Traditions of the season bring order, reliability and joy | Suzy Fleming Leonard
I love traditions.
They give order to life when so much is out of our control.
I especially love the traditions of Christmas. As the year rushes full steam into 2024, these customs slow us down and remind us what's important: family, friends and the time we spend together.
Some of my favorite holiday traditions include:
Sending out Christmas cards. I remember my mother doing this when I was young, carefully hand-addressing each one. I also remember how exciting it was to get a card addressed to Mary and Ellis Fleming and Girls. The "and Girls" part entitled me to open the envelop.
As I prepare my own cards for the mailbox, I think about the people who will receive them. Each address represents a time in my life spent with someone special.
Decorating the tree. For a few years, I decided my tree needed to be designer-perfect, with perfectly matched ornaments in pewter and red, accented by white, and only white, lights. What a silly woman I was.
I still use those pewter ornaments, gifts from my mother and friends who indulged my Martha Stewart phase. But now, our tree includes treasures from my husband's childhood, photos of pets, homages to sports teams. I have ornaments made from oyster shells and trees that fell during hurricanes. There are hand-blown glass birds with jaunty tail feathers and an intricate golden map of Louisiana. A little lace angel sits at the very top. She's too small for the scale of everything else, but she's adorably perfect.
And the lights? Well, they're green and blue and red, a hodge-podge of twinkling color, just like our tree. And it's beautiful.
Carols. Is there any music more cheerful and poignant than Christmas carols. It's impossible to be grumpy when belting out a slightly off-key version of "Jingle Bell Rock" or "Frosty the Snowman." And a sincere a cappella version of "O, Holy Night" can move me to tears.
Fifteen or 20 years ago, I talked a few friends into gathering in Cocoa Village Riverfront Park to sing carols together. That little group of five or six has grown to 30 or 40 over the years. That it's become a tradition for so many is one of my proudest accomplishments.
Surfing Santas. Who knew the biggest beach party of the year would turn out to be on Christmas Eve? George Trosset orchestrated a family surf outing 14 years ago that now draws thousands of spectators and hundreds of surfers decked out in Santa, Grinch and elf costumes.
It illustrates the best of the holidays. Watching all those Santas hit the waves is only part of the fun. I always run into friends I haven't seen in months, and sending beachy snapshots to friends in icy climates is a major bonus.
If you can't make it in person, this year's Surfing Santas will be streamed life on floridatoday.com and surfingsantas.org. Look for me in the crowd with a microphone conducting the jolliest interviews of the year.
The movies. My television is tuned to sappy, romantic holiday movies starting sometime in October. My very understanding husband claims Saturdays for football, and turns the remote over to me on Sundays.
Yes, the plots are predictable. Yes, the production values can be lacking. But I still can't resist. Especially if a prince or princess is involved. The joy in a happily ever after ending is contagious.
And so is the joy of this time of year.
From my family to yours, merry, merry Christmas, and the a very happy New Year.
Suzy Fleming Leonard is a features journalist with more than three decades of experience. Reach her at sleonard@floridatoday.com. Find her on Facebook: @SuzyFlemingLeonard or on Instagram: @SuzyLeonard.
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This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Suzy Fleming Leonard shares her favorite Christmas traditions
