December 17, 2023 • 37 mins
Ever felt overwhelmed trying to create perfect holiday traditions for your family? You are not alone. This episode is a cozy chat about how traditions aren't set in stone but evolve over time based on our personal journey. As we share heartwarming tales from our listeners about their festive rituals, we discover the real magic lies not in elaborate arrangements, but in small gestures that spark joy and create lasting memories.
Christmas morning routines, building gingerbread houses, admiring Christmas lights, family game night on New Year's Eve, and even the quirky tradition of the Christmas pickle ornament, we've got them all covered in our friendly discussion. For those eager to learn about the origins and stories of traditions, there's a special treat - a deep dive into the legends surrounding the Christmas pickle! Trust me, the conversation gets interesting as we talk about the excitement and sometimes the frustrations of starting new traditions and how they change as our families expand.
The holiday season is not just about traditions, it's also about community, support, and finding joy in the little things. As we countdown to Christmas, I want to show my gratitude to you the wonderful listeners. We also talk about an upcoming episode dealing with loneliness during this festive season. Remember, the magic of Christmas is within each one of us, and together, we can create a supportive community. So grab your hot cocoa, snuggle into your coziest pyjamas, and join me for this heartwarming chat!
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- Grace
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:07):
Hello cuties, I'm getting cozy.
Last episode I was sitting souncomfortably Well, because Albi
had joined me and then she leftand then I was just like
sitting on the edge of my chairand I was like so uncomfortable,
and so I remembered that.
And this episode I'm sittingcomfy, we're crossing our legs,
(00:28):
we're getting cozy.
Also, if you're on YouTubewearing my fun festive headband,
I bought this headband for anall-black party that I had to go
to and had to.
I was happy to go to it, but Ihad to wear all black and I
don't have a lot of like fullblack outfits.
I actually have one full blacklike sweat.
(00:48):
It's not even a sweatsuit, butit is like a matching set, but
it's like loungey, casual and itwas a party to go to, and so it
was like evening and I was likeit was a house party, but I was
like I don't want to wear thatloungey suit.
If I have to, I will, but alsoit's in the laundry, so I'll
have to do the wash.
Blah, blah, blah.
I actually ended up buyingthese like silky pajamas and
(01:10):
I've worn them now twice outwith this headband as like a
festive outfit.
It's kind of like my favoritething in the world.
It's just like a pair of silkyblack pajamas that have like
frilly sleeve and frilly pant,leg like ends just like the last
few inches of it, and I love it.
It's so comfy and I feel likeyou wouldn't know they were
(01:30):
pajamas.
So I'm telling you my secretthey're cute, but it's like my.
It's become my holiday uniform,basically, and it's just so fun
.
But anyways, I'm wearing theheadband today.
I was like let's get extrafestive in our festive
podcasting uniform and wheneverI wear this headband, ro always
looks at me and she says, oh,we're being princesses today
(01:51):
because it's kind of likecrown-esque.
She's so cute.
I love her.
But welcome back to Five YearsTime Podcast with your host,
grace.
Happy Sunday.
This feels so nostalgic to whenI used to do Sunday resets.
Who was here for the Sundayresets?
We used to do our little tidbitof a podcast to get you through
your week.
Oh, my gosh, it's all comingback to me, the little saying I
(02:13):
would say at the beginning, butso fun.
Anyways, today is day five, isit day five?
Yes, five, six, five.
We're thrown off anyways.
Um of 12 days.
I'm pretty sure it's five.
Yeah, day five of 12 days ofChristmas and I am so excited
(02:33):
that you're here.
I hope you're having so muchfun.
I'm having so much fun and todaywe are talking all about
holiday traditions, which Iactually threw up a question box
on my Instagram at Five YearsTime Podcast and asked you all
to share your holiday traditions.
I just screenshot at them alland I like read one or two
quickly while I wasscreenshotting them and I'm so
(02:54):
excited like to read thembecause the one or two I read I
was like, oh my gosh, those allseem like so much fun and I'm so
excited to get into it, becauseI did speak a little bit at the
beginning of 12 Days of Podmas,um, on episode one or two,
about how stressed I used tofeel, um, at the beginning of my
motherhood journey journey,when it was Rose first Christmas
(03:14):
, and I even like in my thebeginning of my wifeing journey,
like starting my own familyjourney, like I just feel like I
didn't know what traditions Iwanted to bring with me.
Like, yeah, there's, becausethere's still traditions that we
participate with Trevor'sfamily and with our family, or,
like my family, my mom andbrother, so those are still true
(03:38):
to those family aspects.
But like, what traditions didme and Trevor want to have and
like especially them.
When we had row, what were thetraditions we wanted to
implement?
And I felt overwhelmed and thenall of a sudden, I realized,
like you know what traditionsare?
Something that kind of justevolve over time.
Yes, of course, you can decidelike, yes, I want to do this
tradition and put the effort inevery year, but for me, what I
(03:59):
found is that it's like all of asudden, especially now that
Rose getting older, it's like,oh yeah, like this is something
that we've done, uh, the pastcouple years or we've done more
years than not and slowly, like,traditions are starting to
evolve, and I mean they will beforever changing, I'm sure, but
I'm not putting pressure on me,but asking for all of your
(04:21):
traditions have really helpedspark some imagination and
creativity in me, and also justideas and things that I might
want to use as well and alsojust maybe remind me of things
that we used to do.
So, and that was literally fromme reading two things that you
guys said, but I'm so excited toread all of them.
So today we're talking allabout holiday tradition and I am
(04:43):
here to tell you that itdoesn't need to be extravagant.
The small things, the littlethings and the feelings that
they emote.
Is emote like a word?
That means to like.
Let's look at emote meaningmeaning like, exude, exist,
(05:03):
create, okay, emote may refer toearly modern english
abbreviated emote emote.
Uh, what?
Okay, no, maybe emote isn't aword.
Emote, emote.
Emote to give expression toemotion, especially in acting.
Okay, emote with a T.
(05:25):
Anyways, to create we're on oureducation kick, yeah, but
something that it's all aboutjust the feelings that they
create in our life and somethingthat you get to share with
other people.
So I'm so excited, let's likehop right in, because I just
want to read these so bad I gotto pull up my screenshots.
I think I'm going to try andstart from like the first to the
(05:49):
last in that order.
But okay, here we go.
And also, I'd love to know ifany of these are things that you
do as well and okay.
So Chinese food Christmas Evewith my hubby's side oh, I love
that.
