Lost in Translation: Holidays
The warmth of holiday celebrations across the globe
As the holiday season approaches, families gather and cherished traditions find refuge in our homes. Here are four stories to warm you up for this year’s holiday season.
April Roy: Elf on the Shelf
My family and I are always late with Christmas preparations—getting gifts and decorations up is something we keep to the very last minute—and it can often make the holiday season feel incredibly short. As a Christmas-lover, who can’t get others as excited about the holiday as I am, the Elf on the Shelf has always been a tradition of mine to enjoy. It’s been over ten years since I got my first Elf on the Shelf Cocoa, and almost a decade since I got the Scout Elf Bingo.
Even though it is a tradition that is likely shared by many families across the world, it is particularly close to my heart because it has allowed me to indulge in many of my passions, like writing and photography.
Over the years, I’ve always kept track of the different places my elves have travelled around our home and have taken pictures of their perches every day. I’ve also created a collage of some of my favourite moments of the elves and it has become part of my family’s various house decorations. The tradition has allowed me to sharpen my skills in a low-stake environment that has been both a reward and comfort for me.
Although I have always felt a bit sad when my elves are gone on Christmas morning, over the years I’ve come to see the importance of them only being present during the preparation of Christmas. As the unofficial designated cheer-spreader of my family, this tradition has helped me build up my excitement and joy for the holiday season. My social battery, which is often dull around those I do not see often—like my uncle, who usually visits for Christmas—is always brightened by the holiday spirit.
Olivia Maddaloni: Christmas isn’t a cliché!
Christmas isn’t just about overdone Hallmark movie plotlines and their predictable romances with decked-out holiday backdrops. Nor is it about hearing Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas is You” on every radio station, a month too early, or debating if Die Hard is a Christmas film.
Although you’ve probably heard and seen this year after year, Christmas isn’t a cliché. It’s a holiday celebrated in countless households, in countless cultures, and thus, cherished in countless ways.
The holidays are what we students look forward to after exams. No one argues against a two-week vacation period. For me, this means watching National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, or queuing up Wham’s “Last Christmas” as my family decorates an evergreen tree and hangs up stockings and poinsettias.
In my Italian household, Christmas means gifting Panettone and Baci chocolates, having a fish feast on Christmas Eve with chestnuts, red wine (vino), and biscotti; setting up the Nativity scene; going to mass; and having a bigger meal on Christmas Day.
It’s my favourite holiday because I get to have movie nights with close friends, and visit family members I don’t see often, like my older cousins, which is never dull.
Christmas is often overshadowed by the consumerist appeal: Hallmark movies, the pressure to get perfect gifts, wrapping presents…you get it. Yet, some aspects of the consumerism-culture embody the aesthetic of the holiday: hot chocolate in hand, glittering snow falling outside, a crackling fireplace, all while you cozy up to Home Alone or It’s A Wonderful Life.
There’s a tranquil, warm spirit to the season. Being in others’ company and spending time with loved ones reflects the true meaning of the holiday.
So yes, catchy tunes and Santa Claus movies may seem relentless, but they invoke joy, love, festivity, and kindness—that can’t be exhausted. It’s really about, as Paul McCartney sang, simply having a wonderful Christmas time.
Camille Dornellas: the warmth of Christmas
On November 11th Toronto saw its first snow fall. The air grew chilly, and as the little snow flakes kept falling, Mariah Carrey knocked on our doors to greet our radios. The bitter cold of the morning snowfall screams Christmas, doesn’t it?
Well, not for me.
To me, holidays have always been followed by 30°C heat, bright sunny days, and family barbeques. In Brazil, we don’t have a white Christmas, Jack Frost doesn’t nip on our noses, and lighting up a fire will result in a heatstroke. Some say the high temperatures melt the Christmas spirit, accompanied by the snow, but I will have to disagree.
In my family, we all gather in my great aunt’s place on the evening of Christmas Eve. While we clearly have become too crowded for the apartment, old habits die hard. So, we cram presents in the living room, a huge mountain forming under the table that supports the small, but charming, plastic pine tree.
At midnight, the all-too loud conversations—that might be drowned by the cups of beer and wine—go quiet. Cousins, who have taken refuge from our aunts in the bedrooms, are summoned by their mothers, and everyone tries to fit into the small living room. We turn the volume of a rock playlist down—because no one would dare to commit the crime of pausing an Elvis Presley song.
My uncle, by means of tradition, puts on a Santa Claus beanie and distributes the Christmas gifts. After everyone gets their presents, we kiss goodbye, and go home to get a few hours of sleep, in preparation for my great uncle’s barbeque the next day.
My typical Christmas might not be white and frosty, nor does it host the warmth of a fireplace. But, it’s filled with laughter and loud conversations. It’s warmed by all my aunts’ affections and my uncles’ jokes over a can of beer.
My Christmas is magical because of the people who I spend it with; that’s why it is my favorite time of year.
Rebecca Christopher: eventful Easter holidays
I would have to say that my favourite holiday custom came about on Easter. During Easter, Christians celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ and the day is typically filled with sunrise church services and great family feasts.
One of my two favourite things about Easter is that the entirety of my family would be home, in India, to celebrate. Easter, celebrated in April, falls during the end of the school year, after the stress of exams and at the start of the summer holidays. So, we gather in a state of relaxation.
Secondly, Easter always brings forth something new. The usual early morning service is sometimes followed by a play or musical on the life of Jesus, broadcasted or hosted by my neighbourhood.
My most memorable Easter tradition was going to a sunrise service that happened at the top of a rocky hill, singing carols and listening to the sermon as the sun rose. It was such a serene atmosphere that felt homely and dreamlike. Once the service was over and the sun was fully up, I scampered uphill with my sisters and a few friends and the hike felt like a fresh start to the summer after the finals.
Since moving from India, Easter definitely hasn’t been as eventful, with most of my family still back home. But, they always share with us the holiday spirit: sharing a wish, a song, a sermon—anything to remind us to rejoice for this day. Something special is always happening during Easter.
