I know I will get a lot of flack for this post, so let me put up my shield and protective armour before you read this. Ok, sorted, let’s proceed! Everyone has a different view of what Christmas is or means to them which in turn influences the Christmas traditions they adopt. Being part of a Christian family, there are a few things that we do slightly differently to the movies you see on Hallmark or Netflix. So as a little disclaimer, I don’t condone anyone who follows these traditions and would actually just play along if needed. That is basically what I’ve done for the past decade or so anyway! The only difference is that I see these as harmless bits of fun that don’t really make much sense.
Without further ado (puts on the Grinch suit), here are the Christmas traditions that I do not follow:

1. Santa who?
This one makes me giggle because I have quite a few pictures of my dad in a Santa suit, giving us gifts. The thing is, I don’t believe in Santa because I wasn’t raised to believe in him. So naturally, I will not teach my daughter to write letters to an imaginary man with a big belly who might bring gifts in the middle of the night. Oh and to tell her she has to leave cookies for this stranger? I thought we were supposed to teach our kids not to let strangers into the house… Oh wait, but it’s ok if he’s wearing red and shouts “Ho! Ho! Ho!” right? I get that it’s cute and all, but Santa will not be a part of my Christmas traditions because that’s not what Christmas is about.
2. Mistle-Toe in… South Africa?
Just to be absolutely annoying, I decided to do some research on this kissing tree/ branch. I needed to know where this myth came from and which parts of the world said tree grows in because… well, just because. If anyone wasn’t sure, I’m based in South Africa. Surprise! So the white Christmas, pumpkin spice November and all that jazz doesn’t quite happen that way down here. But we’ll get to that in a sec – back to the tree. So this mistletoe thing is a parasite that people (strangers even) kiss under? Can someone please explain why anyone would do that?
I wasn’t too surprised to see that the mistletoe grows in South Africa. Maybe it bought a plane ticket and flew over or something, who knows? But what I was curious about was the story behind it. A romantic parasite?
Digging a little further to see how it became part of the Christmas traditions…
So my curiosity got the better of me so I decided to research said parasite. Here’s what I found. The mistletoe is a parasitic plant that grows on other trees including apples, almond and cherry pine (amongst others). Farmers actually remove these plants because they are a nuisance. Also, in ancient times, the Greeks decided to add the mistletoe to their mythology, linking it to their gods. Apparently, whatever grew on the oaks was a gift from heaven, so the trees were often worshipped.
Skipping over a few details, the mistletoe story turned into a symbol of the goddess of love thanks to the English. And this parasite magically became one of the symbols linked to Christmas. So now, if you’re a gal and you linger under a parasite, another parasite is allowed to come and kiss you. Brilliant, isn’t it?
3. Elf on the shelf
An enchanted Christmas with little elves – how precious! I think that is quite adorable and magical for the kids. The only issue I have with this (and the other traditions) falls back on my faith. Decorating is one thing but to me, adding meaning to each item of decor pulls away from the ‘Christ’ part of Christmas. I would make a full on winter wonderland or whatever themed Christmas once my kiddo is old enough to know why that’s even a holiday. But for now, she can’t just link the Easter bunny to Easter and Santa, Rudolf and some elves to Christmas.
So what Christmas traditions will I follow?
How kind of you to let me force the question into your mouth!
Since you asked, I will be giving gifts, spending time with family, loving strangers and spreading the Word. I will definitely have a tree because it is very fun to decorate and really pretty to look at!
Regardless of how you choose to spend your Christmas, this is such a beautiful occasion that merits all of the celebrations. I am grateful that you have made it to this time of the year in good health and hope you have a splendid time with your loved ones!
Definitely gifts!
Oh yes and gifts too 😅
i’m all for people celebrating holidays in any way they please, here, in the northern u.s., in michigan, it is almost always cold and snowy, do the holiday fits well with that. i love the fun and magic of all holidays and celebrate that way as well. a very wonderful christmas, to you and your loved ones.
Thanks Beth! I agree, everyone should do it as they see fit~ it’s pretty to see the bright lights and decorations everywhere 😊 I just won’t tell my little kiddo that Santa is real 😂
that’s okay, always do what feels right and that’s the way to go –
I’m big on the lights and decorations, but that’s my favourite thing about the holidays. Otherwise, the only tradition I have is having my parents over for dinner. It isn’t much but I always look forward to it.
Christmas in my home is pretty traditional. Although I was brought up believing in Santa, I agree that when I have kids I don’t know if I will tell my kids about Santa or not. As a child I loved Christmas because of the magic and as soon as I realised he wasn’t real, Christmas wasn’t as fun. So I get why people do it. But I think it takes away the importance and the real reason for the season.
