‘Tis the Season in Sarasota, FL for Family Traditions

From family gatherings at Christmastime, to kissing under the mistletoe, the holidays are filled with many holiday traditions that have been handed down from one generation to the next. The Christmas tree, for example, is German in origin. Prior to the 17th century, the Christbaum was decorated with tinsel, cookies, fruit, and colored paper in the shape of roses. Later generations lit the tree with candles, which eventually evolved into elaborate strings of electric lights.

Many family holiday traditions in Sarasota, FL are associated with special foods, including eggnog, figgy pudding, German Stollen bread, gingerbread houses and the often-maligned fruitcake. In an annual survey commissioned by My Merry Christmas.com, 77 percent of respondents identified food as the most necessary and affordable part of their holiday celebration.

Another popular family tradition involves decorating the home with boughs of holly, poinsettias, a crèche, and colorful arrangements of ornaments and figurines. In the My Merry Christmas.com survey, 87 percent of those responding indicated that Christmas decorations make them feel better and improves their holiday experience. The survey also identified several traditional activities that show growth over last year, including sending holiday cards (up 6 percent), baking (up 12 percent), listening to seasonal music (up 14 percent), and spending time with extended family (up 13 percent).

If you are looking to start a new tradition that you can share with your loved ones in Sarasota, FL this holiday season, you might want to consider one of these ideas: hosting a cookie exchange, attending community lighting ceremonies, touring neighborhoods to view residential lighting displays, playing seasonal music, attending a holiday concert, planning a Christmas movie marathon, or arranging a family “Chinese Christmas Gift Exchange.”

What are your favorite holiday traditions?

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