That's literally identical.
That's something that Trevor'sfamily does is they always do
Chinese on Christmas Eve and wedon't always go to their house
(06:13):
for Christmas Eve.
Now that we are, I feel likewhen I was younger I younger, I
feel like when me and Trevorwere dating, I used to spend
Christmas Eve with his family,but now that we're married, the
way that we have it working iswe do Christmas Eve with my mom
and brother, because my brotherwill come and stay at my mom's
or our house, depending so we'lldo Christmas Eve together and
(06:34):
then we can go to church andhave Christmas Eve when we do
our derbs, which we've alwaysdone.
Actually, I remember now oh mygosh, I'm reopening a memory I
actually used to do ChristmasEve with everyone.
I would do Christmas Eve withTrevor's family, like I would.
I think I would go to churchwith his family and then they
would have their Chinese foodand then I would rush home to my
(06:55):
family and I would do movies.
We always watch White Christmasand we have hors d'oeuvres.
Yes, but that is what Trevor'sfamily does is they do Chinese
food on Christmas Eve and, yeah,I love that.
Now we do hors d'oeuvres withmy mom and brother.
Okay, oh my gosh, cuties.
(07:16):
This next one we watch Wallaceand Gromit on Christmas morning
every year.
Oh, that is just so much warmthin my heart.
Wallace and Gromit was such ahuge part of my childhood and I
feel like I'm so happy it'sgetting.
It's like heyday over here withlike all of the reboot and
(07:37):
sheep what are the sheeps called?
John the sheep and stuff likethat.
But Wallace and Gromit was sucha big part of my childhood.
I love that.
Oh my gosh, when they eat theJacobs crackers with the moon
cheese, I need to watch Wallaceand Gromit.
I actually haven't watched liketraditional Wallace and Gromit
with Ro, and my favorite toysthat we got I think we actually
(07:57):
got them for Christmas growingup that my dad had brought back
from Ireland was these littleWallace and Gromit houses that
came in like a suitcase almost,so it was like this little
briefcase that you unfolded andit was like a little Wallace and
Gromit doll house essentially,and me and my brother both had
one and we were obsessed, so fun.
(08:18):
I love that.
Opening one gift on ChristmasEve I feel like that's a classic
for people too.
We don't do that, but we do.
Now that we're married.
We do do my mom and brother'sgifts on Christmas Eve.
So now we do, I guess, but weopen more than one because
there's more than one of us.
(08:39):
So we do our gifts on ChristmasEve.
I guess I should say what ourChristmas makeup is.
So how we have it working rightnow, which works really well for
us, is that Christmas Eve is weusually go to the earlier
church service because of Ro andthen Christmas Eve day is
(09:02):
pretty chill.
My mom is now retired so shedoesn't work, but pretty much we
used to.
Always we all worked onChristmas Eve.
I don't think this yearTrevor's going to be working on
Christmas Eve, my mom is not andI'm not, so we're going to have
Christmas Eve off, which isgoing to be so fun.
But usually we used to all workon Christmas Eve, so it was
just evening we would.
Since me and Trevor got married,we do gifts, so we'll do my mom
(09:25):
, my brother, trevor, me and Rowill do all of our gifts that
are like them, not likeChristmas morning Rosie, me,
trevor gifts giving just thepeople that are there.
That makes sense.
And then we make our derv.
So like any boxed goodies andyesterday's rest of the that I
shared, which was our bangersand mash, we usually make that
bangers and mash in a blanket.
We usually make that onChristmas Eve and we watch white
(09:48):
Christmas and my brotherusually likes to put on white
Christmas the Muppets and he'llgo into movies and movies into
the night.
I eventually go to sleep, likeI go to sleep pretty early.
I usually try and just watchwhite Christmas.
Sometimes I fall asleep duringthat.
The past couple years I fall inasleep while putting wrote a
bed and woken up at like threein the morning and like, oh I
(10:09):
gotta go Santa the gift out.
Thankfully I woke up beforeRosie did.
Yeah, so anyways, that's likeour Christmas Eve and then our
Christmas is.
Usually we wake up, we have ourChristmas morning and Trevor
always makes his eggs Benedict.
That's something he's carriedover, I believe, from his family
is that was their morningdeliciousness.
Where my growing up we alwaysjust did really simple breakfast
(10:34):
that my mom would put like aplatter together and we would
have like croissants and coffeeand tea and some yogurt, just
stuff like that.
But yeah, so we now do eggsBenedict and I feel like I still
usually put a snack and plattertogether just because it's part
of me, and then we go, we doour Christmas morning gifts,
(10:56):
everything like that, and thenwe go to my side of the family's
Christmas.
So, like my aunts and mycousins, we do like a brunch at
whoever the aunts and unclesrotate between hosting it and
that usually leads us closer toTrevor's parents because they
all live in that direction, andso then we go to the brunch and
then after the brunch, we driveto Trevor's parents and we have
(11:16):
Christmas dinner and gifts withthem and we spend the evening
there.
Sometimes we sleep over,sometimes we don't, because the
next day is boxing day and, yeah, that's like our Christmas
makeup.
It works out really well for usright now and for, like, all of
our families and Trevor'sfamilies, because we're the only
married people, so we're theonly family right now that
really needs to like accommodatetwo sides.
(11:38):
But I I'm excited to see how itevolves and changes as everyone
has serious relationships orgets married or whatever.
Okay, back to other people'straditions.
We always build a gingerbreadhouse and drive around looking
at Christmas lights with aStarbucks.
Oh, that's so cute.
I love, I love that.
(11:59):
I love driving around to lookat Christmas lights.
There's one neighborhood me andTrevor used to always go and
look at the Christmas lights andI was actually just talking to
him about it, so maybe we'll doit this year, but that's so fun.
Family game night on New Year'sEve love a game night.
If you listen to my hosting 101.
You know how much I love anactivity.
We all put two dollars into apot and play a bunch of games.
(12:20):
Whoever wins the most gameswins oh, I love that.
A little gambling no, I lovethat.
That's so fun.
Ooh, I feel like I want to upthe ante.
Trevor's friends are soobsessed with like going to
casinos.
Right now they're in such acasino kick.
They went to Vegas last winterand now they like love
participating in a littlegambling activities, so that
(12:43):
sounds like so much fun.
I feel like we should do thatthis year.
That would be a fun time.
As a kid, my mom created aChristmas Eve treasure hunt of
sorts every year.
