Family Heritage Christmas Traditions

Since we have been away from our family for a few years at Christmas time, I am always looking for traditions that I can do with my kids and that keep them connected to our family back home.  I love to research our ancestral lines and created a book listing holiday traditions of our maternal and paternal ancestors.  This year we highlighted my maternal lines so that took us to The Netherlands and Wales.

The Netherlands

On November 16th, three Saturdays before December 5th, we put our shoes on the fireplace for Sinterklass to fill with treats.  Each Saturday leading up the 5th, we repeated this fun.

December 5th is Christmas Eve in the Netherlands.  Families get together for a special dinner and hot chocolate.  After dinner, they find chocolate letters under the tree left by Sinterclass as well as anonymous gifts to each other.  We were lucky to have my mom in Enid for the December 5th festivities.

Wales

We did our best with the Welch traditions.  The families in Wales will stay up all night making taffy and wassail while awaiting a 3-6am sing along at the church Christmas morning.  We made the treats but did them during waking hours. Our wassail was tasty but our taffy was green mint goo.  I guess my Welch heritage does not mean I am an expert candy maker.

Merry Christmas from our ancestral heritage!

I am going to be a chauffeur for a long time

Every time we move, I stress about finding good opportunities for my kids.  Bear knows what she loves to do so I work hard to give her lessons that will increase her talents.  I feel so blessed that Enid, OK has given my kids the chance to grow, even in these four months since we arrived.

Bear is taking private cello lessons and is in orchestra at her middle school.  There is an excellent ballet studio in town, Dance Works of Enid.  They just completed an amazing performance of The Nutcracker with guest performers from Ballet West.

Bear was in the Chinese Tea duet and here she is pictured with the guest Ballet West performers

Middle School cello concert

Bub and Pants are not as set on what they want to do- they are bit more flexible and enjoy taking advantage of the opportunities that the community presents.  They joined Enid's Children Choir together and perform twice a year.  Pants is enjoying piano lessons and gymnastics and she LOVES her horseback riding lessons.  Bub is taking guitar lessons, basketball at the elementary, Safety Patrol for the elementary, and is in a Hip Hop class.  His favorite thing is to run with Josh.  When he enters seventh grade in a few years, he will be able to join a cross country or track team. 

Enid Children's Choir

What does all this mean for me?  I am going to be a chauffeur for three kiddos for many years to come!

Get Your Kicks on Route 66- Frontier Country, OK

We enjoyed our first Thanksgiving in Enid, OK.  We woke up to rain which dampened our annual Turner Turkey Trot.  Pants, Josh, and I braved the weather and enjoyed the trail by the fields behind our neighborhood.  We liked watching all the geese hanging out there.  

After we had our Thanksgiving lunch.  It was tasty and filled with our favorite recipes since I got to pick the menu.

Then we hit the road to chase adventure on Route 66, Frontier Country stretch of OK.  We visited the Cherokee Trading Post in Calumet, OK.  It was full of American Indian art, décor, and clothing.  Some of the pottery was amazing.  There was a lot to peruse.  

Next, we went to El Reno to see the massive Route 66 trademark.  El Reno really played up the Route 66 status with lots of cool murals and signage.  

Then we traveled to Oklahoma City where we saw the famous Gold Dome Building and the Milk Bottle Grocery, both on the historical registry.  We spent the night outside of OKC in an Air B and B. 

We hit to road the next morning to POPS in Arcadia, OK.  It is a gas station, restaurant, and convenience store.  There is a huge soda bottle in neon in front of the store and inside rows and rows of soda bottles categorized by color.  We each picked some unique sodas: Golden Ginger Beer, Rocky Mountain Root Beer, Chocolate Soda, Cotton Candy, Cream Soda, and Blue Cream Soda.  The kids also liked picking out of the penny candy bins.  

Our next spot was house decorated with miniatures of oddities found on Route 66.  

We stopped at the Seaba Station Motorcycle Museum which has been around since 1921.  It is filled with over 65 vintage motorcycles including a hydra motorcycle ridden in Captain America. 

Our last stop was in Stroud, OK where we saw an Alien Landing Yard oddity off the side of the road and went to eat at the Rock Café.  The owner of Rock Café inspired the character of Sally in Cars.  We had a great meal and friendly service.   What a fun adventure!  On our list next is the Green Country and Great Plains Country sections of the Mother Road.