Every family has holiday traditions. In my late husband’s family, Christmas morning brings about the happy game of Christmas Gift.
Photo by William Stitt on Unsplash
The object of the game is to see who can say “Christmas Gift” first when encountering another person, family or not. Of course these encounters were always face-to-face originally, but the game evolved with the times and now includes the phone, Facebook, email, and texting.
It is especially fun to play with little children, who squeal with delight when they manage to sneak up on someone and holler “Christmas Gift” first.
A family tradition of old
“Christmas Gift” started well over 100 years ago in my mother-in-law’s family.
Christmas celebrations in the late 19th century at Gale Hill, the family home place of the MINOR family in Albemarle County, Virginia included the Christmas Gift game and more.
Read about Christmas at Gale Hill here.
When my in-laws married in the 1950’s, my mother-in-law kept the tradition going and it spread to my father-in-law’s family, too. The game continues as the years go by, each generation passing the fun along to the next, delighting in the friendly competition and the smiles and laughter it brings.
The game continues on
I can still hear my in-laws saying “Christmas Gift” to ‘the little girls’, their four granddaughters, and encouraging them to say it back. It wasn’t long before the granddaughters caught on. They quickly took to hiding around corners and lurking under tables in their attempts to say “Christmas Gift” first.
The little girls – Lara, Amanda, Katie, and and Cameron
Those ‘little girls’, my now twenty-something daughters and nieces, still enjoy competing to be the first to say “Christmas Gift” to whoever they encounter on Christmas Day.
Years from now, I will be saying “Christmas Gift” to my grandchildren of the future and encouraging them to say it back. And when they ask why we say “Christmas Gift” I’ll tell them about Christmas celebrations at Gale Hill.
What about you?
What Christmas traditions do you and your family enjoy? Please share in a comment.
Copyright © 2017 Nancy H. Vest All Rights Reserved
My mom made sure that we always the story of Christ’s birth from the Bible every Christmas Eve as a family. I am so thankful that she made Jesus the center of our Christmas celebrations. Also, she made it a priority that my sister and I had some kind of gifts for Christmas, and she also always baked delicious desserts. As far as I can remember, we always went to a tree farm and cut down our trees. (I am still in love with Christmas tree farms.) We also always had really neat stocking gifts. I will always be thankful for all her sacrifices to make Christmas memorable for my sister and me.
Nancy, I love your family’s tradition of saying “Christmas Gift” because it is something that united your family and it was something you shared. that is what family is–connected and engaged in each other’s lives—valuing relationships and being intentional about preserving them. Merry Christmas to you and your family!
Claire, that’s beautifully written. 🙂 Your Christmases sound wonderful. I bet you do the same for your boys. Merry Christmas to you and yours.