That is so cute.
I love that.
We do that for Easter Always.
A little I feel like everyonedoes that for Easter but like a
little Easter hunt to find yourbasket.
My parents hide a pickleornament on the tree and whoever
(13:05):
finds it opens the first gift.
I feel like I've heard aboutthis pickle ornament before and
that's actually so ironic thatyou mentioned this, but I feel
like I remember hearing aboutthat.
I'm not sure where that comesfrom.
I want to know the history, buttoday we were at Canadian Tire
picking up a stand for the treeand I was looking at the
(13:28):
ornaments and someone had justwent and grabbed a pickle
ornament and I was like, ooh, Iwonder if they're doing the hide
the ornament.
So fun.
Okay, let me go to the nextpage.
Having a day to eat sweets andwatch Xmas movies Love it.
That's like our Christmas Evefor me and my mom and brother,
(13:51):
just eating yummy food andwatching Christmas movies.
I love it.
I love the whole day justspending time chillaxing and
eating and just chilling.
It's so fun, I love it.
Christmas Eve matching pajamasyes, actually, we have added
that in as a tradition my momhas for us.
My mom every year buys meTrevor Roe and the dog, which is
(14:12):
Rosie's favorite thing.
She absolutely.
It is like her face when we puton her new Christmas pajamas on
Christmas Eve and Alibi'smatching ones, because there's a
store here that you can get dogmatching pajamas to.
Like your family matchingpajamas.
Roe freaks out like she isecstatic.
Yeah, so fun.
(14:33):
Sugar cookie decorating to setout Christmas Eve.
Movie night on Christmas Eveyes, movie night on Christmas
Eve Totally.
Sugar cookie decorating, that'sso good.
Oh my gosh.
Yeah, cookie decorating.
I don't think we've set outcookies yet for Santa.
This is probably going to bethe first year where Roe would
really understand that, so thatis an excellent idea.
I got to bring that out onChristmas Eve Eve, so the Eve
(14:55):
before the Eve, my inlaw sidedoes a gingerbread house
decorating contest with aChinese dinner Delicious, I love
it.
I love anything that is anactivity that brings people
together.
Our extended family getstogether to watch a small town
Santa Claus parade, then enjoythe day together.
That's cute.
That's for my aunt.
(15:15):
Yes, we do.
That's our new tradition.
Officially, I said we've doneit now two years in a row and
it's so fun, it's very hallmark.
Oops, okay, oh, since I movedto Canada, not much, to be
honest, I do miss home a lot andtraditions we have.
Oh, it's so hard, like startingsomething new.
I feel that too.
(15:37):
I feel like I'm just trying tofigure out what our like
tradition traditions are andalso I feel like now that Rose
getting older, I think she'll bemore participant, like more
aware of what's going on andlook forward to each tradition,
like she'll be aware of what itis.
There's definitely can, it candefinitely feel lonely at times
(15:58):
when you enter this new, whenyou enter a new phase of life
and transitioning, drivingaround looking at Christmas
lights with hot cocoa and elf ona shelf.
Elf on a shelf go you.
I never have done elf on ashelf.
We used to do it with the kidsand I always think like, thank
you teachers, thank you to theeducators out there who do the
(16:19):
elf on the shelf I don't thinkRo knows what it is.
So we're safe, we're safe.
But I think, if that's likeyour love language and your fun,
like you love getting creativethat way, so much fun.
And I do love driving aroundlooking at Christmas lights,
okay, okay.
Uncle's Xmas Eve with Chineseauction, xmas Day, parents House
(16:43):
Okay, I feel like that'sChinese food, not auction, but
maybe Okay.
But uncle's on Christmas Evewith Chinese food and on X on
Christmas Day at our parents'house with breakfast and oh and
name, exchange gifts.
Love, a good secret Santa we do.
We do at my family's likebrunch on Christmas Day, we do
(17:07):
what is it called Like a secretSanta, but you don't know their
names.
White elephant, is that it whenyou like pull numbers out of a
hat.
That being said, I need to findmy white elephant gift this
year.
I feel like every year I alwaysforget about it.
But last year I got us a mic.
It was so fun.
It was like one of those micsthat I don't know what the
purpose of it is, but it's justlike a mic and you can do
different sound effects and it'slike USB connects and maybe you
(17:29):
can use it for like karaoke.
I don't know.
But anyways, I just thought itwould be fun and it ended up
like going around the room.
People really were into it andpeople really hated it at the
same time because they thoughtit was annoying.
Okay, as a kid we were allowedto open three gifts on Christmas
Eve.
Three gifts on Christmas EveWow, that's amazing.
(17:50):
We do polar express night onChristmas Eve with real hot
cocoa.
Yum, I love the real hotchocolate.
Although we do fun stuff withour tree decorations, this year
we are painting our ownornaments.
I love that.
Rosie was at the library theother day and they were doing
ornament making workshop and shewas having such a good time.
(18:11):
I love good old homemadeornaments and I feel like that's
why I love my going to my mom'sand seeing her tree, because it
has all our ornaments like madeout of life saver candies from
1999, like so old.
I love it.
Okay, going to Grayson TraversIs this you telling me that you
want to come?
This is for my best friend.
Yeah, I was actually justsaying to Trevor, like this year
(18:31):
we usually do every year weusually do like a big thing
where we get everyone together,but this year I was saying we
should focus on just havingpeople over in small groups and
doing more of like an intimategathering with people multiple
times, like little dinners hereand there, but I have not
planned any of them yet and Ifeel like this is the time of
(18:53):
year where it's like everyone'salready busy.
So I'm just going to throw itout there.
But, yes, going to GraysonTravers, love it, I hope you
come again.
Opening Christmas jammies onChristmas Eve yes, it's so fun.
We watch Christmas vacation andeat chips and dip on Christmas
Eve every year.
Love it, chips and dip isprobably my favorite food.
Take my daughter to the dollarstore and she gets to pick out
(19:15):
two gifts for kids lessfortunate and we donate.
I love it, I love it.
Do they still do the shoeboxdonations?
That was such a big part of mychildhood.
I remember we everyone got ourshoeboxes and we go to the
dollar store and get all the allthe requested items for the
shoeboxes.
Oh, and she added on that thatwas to the Salvation Army toy
(19:35):
drive.
Secret Santa, I love SecretSanta.
Every Christmas morning I makeeggs Benedict for myself and my
two daughter daughters love it.
Yes, trevor makes the best eggsbunny on Christmas, or just
like in general.
