby cousin at Christmas last year

Joanna Goddard, founder of Cup of Jo and Big Salad, who lives with her two boys in Brooklyn, gives them the gift of saying yes to an annual request…

“Every year, my kids excitedly ask if we can all sleep on our big sectional sofa together on Christmas Eve. Every year, I say yes. Every year, we drag up our blankets and pillows and cuddle up. Every year, we hang for about 15 minutes and then decide the sofa is not as comfy as our beds. Every year, we then head back to our bedrooms. We do this annually, even though it's never actually worked, and our little bait-and-switch ritual has become so funny and meaningful to me.”

Alex and her children; their Christmas tree!

Alex Steele, artist, Handpicked curator, and mom of four who lives in Manhattan Beach, California, loves to go all out with Christmas decorations, from tree ornaments to garlands and nativities, plus lights on the roof of the house!

“But easily the most delightful decoration of the season is our collection of Christmas cards! We tape them up on the door in our front room where we can look at them all the time, which feels like our friends and family are celebrating with us.”

Julia Turshen in her kitchen (image: Winni Au); Last year at the farm!

Julia Turshen, the beloved cookbook author, who lives with her spouse Grace in the Hudson Valley, celebrates fall’s abundance in a meaningful way…

“One of my favorite holiday traditions is helping my friends from Long Season Farm at their biggest farmers market day of the year, the Saturday before Thanksgiving. It’s become an annual tradition for me to help them and it’s such an exciting day. The line never stops! It’s such a thrill to watch everyone get so excited about their holiday vegetables and I feel so proud of my friends for growing them all.”

Anne Kadet; NOT her family's candles, just an image I found online!

Anne Kadet, a Brooklyn-based journalist and the creator of Cafe Anne, and her siblings visit their parents for Christmas, where they gleefully infuriate her dad every year…

“My father has a pair of Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus candles that I think must be from the 1960s or ‘70s. They live in the attic, and every year at Christmas, they are brought down to the family room, ceremoniously released from their tissue wrappers and lovingly placed on the coffee table. My father is very into the idea of preserving these candles forever.
Me and my three siblings however, have very different ideas. Every year, while Dad is not looking, we all gather around the candles and chant, "BURN THE HEAD!! BURN THE HEAD!! BURN THE HEAD!!" Then we light the wicks and gleefully watch Mr. and Mrs. Claus melt until Dad realizes what's going on and yells at us to stop.”

Maddie Burton's mom on Thanksgiving BEFORE Maddie was born; Vintage placecards made by young Maddie!

Maddie Burton, the multi-talented writer, web designer, and pizza-maker who lives in the Pacific Northwest, indulges in an activity very dear to my heart: watching trashy TV while trash-talking!

“After Thanksgiving dinner, my brother, cousins, and I like to gather around the TV and fire up the worst Lifetime or Hallmark Christmas movie available, then spend the next ninety minutes eviscerating the plot, dialogue, and acting—always laughing the entire time.”

Your turn! I’d love to know what you (and your loved ones) most look forward to each year and if you have any silly or unconventional ways of celebrating the season?!