Family Christmas Traditions

Family Christmas Traditions

 Christmas shouldn't just be about food, television and new toys. Here are some ideas from iVillage members on how to make your family Christmas magical

Traditionally Christmas is a time of giving, sharing and celebrating with your family. However Christmas traditions can be marred¹ by seasonal² stress and the pressure to shop, shop, shop! Keep your family focused on the true spirit of the season by celebrating your special family Christmas traditions.

Homemade ornaments⁴

'My mother has kept all Christmas decorations and cards my siblings⁵ and I created as children. Seeing our loo-roll Santas and pipe-cleaner fairy decorations on the tree each year always makes us laugh and in a funny way reminds us of how much our mother loves us!'

iVillage member Tara

An ornament³ a year

'Starting when we were little, my mother gave us a Christmas tree ornament every year with our names on them somewhere so we knew which one belonged to which child. I have carried this over with my own boys. The good thing about this is when the time came for us to have our own trees in our own homes we had tangible⁶ memories and a set of ornaments to hang on our tree.' 

iVillage member courtx

A holiday paper trail

'My children and I love making our own Christmas decorations. We started with homemade paper chains. We recycle Christmassy adverts⁷ for paper links because of the bright colours and Christmas pictures.'

iVillage member hermansens

A festive⁸ Christmas Eve

'My favourite Christmas tradition, handed down since I was a child, is to go out and look at Christmas lights on Christmas Eve. When we come back home, 'Santa' has been there and all the Christmas presents are under the tree for us to open. We also open our presents on Christmas Eve.' 

iVillage member babs 

1 marred   

adj. 被损毁, 污损的

参考例句：

• The game was marred by the behaviour of drunken fans. 喝醉了的球迷行为不轨，把比赛给搅了。
• Bad diction marred the effectiveness of his speech. 措词不当影响了他演说的效果。

2 seasonal   

adj.季节的，季节性的

参考例句：

• The town relies on the seasonal tourist industry for jobs.这个城镇依靠季节性旅游业提供就业机会。
• The hors d'oeuvre is seasonal vegetables.餐前小吃是应时蔬菜。

3 ornament   

v.装饰，美化；n.装饰，装饰物

参考例句：

• The flowers were put on the table for ornament.花放在桌子上做装饰用。
• She wears a crystal ornament on her chest.她的前胸戴了一个水晶饰品。

4 ornaments   

n.装饰( ornament的名词复数 )；点缀；装饰品；首饰v.装饰，点缀，美化( ornament的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The shelves were chock-a-block with ornaments. 架子上堆满了装饰品。
• Playing the piano sets up resonance in those glass ornaments. 一弹钢琴那些玻璃饰物就会产生共振。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 siblings   

n.兄弟，姐妹( sibling的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• A triplet sleeps amongst its two siblings. 一个三胞胎睡在其两个同胞之间。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She has no way of tracking the donor or her half-siblings down. 她没办法找到那个捐精者或她的兄弟姐妹。 来自时文部分

6 tangible   

adj.有形的，可触摸的，确凿的，实际的

参考例句：

• The policy has not yet brought any tangible benefits.这项政策还没有带来任何实质性的好处。
• There is no tangible proof.没有确凿的证据。

7 adverts   

advertisements 广告，做广告

参考例句：

• the adverts on television 电视广告
• The adverts are not very informative. 这些广告并没有包含太多有用信息。

8 festive   

adj.欢宴的，节日的

参考例句：

• It was Christmas and everyone was in festive mood.当时是圣诞节，每个人都沉浸在节日的欢乐中。
• We all wore festive costumes to the ball.我们都穿着节日的盛装前去参加舞会。