His eggs bunny are so good.
He's so good at poaching eggs.
Whole Christmas, whole day ofChristmas cookie making with my
(19:57):
mom and aunt.
It's my fave day ever.
I love that.
Last year we did that me, mymom and a family friend.
Why are we making so manycookies?
Oh, for the Christmas cookieboxes, and it was so fun and it
was so sticky.
We are Cuban, slash ColombianAmerican and do a huge family
party Christmas Eve night.
(20:18):
Oh, I love it.
I love Christmas Eve parties.
I feel like Christmas Eve isreally where it's at, like you
got to embrace the Christmas Eve.
I replace our everyday photoswith Christmas photos from years
past.
Oh, I love it.
We live near the beach, so awalk on the beach oh, my gosh,
give me a walk on the beach forChristmas.
(20:38):
I want it.
My mom and I bake, plus mygranny before she passed on.
I love the mems for four days A13 year tradition going strong.
Wow, that is a lot of baking.
I absolutely adore it.
My husband and I get each otheran ornament every year.
(20:59):
Oh, I love that.
Yeah, me and Trevor have.
I think we have one.
We have our wedding ornamentI'm trying to think of.
We've gotten each otherornaments at any point.
But we did get a couple newornaments this year that I'm
obsessed with.
Row picks them out.
Oh, christmas pickle on thetree.
First one to find it gets atreat.
Oh, this one does a treat.
Kids get new ornament everyyear when decorating tree, when
(21:22):
they move out enough for theirown tree.
Oh my gosh, that is so cute.
I'm not even ready to do that.
I love that.
Daughter gets a new pair ofpajamas on Christmas Eve.
One day.
Quilt for me to keep with allof them oh my gosh, you are the
literal cutest.
This person is a planner.
(21:42):
I love that.
The quilt I never thought ofthat.
I feel like I've been donatingour pajamas so I'm behind.
I can start because we do getto do the new Christmas pajamas.
Actually, trevor actually hasevery single pair of his only
pajamas.
Pretty much is his Christmas hehas.
Like how long has my mom beendoing this for us since we had
row.
So this is like our third orfourth I don't know on the year
(22:06):
of Christmas because she's awinter baby.
Anyways, we, I love the newornament, so he has the patterns
so I could keep that.
Chinese food on Christmas Eve.
I feel like that's such aclassic pickle in the tree.
I want to know what your picklein the tree does, because they
don't say what it gets you.
Oops, sorry, I zoom this in waytoo close.
(22:26):
Gingerbread house on ChristmasEve.
Kinder eggs and stockings yes,kinder eggs and stockings
designated ornaments that acertain person puts up every
year.
I love that.
That's fun.
And kinder eggs and stockingsremind me of orange.
We used to always have anorange growing up in our
stocking.
Now I feel like I just want toTerry's chocolate orange.
(22:48):
That's like my number oneChristmas love and I love those.
All that's so sweet.
Some of them are so sentimentaland like are going to pay off
in like a long run.
The quilt I can't imagine.
And I love the.
I love how a lot of themoverlap and I love that Chinese
is such a big one.
I feel like it's one of thosetimes where Christmas Eve is one
(23:11):
of those things where I lovethe idea of like going, not hard
, but like having like thesocials on Christmas Eve and
enjoying and really likeembracing, because Christmas Day
then is just like so relaxingand slow, which our Christmas is
a little bit like BippityBoppity Boo, because we go from
one place to the next place tothe next place, but in that
(23:33):
sense it's like it's not, it'shonestly so slow motion, because
I, my family, is really small,it's not a lot of us, it's less
than 20 at our like Christmasbrunch and it's very relaxing.
We're all just hanging out,eating delicious food and
chillin on the couch.
Like it's very fun and not likeI feel like it doesn't really
(23:54):
use up too much of your socialbattery.
And then we do have our slowmorning where we just slowly
open gifts, and so it's so funnybecause I'm someone who like
wants to wake up first thing inthe morning and open the gifts.
And then I feel like Trevor issomeone who always will love a
nice lie and like I'm such a,it's not even like I want to
open the gifts, like I just wantto get the day started when I
(24:16):
wake up and Rose gonna wake upanyways.
She's always up every day by530.
And so we're both awake.
And last year she could haveshe didn't know like to go
downstairs was gonna be gifts.
This year, I feel like she'llwake up and she's like let's go
downstairs.
So she'll want to wake Trevorup.
But then I think it's more funwhen we give Trevor time to like
wake up than him just beinglike half asleep.
(24:36):
Well, we're doing Christmasbecause he should be present and
enjoying it as well, right?
So it's like such a hard littlebattle.
But and by battle I mean it'sreally not a battle, but it just
reminds me of like I feel likewhen you get older, when your
kids get older, like Christmasbecomes later and later in the
day.
(24:57):
But for me it's always beenfirst thing and like a tradition
growing up.
That we did was we would wakeup and we were allowed to open
our stockings before our parentswere awake.
So we could me and my brothercould open our stockings and
then sometimes he would just goback to bed and then I would
just go chill with my stockingstuff and then we would do gifts
a little bit later in themorning.
So that's also a good one, butI want to be there for
(25:17):
everything, like I want to seeit all and I'm awake anyways.
Roe comes right to me.
She's like mom, it's morningtime, we're awake, let's do it.
I closed my thing before my iPadbefore I even did our recipe of
the day, but I'm feeling superlike nostalgic with a lot of
those traditions and I love abunch of them for moving
forwards and I feel like I missat this time where it's like I'm
(25:40):
trying to get more thoughtfulwith what our like actual
immediate family traditions are.
And then I also I'm so happythat I put no pressure on us,
because now it's like how longhave me and Trevor been married?
I'm not even sure.
I think it's six years, but nowit's like six years later into
our marriage and we do havetraditions that we've been
implementing every year.
I feel like when we weremarried, we never did.
(26:01):
Maybe we did do Christmas onceat our own house, but I feel
like we would always sleep overat one of our parents' houses
and like partake in their familybecause it was just the two of
us.
But now, with Roe, we alwaystry and do Christmas in our
house.
I think we stayed at my mom'sonce and did Christmas morning.
Oh no, that was before we hadRoe, but with Roe we've always
(26:22):
done Christmas morning in ourown house.
So we've started doing that aslike a Christmas staple is to go
to bed in our beds and wake upin our house and have our
special like intimate Christmasmorning with just the three of
us, and I really do appreciatethat.
