When it comes to Christmas traditions, it is possible that Leanne Silvers and her family field a lot of questions about something unique that happens at their home each year. 

One of their Christmas traditions involves an Olive Fairy. 

“She hangs off the side of Santa's sled,” says Silvers. “She is friends with the Tooth Fairy, so they do talk. If you are not being very good, that is an influence. She remembers what kind of olives you like; whether you like pitted or not pitted, whether you like black or green. No matter where we’ve moved throughout our life, she’s always found us. And she has always put a can or a jar of olives in our stocking, every year, without fail.” 

 Silvers explains that her family loves olives, and her children have always asked for olives in their stockings. 

“And they’re wrapped, and they’re signed from the Olive Fairy,” she adds. 

Christmas traditions will often include food, and some Christmas dinners are more memorable than others, and some are quite amusing. 

June Beaudoin says one year, her mother prepared a traditional Ukrainian supper with 12 meatless dishes. 

“And she decided that part of that traditional meal was putting hay underneath the table,” Beaudoin says. “It has something to do with the baby in the manger, the hay and the stables.” 

The strings were cut from the hay bale, and mice came running out from their cozy nest. This provided the cat with some excitement, she says.  

“My mom was horrified, we were all a little horrified, actually,” Beaudoin admits. “But the cat loved it.” 

Over at the home of Justin Blatz and his family, they decided to come up with their own tradition for their Christmas meal. 

It started with picking some take-out food each year for their Christmas meal. When they realized pancakes were a favourite for everyone, a new tradition began. 

“We just started making our own pancakes,” he says. “We cooked some bacon in the oven, fried some pancakes on our cast iron, and boom, there we go, we got it. With four kids, you want them to eat and have a great time, pancakes and bacon has been a great choice. It’s mainly to keep it fun for the kids, and who doesn’t want pancakes, and bacon, and chocolate milk?” 

What happens when you cannot find all the ingredients for your Christmas dinner? 

Daniela Hildebrandt and her family are making some adjustments for their main dish this year. 

“We were hoping to do duck because none of us like turkey,” she says. “It’s something that my mother-in-law started when we lived in Paraguay. She did it so well, and I try to do her justice.” 

The problem this year is that “there’s not a duck to be found,” Hildebrandt says. They have decided to have chicken instead. 

Desiree’s family has a Christmas Eve tradition that involves festive fun and food. They put together an activity box, filled with Christmas pjs, snacks, a Christmas book and a holiday movie. And when the excitement has calmed down, a snack is always left for Santa before heading off to sleep. 

Susan Carr recalls Santa's favourite snack as being Harvey's Bristol Cream Sherry and a slice of her mom's fruitcake. The reindeer also had a snack waiting for them, a few crunchy carrots.

This was all an elaborate event, very convincing, she says. Christmas morning also included a check of the doorstep where the children would always find reindeer droppings.

"And it was real," Carr says. Living on a farm, she says it was a common experience to come across evidence of animals.

Whether it is a snack for Santa and his reindeer, or a fun activity, Christmas traditions can provide some great memories.

 

-With files from Corny Rempel and Carly Koop 

Related Stories