Many people are deeply curious about how other countries celebrate both familiar and unfamiliar holidays. Christmas and New Year's are the two main holidays discussed in my classes, especially in December and January!

My teaching Ethos is "communication over perfection," so I try not to guide the conversations in a heavy handed way. Instead, I value my students' natural curiosity by answering questions thoroughly and with real-world examples that explain the complexity of lived experience. 

For example, my family & my wife's family celebrate Christmas with different traditions. This can be surprising for many, as the USA and Canada are neighboring countries with similar cultures, languages, and often shared history. 

But this is because many cultures, family traditions, and habits have formed each family's unique way of partying! Personalities also shape the style of celebrations. 

In my family, we celebrate more similarly to my German grandmother's. Growing up, I spent most major holidays with my Oma and Opa, and so they feel integral to December. 

We open presents on the 24th after a big dinner with all of our favorite fixings. Usually this is ham, spaetzle (a kind of pasta that's boiled and then pan fried), green beans, German potato salad, and cranberry sauce. We then accompanied Oma and Opa to Midnight Mass, a Catholic Christian tradition in many European countries. 

What do we do on the 25th then? We sleep in & open our stockings! These are often filled with small chocolates, nuts, and tangerines. Sometimes I'd get new hair bands or ties since I always broke or lost a lot, since I've always had long hair. We have a late breakfast afterwards that featured stollen, a German Christmas bread stuffed with dried fruits, candied citrus peel, & nuts. (I made it from scratch this year... My first time ever!!)

My wife's family, though, has traditions of their own. On the 24th they have a big party together with as many extended family members as possible. Whoever is the leader of the party reads a blessing they've been sharing for over ~60 years. The youngest in the family then gets out A Visit from Saint Nicholas (Twas the night before Christmas when all through the house...). Every time the narrator says "and" the party choruses the word and shuffles around silly presents until the story is complete. 

Dinner is a much less formal affair: everyone has plates and trays instead of sitting around a big table. And then the guests all change into pajamas for a night cap & chatting. In the morning, presents are distributed & opened at once, as opposed to one by one in my (markedly smaller) family. 

But it's the upkeep of these traditions( especially the foods we eat and the games we play) that makes the holiday important. 

And so in lessons we discuss these differences & similarities. We compare where the holiday came from, what the focus is, and why it's celebrated different internationally. 

Even comparing Christmas and New Year's in importance is notable! 

So if you'd like to chat about holidays where you're from, please let me know! I can't get enough of sharing & learning about other countries & cultures!!