It is something special and so,yeah, I just love all of the
Christmas traditions.
(26:42):
I'm gonna look up the Christmaspickle tonight.
Actually, why don't we look itup today?
Because I just wanna learn moreabout where the Christmas
pickle came from.
Christmas pickle, okay.
Christmas pickle history.
Why'd you be like?
I don't know what you'retalking about, but we had at
least three people mention it.
Okay, during medieval times,two Spanish boys traveling home
(27:03):
for the holidays from theirboarding school oh my gosh.
Okay, not that, that was ahorror.
Sorry, I'm laughing.
It's not funny at all.
Okay, don't search Christmaspickle history.
Is that what that has to dowith it?
What?
Okay, I'm not gonna continuereading that because it's
(27:26):
tragedy and I don't believe thatChristmas pickle ornament
history.
Do you ever find something?
You're like what the heck?
Okay, here we go, here we go.
Okay, oh my gosh.
I just had like shock from thatarticle that I just read.
Okay, world traditions A Germantree trimming tradition.
(27:49):
The pickle ornament is veryspecial to German families.
After the decoration, or afterthey decorate their tree,
parents hide the pickle ornamentamong the bows.
Is that what the arms of thetrees is called?
When children see the decoratedtree for the first time, they
hunt for the hidden ornament,knowing that the lucky child who
finds it will receive an extralittle gift from St Nicholas.
(28:12):
What other traditions will youdiscover next?
I love it.
So it comes from Germany.
Very cool.
According to one legend, yeah,german-american soldier, oh my
gosh.
Okay, whoa.
There's even more history intoit.
According to one legend, it wasinspired by a German-American
soldier who was taken prisonerduring the Civil War.
(28:34):
Starving, he begged a guard togive him one last pickle before
he died.
The pity pickle gave him themental and physical strength to
live on.
Well, isn't that a lovely story, and I love that.
It was a pickle that gave themental strength, but it's like a
one last pickle before he diedoh my gosh, for good luck.
(28:59):
The pickle always was the lastornament to be hung on the tree,
with mother and father hidingit in the green bows among the
other ornaments.
When the children were allowedto view the splendor of the
decorated tree on Christmasmorning, they would gleefully
begin searching for the pickleornament.
Okay, so there's the Polishversion.
Who puts the pickle in the tree?
Okay, vaguely German, it's okay.
(29:21):
So German, polish, very fun.
Oh, I love learning new things.
The untold story of theChristmas pickle ornament, a
Martha Stewart article.
You know I do love a MarthaStewart article.
What does she have to say?
It's kind of a big deal.
At my house Every Christmas Eveour halls and trees are decked
from top to bottom.
(29:41):
Just trying to see if I can sumit up the story behind the
Gherkin themed game for yearspeople believed that a Christmas
pickle tradition was passeddown through the generations
from old world, germany.
Other people believe the pickleis an honor of an American Civil
War soldier who was saved fromstarvation on Christmas Eve by
eating a pickle.
I'm just loving this story.
Still others believe that thetradition was something to do
(30:03):
with St Nicholas saving two boyswho were oh okay, so the
original story does have to dowith that, okay.
Still others believe that thetradition has something to do
with St Nicholas saving two boyswho were trapped in a barrel of
pickles.
Okay, so the first thing Ilooked up when I saw the
Christmas thing let me see if Ican find that article again
Christmas pickle pickle history.
(30:28):
It said during medieval times,two Spanish boys traveling home
from the holidays from theirboarding school were killed by
the innkeeper where they werestaying.
The innkeeper hid their bodiesin a pickle barrel, and so then,
if I paste that together withwhat they're saying, it's that
Santa or St Nicholas found thebodies, but I feel like they
were killed, so I don't think hesaved them.
(30:49):
I'm not sure.
Anyways, it is a tradition thatcomes out of tragedy, whether
it be the saving pickle or thepickle barrel.
Oh, it's interesting.
Thank you for the historylesson, google.
Okay, so let's get into ourrecipe of the day Cuties.
(31:10):
Oh my gosh.
This recipe is such a fun oneand didn't enter my life until
Trevor entered my life, becauseI think it was a big part of,
like my mom's childhood, butnever part of our family
functions that I remembergrowing up.
No one ever made it and broughtit, but anytime I talk about it
, my mom is always likevangirling over it.
(31:32):
So I feel like it was part ofher life, her generation.
And then also, that being said,we did have unique things
growing up but we didn't bringit to.
I haven't told you what it isyet, but we didn't bring it to
family holidays, we would justmake it ourselves.
But the second I started datingTrevor, he would, every family
holiday always had a fancyJell-O.
(31:52):
So I feel like there's so manydifferent kinds but, like you
know, the Jell-O with theshredded carrot or the
cranberries or whatever, it'sjust full of stuff.
Ambrosia salad, which is likebasically like a Jell-O-Wee
fruity whip, creamy, sour,creamy mayo.
It's a weird combination saladbut like fancy Jell-O.
And I had to do fancy Jell-Othis year because it's one of
(32:12):
Trevor's absolute favorite.
I personally am not like a hugelover of items in my Jell-O.
The most unique or like textureI get with my Jell-O, which I
was saying earlier that we wouldmake growing up, was like the
three layer Jell-O.
You buy a pack and I'm not surewhat it's called, but it kind
of you mix it in a certain wayand it, when it sets, it's in
(32:34):
three layers, like the Jell-Olayer, the moose layer and like
a foamy layer.
I'm trying to think of what thethird layer is.
But it's Jell-O, moose andfoaminess and it was so fun.
I loved that Jell-O growing upbut, like I never liked like the
carrots in my Jell-O.
I just wasn't a fan.
But you know what, now that I'molder maybe I would like it.
Sometimes your texture budschange, like you get more
(32:56):
confident in what you enjoy.
So we're making fancy Jell-Obecause I know that Trevor will
appreciate it so much.
I think it's such a big part ofhis childhood and his family get
togethers.
And I actually got gifted atraditional Jell-O mold for my
aunt which they use.
I think it's like a like.
(33:16):
I don't even know how old it is.
I want to say it's like 40years old or whatever and so I'm
going to use the classic Jell-Omold to make the most fun
traditional fancy Jell-O.
So if you love a fancy Jell-Oor have never participated or
just want to see the fun unfoldbecause I've never used it and
I've never used a mold, then gocheck out that video.
(33:37):
It'll be on my Instagram.
