I am blessed with rich holiday traditions thanks to growing up with Slovak heritage.  Not everyone has traditions that they celebrate, so I thought it would be cool to invent a few traditions that you may wish to consider this year.

Wrap up a holiday book or two and place it under the tree for a snowy night.  There are many great books out there with a holiday theme or message.  River Read Books in downtown Binghamton offers some wonderful themed books for children and adult readers. You can even wrap up a book you might own.  Putting some shiny paper on an old favorite gives it a new feel.

Research your heritage.  A visit to the Roberson Museum for their "Home For The Holidays" display can really show you some traditional holiday traditions you might not be aware of.  Then of course, you could always Google your nationality and adopt an old tradition from your heritage.

Create a "thankful" jar.  Cut up and recycle some left over paper and have family members write a line or two every day leading up to Christmas or Hanukkah as to what they are thankful for.  After you celebrate your holiday dinner, sit around as a family and take turns reading the thoughts of thanks.

Deliver some poinsettia plants to shut in or a local nursing home.  Contact your pastor or a local nursing home.  You can usually find some small poinsettias at local retailers (Agway, Home Depot) for a great price.  Take an evening to visit a local nursing home to deliver a plant.  A simple 20-30 minutes visit with a person you never met before would mean the world to that person and really touch your soul.

Traditions can be started at any time of the year but at Christmas they seem more special.  It may just change the way you look at the holidays.

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