Questions to sake your family this holiday – With the holidays nearly here our “to do” lists are quickly taking shape. I can’t help thinking that amongst the presents to wrap and food to prepare, the opportunity for quality conversations with our loved ones passes us by.
In the spirit of making the most of this holiday season, here are 6 questions to ask your family this holiday.
Growing up, what was your favorite holiday tradition?
It’s surprising and often insightful to learn about past family traditions. For my grandmother, Marion, I discovered that her favorite holiday tradition as a child was getting a new dress to wear. Makes total sense, considering she was born in 1926 to a family with eight children who were raised during the depression. She explained, “I wore hand-me-downs so wearing a new dress added to the specialness of the holiday.”
What special foods did your family prepare?
Nothing can make the holidays feel quite as special as the menu! This idea was the inspiration for one of the questions to ask your family this holiday.
For my family, one food tradition stands out. We celebrate December 24th with the Italian tradition of the Feast of the Seven Fishes. And though the types of fish may change from year to year, we strive to have seven varieties at the table. As a nod to his grandfather, my husband always makes Baccala, a traditional Italian cod and pepper salad. This past Christmas, Joe was able to sit down with Grandma Louise to find out the story behind the Baccala. Turns out, it was her mother-in-laws recipe from Italy and she prepared it for her husband.
Tell me about a favorite gift that you’ve received?
A favorite gift is one that is remembered long after it’s been unwrapped. It tells a story about the gift giver and receiver. My own grandmother, Marion, received her favorite Christmas gift in 1992. It happened to be the same year that the last of her eleven grandchildren was born. Her two daughters and daughter-in-law wrangled all eleven of us grandchildren to a photography studio dressed in color-matching sweatshirts and the result was a family photo of all eleven of us which has adorned the wall of Gram’s family room ever since. This photo was the inspiration for one of the questions to ask your family this holiday.
Where did you gather for holiday celebrations?
Hosting a holiday is a right of passage in adulthood, yet I still marvel at how the older generation was able to pull it off with seemingly little effort. Holidays in my family were always hosted by the matriarchs with the daughters and daughter-in-laws as the support team. However, talking with my grandmother Marion I learned this wasn’t always the case. My great-grandmother Maria passed away when my grandmother was only 4 years old and her husband Frank owned an Italian bakery which supplied baked goods to many families for the holidays. Thus, for her family the holidays were spent working in the bakery and so growing up they often celebrated at the tables of their extended family.
What is a holiday memory that will always be special to you?
Special holiday memories appear in my mind as photographs from the past depicting smiling faces. I especially love a chance to talk to the older generation about their special memories as it always brings a chuckle to our conversation. My husband’s Grandma Louise talked about her special memories describing her memory of having all of her grandchildren over for Christmas Eve and each year a family friend would dress as Santa Claus and show up after dinner to bring presents for the grandchildren. She smiled and explained, “this special visit was the highlight of the night for both the adults and the kids!”
What family holiday traditions would you like to see passed down to the younger generation?
My great-grandfather started a bread baking business during the Depression. His wife had passed away after the birth of their youngest child, leaving him a widower needing to provide for his eight children. Since then, baking has had a prominent place in our family. To prepare for a holiday, my grandmother would bake pies with her daughter (my mother) and felt that was a tradition that she wanted to see passed down.
This tradition was the inspiration for one of the questions to ask your family this holiday. To carry the tradition of my great-grandfather forward, we continue to bake. Except it’s no longer bread or pies but instead my children and I have a tradition of baking cookies in preparation for the holidays.