It'll be on my TikTok at FiveYears Time podcast.
I'll put it up here on YouTubeas well.
I want to make it as availablefor everybody who, on whatever
platforms you use.
But I'm so excited and maybethat will become one of my
traditions Now that I have themold is to make a fancy Jell-O
every year.
That being said, I'd love toknow what kind of fancy Jell-Os
(33:58):
you use Are you make?
Because I feel like there's somany different ones and they're
so specific to everyone'sflavors, our flavors, families,
like Trevor's.
One has one that has it's redand I feel like it has I want to
say it's cranberries in it, butI feel like it's not.
I don't know.
I got to look it up because I'ma red Jell-O cutie.
I love red Jell-O, but that isour recipe of the day.
(34:24):
As we go into week two of our Imean, I know it's not
technically week based, but aswe go into week two of our pod
mess, I always want to say vlogmess.
Also, I've ended up sitting inmy uncomfy way again.
Cutie, you got to always checkme Be like, sit comfortable.
There you go.
But as we head into week two,being that tomorrow's Monday, I
(34:47):
would love to hear some feedbackon how you're enjoying the
podcast, if there's any topicsthat you specifically want us to
talk about.
I do have some really goodthings coming up.
We're going to be hitting onsome important topics this
upcoming week and I'm going tobe really digging deep into my
childhood Christmas, which I'mso excited about.
I love reliving memories andreliving traditions and family
(35:09):
and fun and friends, family andfun and friends.
But just like reliving goodmemes from the old days, because
they have a special place in myheart and I'm excited to share
them with you.
I also feel like I had like aunique Christmas makeup, so I'm
excited to share how ourChristmas mornings and Christmas
(35:30):
days would work.
But what else is there that youwould like to hear, or is there
anything specific that you'relooking for?
Are you happy with the formatand how we're going?
I've been having so much funmaking all this delicious food.
Oh, my gosh, that shortbreadand the Hello Dolly's.
The fact that we got to haveHello Dolly's so much earlier
normally I'm not having themtill Christmas day I was like on
(35:51):
cloud nine.
I freaking love Hello Dolly'smy coffee every morning too.
You know how much I love abitter coffee.
Okay, just like a coffee thatdoesn't have sweet in it.
I like coffee with splash ofcream and some sweet on the side
.
That's like my perfectcombination.
It's been making me so happy.
I'm just so grateful for all ofyou and I cannot wait.
(36:14):
I feel like this is theofficial like.
This is like the countdown toChristmas.
Really, now we're like at thepoint where kids are going to be
out for school holidays andwe're really just going to be
starting embracing those finaldays to Christmas, which is just
wild.
I'm so excited, the warmth andthe joy of it all.
(36:37):
I'm sending you so much love andI hope that if you're feeling
lonely or sad around this timeof the year, that this podcast
can be of comfort to you and ahug and we will have an episode
all about that coming up,because we've been there.
I've been there.
I feel like it's part of theChristmas feels and I know that
when you don't have thatcommunity around you or you feel
(37:01):
like you, I feel like Christmasis a big thing about other
people.
So I want to do an episode allabout yourself.
Well, we did have our magic ofChristmas is within you, but I
do want to focus on moreindividualness as well and that
know that community is foundhere and that I'm always here
for you can send me emails orreach out to me on DM and we can
(37:22):
always have conversation.
I love you all so much.
Thank you for being here and Ican't wait to come back tomorrow
.
Hello cuties, I'm getting cozy.
Last episode I was sitting souncomfortably Well, because Albi
had joined me and then she leftand then I was just like
sitting on the edge of my chairand I was like so uncomfortable,
and so I remembered that.
And this episode I'm sittingcomfy, we're crossing our legs,
(00:28):
we're getting cozy.
Also, if you're on YouTubewearing my fun festive headband,
I bought this headband for anall-black party that I had to go
to and had to.
I was happy to go to it, but Ihad to wear all black and I
don't have a lot of like fullblack outfits.
I actually have one full blacklike sweat.
(00:48):
It's not even a sweatsuit, butit is like a matching set, but
it's like loungey, casual and itwas a party to go to, and so it
was like evening and I was likeit was a house party, but I was
like I don't want to wear thatloungey suit.
If I have to, I will, but alsoit's in the laundry, so I'll
have to do the wash.
Blah, blah, blah.
I actually ended up buyingthese like silky pajamas and
(01:10):
I've worn them now twice outwith this headband as like a
festive outfit.
It's kind of like my favoritething in the world.
It's just like a pair of silkyblack pajamas that have like
frilly sleeve and frilly pant,leg like ends just like the last
few inches of it, and I love it.
It's so comfy and I feel likeyou wouldn't know they were
(01:30):
pajamas.
So I'm telling you my secretthey're cute, but it's like my.
It's become my holiday uniform,basically, and it's just so fun
.
But anyways, I'm wearing theheadband today.
I was like let's get extrafestive in our festive
podcasting uniform and wheneverI wear this headband, ro always
looks at me and she says, oh,we're being princesses today
(01:51):
because it's kind of likecrown-esque.
She's so cute.
I love her.
But welcome back to Five YearsTime Podcast with your host,
grace.
Happy Sunday.
This feels so nostalgic to whenI used to do Sunday resets.
Who was here for the Sundayresets?
We used to do our little tidbitof a podcast to get you through
your week.
Oh, my gosh, it's all comingback to me, the little saying I
(02:13):
would say at the beginning, butso fun.
Anyways, today is day five, isit day five?
Yes, five, six, five.
We're thrown off anyways.
Um of 12 days.
I'm pretty sure it's five.
Yeah, day five of 12 days ofChristmas and I am so excited
(02:33):
that you're here.
I hope you're having so muchfun.
I'm having so much fun and todaywe are talking all about
holiday traditions, which Iactually threw up a question box
on my Instagram at Five YearsTime Podcast and asked you all
to share your holiday traditions.
I just screenshot at them alland I like read one or two
quickly while I wasscreenshotting them and I'm so
(02:54):
excited like to read thembecause the one or two I read I
was like, oh my gosh, those allseem like so much fun and I'm so
excited to get into it, becauseI did speak a little bit at the
beginning of 12 Days of Podmas,um, on episode one or two,
about how stressed I used tofeel, um, at the beginning of my
motherhood journey journey,when it was Rose first Christmas
(03:14):
, and I even like in my thebeginning of my wifeing journey,
like starting my own familyjourney, like I just feel like I
didn't know what traditions Iwanted to bring with me.
