Shorelines asked for the family traditions that never fail to get you in the holiday spirit. Here’s a few your coworkers shared!
Kate Madderom, Senior Debit Card Operations Specialist
Kate’s treasured vintage elves, inherited from her mother and grandmother, date back to the 1940s and ’50s.
Long before Elf-On-A-Shelf, my family was visited by elves from Thanksgiving to the New Year. Four generations of my family have had the elves come to make sure we stay on the Nice list. Elves would appear all around the house right after Thanksgiving—hidden in windows, shelving, plants, closets, you name it. If we were on the Naughty list, we had a chance before Christmas to show how good we could be. The elves would report all their observations to Santa. They stayed until after the New Year to make sure we started the year on the right foot. Luckily, we always made it to the Nice list! My son really disliked them reporting to Santa when he was young, but now he has them come to visit his home, too.
Catherine Degner, Senior Loan Funding Representative
The ladies’ group of my church gathered at a member’s home recently to prepare for Christmas. This huge poinsettia was the centerpiece of the room, and we enjoyed some homemade cookies with coffee and hot chocolate.
Nine ladies then took turns reading bible scriptures with a Christmas hymn sung by all after each reading. As a surprise, the host’s daughter had lovingly prepared homemade, festive-smelling, seasonal goat’s milk soap for each attendee and decorated each gift bar with a festive magnet and verse. A lovely evening was shared by all!
Kari Tuyls, Senior Contact Center Specialist
For as long as I can remember, my mom has always bought ornaments for my siblings and me for Christmas. The ornament always references a memory from that year or is significant to each of us. I now have carried on the tradition with my son. We love decorating the tree with them every year. Our collection has grown quite a bit. We tend to forget about some, and it’s a new surprise every year!
Carrie Feiker, Senior Deposit Operations Specialist
Something special to me at the holidays is a tradition I started when each of my children was born. Every year, “St. Nick” brings them a new ornament in their stocking (typically, they are the same or similar or represent something from that year. For example, when we moved to a new house, they received little house ornaments. This year, it was a traditional glass pickle to hide in the tree). By the time they are grown and decorate their own trees, they will already have a collection of keepsake ornaments!