Christmas is the most magical time of the year. The ground and trees are covered in a pure white blanket of glistening snow, bright colourful lights can been seen on houses down every street, the smell of fresh baked Christmas goodies fill the air, and festive music can be heard everywhere you go. It truly is magical.
Those are just some of the holiday cheer you can expect during this time of year. Christmas is not just a day; it’s a season. The season when families and friends gather, not just once, again and again. A season when extra phone calls are being made and letters and emails of good wishes are sent. It’s the time of year where laughter, great food, and festive beverages are plentiful. Christmas could never be just a day; it’s an entire season full of preparation, celebration, and tradition.
Tradition plays a huge roll during this time of year. Some traditions have been passed on from generation to generation, some started when new families are created. These traditions are important. Traditions help to build strong bonds within the family unit, and helps to keep the magic of Christmas alive, as well as the excitement of the holidays, present year after year.
The Pure family all share the same love of Christmas and the same passion for traditions. Our traditions may vary from family to family, but our desire to keep our own unique family traditions alive is something the Pure staff all have in common.
Here are 6 Pure Staff Christmas Traditions :
1. Lights of Red Deer
Every year my wife, myself and our two children attend the early church service on Christmas Eve. After church we head to Starbucks to purchase a nice warm holiday beverage and then we head out on our journey to check out the best Christmas lights in Red Deer. The local newspaper releases the best decorated houses with the best route to see them all approximately 2 weeks before Christmas. The light tour is approximately 3 hours long from start to finish. Spending three hours driving around town with my family taking in the marvellous views of all the decorated houses is one of my favourite holiday tradition we do. The excitement on the faces of my children warm my heart and make me feel like a kid again – Dr. Scott & Jennette
2. Paper Crown’s
Christmas Eve for us is typically spent with my (Rayna’s) family. We spend the evening eating a delicious dinner, and playing games together as a family at my parent’s house. Later when we return home we read ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas to our kids, then we put out Santa’s magic key (this helps Santa gain access to our house) and we leave food out for the reindeer. Our children have learned to leave out a glass of wine because Santa prefers that over milk. Christmas morning we spend at home opening gifts and gathering around the table for a nice Christmas breakfast. Later in the day we pack up and head over to Michael’s parents house, where we eat more delicious food, crack Christmas crackers and wear paper crowns. Our Christmas is all about spending time with family & friends. – Dr. Michael & Rayna
3. Christmas Piñata’s
Growing up, Christmas gatherings for my family started on Christmas Eve. Every Christmas Eve we would start off the festivities with a Christmas Piñata, it was always a huge hit with all the kids in our family and most of the adults too. The festivities continued through the evening. First thing Christmas morning we would head over to my aunts house where we would have breakfast appetizers and open presents. – Layne
4. Family & Friends Hockey Tournament
Every year we all (6 kids) go home to my parents house to celebrate Christmas. My mom makes an incredible turkey dinner with all the fixings. We gather earlier in the day to start our annual family and friends hockey tournament held on our back yard rink. Once the teams are picked the hockey fun begins. Our extremely competitive hockey tournament usually continues throughout the day, sometimes into the evening. – Chase
5. Christmas Ornaments
Every Christmas since our children have been old enough to paint we have taken them to Hot Pot Studios to create a Christmas Ornament masterpiece. Each child would paint one of their choice, once it was completed we would add their name and the year that they painted the ornament. On Christmas Eve we gather with a group of really close friends for appetizers and fun games, later we attend midnight mass, then head home to tuck our littles in for the night. Christmas morning starts for us around 4 am. Our lovely children brew fresh coffee and open their Christmas stockings. Once the coffee is ready they come upstairs to wake us up. We all come down stairs to open presents. Once presents are all opened and the mess is cleaned up we make a large breakfast and enjoy each others company. Later in the afternoon we have family join us for a large Christmas dinner, after dinner we have a huge bonfire in our back yard and have a family hockey game on the outdoor rink. – Megan
6. Christmas Decoration Party
My family Christmas celebrations start the 1st Saturday in December. We all get together at my parents house and have a Christmas Decoration Party. We hang up the Christmas lights, decorate the tree, bake Christmas cookies and then we watch the movie Elf. On Christmas Eve we, again, gather at my parents home where we will have appetizers, watch the movie Christmas Vacation together and then we open 1 present each – typically this present is a pair of pj’s we can wear that night or a game we can play together. Christmas morning we spend at my parents as well. We open presents together and have a beautiful Christmas Dinner. – B
These are just some of the family traditions that we enjoy with our families during this special time of year. Our Christmas wish for you and your families is a house full of family, friends, love, celebrations, and tradition. May your holiday season fill your heart this year and in the new one to come.