Like, yeah, there's, becausethere's still traditions that we
participate with Trevor'sfamily and with our family, or,
like my family, my mom andbrother, so those are still true
(03:38):
to those family aspects.
But like, what traditions didme and Trevor want to have and
like especially them.
When we had row, what were thetraditions we wanted to
implement?
And I felt overwhelmed and thenall of a sudden, I realized,
like you know what traditionsare?
Something that kind of justevolve over time.
Yes, of course, you can decidelike, yes, I want to do this
tradition and put the effort inevery year, but for me, what I
(03:59):
found is that it's like all of asudden, especially now that
Rose getting older, it's like,oh yeah, like this is something
that we've done, uh, the pastcouple years or we've done more
years than not and slowly, like,traditions are starting to
evolve, and I mean they will beforever changing, I'm sure, but
I'm not putting pressure on me,but asking for all of your
(04:21):
traditions have really helpedspark some imagination and
creativity in me, and also justideas and things that I might
want to use as well and alsojust maybe remind me of things
that we used to do.
So, and that was literally fromme reading two things that you
guys said, but I'm so excited toread all of them.
So today we're talking allabout holiday tradition and I am
(04:43):
here to tell you that itdoesn't need to be extravagant.
The small things, the littlethings and the feelings that
they emote.
Is emote like a word?
That means to like.
Let's look at emote meaningmeaning like, exude, exist,
(05:03):
create, okay, emote may refer toearly modern english
abbreviated emote emote.
Uh, what?
Okay, no, maybe emote isn't aword.
Emote, emote.
Emote to give expression toemotion, especially in acting.
Okay, emote with a T.
(05:25):
Anyways, to create we're on oureducation kick, yeah, but
something that it's all aboutjust the feelings that they
create in our life and somethingthat you get to share with
other people.
So I'm so excited, let's likehop right in, because I just
want to read these so bad I gotto pull up my screenshots.
I think I'm going to try andstart from like the first to the
(05:49):
last in that order.
But okay, here we go.
And also, I'd love to know ifany of these are things that you
do as well and okay.
So Chinese food Christmas Evewith my hubby's side oh, I love
that.
That's literally identical.
That's something that Trevor'sfamily does is they always do
Chinese on Christmas Eve and wedon't always go to their house
(06:13):
for Christmas Eve.
Now that we are, I feel likewhen I was younger I younger, I
feel like when me and Trevorwere dating, I used to spend
Christmas Eve with his family,but now that we're married, the
way that we have it working iswe do Christmas Eve with my mom
and brother, because my brotherwill come and stay at my mom's
or our house, depending so we'lldo Christmas Eve together and
(06:34):
then we can go to church andhave Christmas Eve when we do
our derbs, which we've alwaysdone.
Actually, I remember now oh mygosh, I'm reopening a memory I
actually used to do ChristmasEve with everyone.
I would do Christmas Eve withTrevor's family, like I would.
I think I would go to churchwith his family and then they
would have their Chinese foodand then I would rush home to my
(06:55):
family and I would do movies.
We always watch White Christmasand we have hors d'oeuvres.
Yes, but that is what Trevor'sfamily does is they do Chinese
food on Christmas Eve and, yeah,I love that.
Now we do hors d'oeuvres withmy mom and brother.
Okay, oh my gosh, cuties.
(07:16):
This next one we watch Wallaceand Gromit on Christmas morning
every year.
Oh, that is just so much warmthin my heart.
Wallace and Gromit was such ahuge part of my childhood and I
feel like I'm so happy it'sgetting.
It's like heyday over here withlike all of the reboot and
(07:37):
sheep what are the sheeps called?
John the sheep and stuff likethat.
But Wallace and Gromit was sucha big part of my childhood.
I love that.
Oh my gosh, when they eat theJacobs crackers with the moon
cheese, I need to watch Wallaceand Gromit.
I actually haven't watched liketraditional Wallace and Gromit
with Ro, and my favorite toysthat we got I think we actually
(07:57):
got them for Christmas growingup that my dad had brought back
from Ireland was these littleWallace and Gromit houses that
came in like a suitcase almost,so it was like this little
briefcase that you unfolded andit was like a little Wallace and
Gromit doll house essentially,and me and my brother both had
one and we were obsessed, so fun.
(08:18):
I love that.
Opening one gift on ChristmasEve I feel like that's a classic
for people too.
We don't do that, but we do.
Now that we're married.
We do do my mom and brother'sgifts on Christmas Eve.
So now we do, I guess, but weopen more than one because
there's more than one of us.
(08:39):
So we do our gifts on ChristmasEve.
I guess I should say what ourChristmas makeup is.
So how we have it working rightnow, which works really well for
us, is that Christmas Eve is weusually go to the earlier
church service because of Ro andthen Christmas Eve day is
(09:02):
pretty chill.
My mom is now retired so shedoesn't work, but pretty much we
used to.
Always we all worked onChristmas Eve.
I don't think this yearTrevor's going to be working on
Christmas Eve, my mom is not andI'm not, so we're going to have
Christmas Eve off, which isgoing to be so fun.
But usually we used to all workon Christmas Eve, so it was
just evening we would.
Since me and Trevor got married,we do gifts, so we'll do my mom
(09:25):
, my brother, trevor, me and Rowill do all of our gifts that
are like them, not likeChristmas morning Rosie, me,
trevor gifts giving just thepeople that are there.
That makes sense.
And then we make our derv.
So like any boxed goodies andyesterday's rest of the that I
shared, which was our bangersand mash, we usually make that
bangers and mash in a blanket.
We usually make that onChristmas Eve and we watch white
(09:48):
Christmas and my brotherusually likes to put on white
Christmas the Muppets and he'llgo into movies and movies into
the night.
I eventually go to sleep, likeI go to sleep pretty early.
I usually try and just watchwhite Christmas.
Sometimes I fall asleep duringthat.
The past couple years I fall inasleep while putting wrote a
bed and woken up at like threein the morning and like, oh I
(10:09):
gotta go Santa the gift out.
Thankfully I woke up beforeRosie did.
Yeah, so anyways, that's likeour Christmas Eve and then our
Christmas is.
Usually we wake up, we have ourChristmas morning and Trevor
always makes his eggs Benedict.
That's something he's carriedover, I believe, from his family
is that was their morningdeliciousness.