Thanks for sharing! It’s interesting to hear that you were raised to believe in Santa but don’t want him a part of your future Christmas! I do get why though 😉
Hahaha I enjoyed reading this. Because we too don’t follow certain traditions on your list, but we also love decorating, and giving gifts and spending time with the family. I think those traditions are the only things that keep me from enjoying Christmas every year. 🙂 Thank you for sharing this, Shelly!
The whole Santa thing seems so exhausting to keep up with 😂 I don’t have children yet, but I do plan on doing the whole Santa thing with them as I was brought up with the idea of Santa and it was always very magical. I can already see myself slipping up a few times 😂 Like how do you explain gifts under the tree prior to Christmas!? And the fact that every single Santa impersonator looks different. Maybe I’m just overthinking it 😅
Great post, it’s always nice to read about how other families celebrate Christmas. Really interesting to read about how mistletoe became a tradition too!
Merry Christmas ❤️
OMG you’re so right! I hadn’t even thought about how the kids are expected to believe in Santa if the gifts are already there haha! Thanks for adding a bit of humour to my day 🙂
Merry Christmas! 😘
Ha ha. I am 100% with you about Elf on a Shelf. I just don’t get it. As for Santa, let’s agree to disagree on that one. I’m ambivalent about mistletoe so I think we’re even.
Seriously though, no one has the right to diss anyone’s traditions. Like everything in life, we’re all free to pick and choose things that work for us.
One Christmas tradition I will miss this year is Christmas Mass. I sang in our church choir for years and I absolutedly loved Christmas…mainly because of the music. I will have to settle for watching Christmas Mass on TV this year and hope we can return to church, and singing, in 2021.
LOL..and I really do know how to spell absolutely. It’s early here.
Lol that’s fine, we can agree to disagree on the Santa one 😂 My dad used to dress up as Santa which was the funniest thing, but we always knew it was him!
Shame watch it on tv this year for safety reasons. Things will be back to normal soon!
Thanks for reading 💖
I love the way you write 😂 To be honest, I never quite considered them as ‘traditions’, they were more like beliefs and just basically elements that strengthened Christmas. I do believe in Santa even though I’m old enough to know he doesn’t exist 😂 but he’s a symbol of kindness and joy and not exactly a stranger.
Lovely post! I enjoyed reading your take!
Haha thanks hun! You know, when you put Santa in that light, he doesn’t sound that bad 😀 But I just can’t understand a chubby old guy who flies at night and sneaks into people’s homes 😀 Don’t let me ruin it for you. Have your holiday fun!
Of course!😂
You too! Merry (early) Christmas!!✨
Got a giggle out of the ‘Santa who?’ Portion. Jamaicans don’t teach our children about Santa. Aht! Aht! You will know mommy and daddy works hard and buys you these things with our money because we love you. No way we giving that credit to some mystical man up a chimney. 😂🤣
You are epic! Gosh I wish I could have coffee with you in real life because you always have me in tears!
😂🤣 Maybe one day there will be an epic blog convention and we will. Who knows, right? Lol
Growing up, I didn’t believe in Santa too, or leaving my tooth or whatever under pillows or trees. But, it was fun seeing this men in red outfits with artificial beards that didn’t always fit. 🤣
I guess that’s what made it fun, no kissing tho that’s weird. I must confess, I cried the first time I sat on a Santa’s lap. 😅
Hahaha so cute! Did you cry because he was a random or because you were so happy?
It wasn’t about him to be honest. Santa was just scary to me at the time. 😅
I always found elf on the shelf annoying. The idea that 1. It has to be moved every night would stress me out. Like I would need one more thing to do every day.🙄 2. Using this elf as a method to try to get your kid to be good or behave in exchange for Santa bringing gifts is absurd. 3. It’s become too much about parents competing over creating “elf displays” on social media. Ok rant over 😅
LOL is that how it works? I just assumed it was decorative, I didn’t realise it was supposed to be a “elf is watching so be good” kind of thing! Now it sounds even sillier to me! lol
I figured out Santa ain’t real at a young age, 😆😆😆.
Some people celebrate it, but not for the genuine reasons
Hahah how did you find out?
I didn’t have a normal fireplace in the living room
In my head, I like to still believe Santa is real even tho he obviously isn’t! I’ve never really understood the whole elf on a shelf thing – I think it became trendy when I was a bit out of it x
I hope I didn’t ruin the Santa thing for you 😅
Merry Christmas and yes I had a good laugh on how you debunked the myths. Actually, movies Netflix etc just add on so much hocus pocus which is never actually followed