Where my growing up we alwaysjust did really simple breakfast
(10:34):
that my mom would put like aplatter together and we would
have like croissants and coffeeand tea and some yogurt, just
stuff like that.
But yeah, so we now do eggsBenedict and I feel like I still
usually put a snack and plattertogether just because it's part
of me, and then we go, we doour Christmas morning gifts,
(10:56):
everything like that, and thenwe go to my side of the family's
Christmas.
So, like my aunts and mycousins, we do like a brunch at
whoever the aunts and unclesrotate between hosting it and
that usually leads us closer toTrevor's parents because they
all live in that direction, andso then we go to the brunch and
then after the brunch, we driveto Trevor's parents and we have
(11:16):
Christmas dinner and gifts withthem and we spend the evening
there.
Sometimes we sleep over,sometimes we don't, because the
next day is boxing day and, yeah, that's like our Christmas
makeup.
It works out really well for usright now and for, like, all of
our families and Trevor'sfamilies, because we're the only
married people, so we're theonly family right now that
really needs to like accommodatetwo sides.
(11:38):
But I I'm excited to see how itevolves and changes as everyone
has serious relationships orgets married or whatever.
Okay, back to other people'straditions.
We always build a gingerbreadhouse and drive around looking
at Christmas lights with aStarbucks.
Oh, that's so cute.
I love, I love that.
(11:59):
I love driving around to lookat Christmas lights.
There's one neighborhood me andTrevor used to always go and
look at the Christmas lights andI was actually just talking to
him about it, so maybe we'll doit this year, but that's so fun.
Family game night on New Year'sEve love a game night.
If you listen to my hosting 101.
You know how much I love anactivity.
We all put two dollars into apot and play a bunch of games.
(12:20):
Whoever wins the most gameswins oh, I love that.
A little gambling no, I lovethat.
That's so fun.
Ooh, I feel like I want to upthe ante.
Trevor's friends are soobsessed with like going to
casinos.
Right now they're in such acasino kick.
They went to Vegas last winterand now they like love
participating in a littlegambling activities, so that
(12:43):
sounds like so much fun.
I feel like we should do thatthis year.
That would be a fun time.
As a kid, my mom created aChristmas Eve treasure hunt of
sorts every year.
That is so cute.
I love that.
We do that for Easter Always.
A little I feel like everyonedoes that for Easter but like a
little Easter hunt to find yourbasket.
My parents hide a pickleornament on the tree and whoever
(13:05):
finds it opens the first gift.
I feel like I've heard aboutthis pickle ornament before and
that's actually so ironic thatyou mentioned this, but I feel
like I remember hearing aboutthat.
I'm not sure where that comesfrom.
I want to know the history, buttoday we were at Canadian Tire
picking up a stand for the treeand I was looking at the
(13:28):
ornaments and someone had justwent and grabbed a pickle
ornament and I was like, ooh, Iwonder if they're doing the hide
the ornament.
So fun.
Okay, let me go to the nextpage.
Having a day to eat sweets andwatch Xmas movies Love it.
That's like our Christmas Evefor me and my mom and brother,
(13:51):
just eating yummy food andwatching Christmas movies.
I love it.
I love the whole day justspending time chillaxing and
eating and just chilling.
It's so fun, I love it.
Christmas Eve matching pajamasyes, actually, we have added
that in as a tradition my momhas for us.
My mom every year buys meTrevor Roe and the dog, which is
(14:12):
Rosie's favorite thing.
She absolutely.
It is like her face when we puton her new Christmas pajamas on
Christmas Eve and Alibi'smatching ones, because there's a
store here that you can get dogmatching pajamas to.
Like your family matchingpajamas.
Roe freaks out like she isecstatic.
Yeah, so fun.
(14:33):
Sugar cookie decorating to setout Christmas Eve.
Movie night on Christmas Eveyes, movie night on Christmas
Eve Totally.
Sugar cookie decorating, that'sso good.
Oh my gosh.
Yeah, cookie decorating.
I don't think we've set outcookies yet for Santa.
This is probably going to bethe first year where Roe would
really understand that, so thatis an excellent idea.
I got to bring that out onChristmas Eve Eve, so the Eve
(14:55):
before the Eve, my inlaw sidedoes a gingerbread house
decorating contest with aChinese dinner Delicious, I love
it.
I love anything that is anactivity that brings people
together.
Our extended family getstogether to watch a small town
Santa Claus parade, then enjoythe day together.
That's cute.
That's for my aunt.
(15:15):
Yes, we do.
That's our new tradition.
Officially, I said we've doneit now two years in a row and
it's so fun, it's very hallmark.
Oops, okay, oh, since I movedto Canada, not much, to be
honest, I do miss home a lot andtraditions we have.
Oh, it's so hard, like startingsomething new.
I feel that too.
(15:37):
I feel like I'm just trying tofigure out what our like
tradition traditions are andalso I feel like now that Rose
getting older, I think she'll bemore participant, like more
aware of what's going on andlook forward to each tradition,
like she'll be aware of what itis.
There's definitely can, it candefinitely feel lonely at times
(15:58):
when you enter this new, whenyou enter a new phase of life
and transitioning, drivingaround looking at Christmas
lights with hot cocoa and elf ona shelf.
Elf on a shelf go you.
I never have done elf on ashelf.
We used to do it with the kidsand I always think like, thank
you teachers, thank you to theeducators out there who do the
(16:19):
elf on the shelf I don't thinkRo knows what it is.
So we're safe, we're safe.
But I think, if that's likeyour love language and your fun,
like you love getting creativethat way, so much fun.
And I do love driving aroundlooking at Christmas lights,
okay, okay.
Uncle's Xmas Eve with Chineseauction, xmas Day, parents House
(16:43):
Okay, I feel like that'sChinese food, not auction, but
maybe Okay.
But uncle's on Christmas Evewith Chinese food and on X on
Christmas Day at our parents'house with breakfast and oh and
name, exchange gifts.
Love, a good secret Santa we do.
We do at my family's likebrunch on Christmas Day, we do
(17:07):
what is it called Like a secretSanta, but you don't know their
names.
White elephant, is that it whenyou like pull numbers out of a
hat.
That being said, I need to findmy white elephant gift this
year.
I feel like every year I alwaysforget about it.
But last year I got us a mic.
It was so fun.
It was like one of those micsthat I don't know what the
purpose of it is, but it's justlike a mic and you can do
different sound effects and it'slike USB connects and maybe you
(17:29):
can use it for like karaoke.
I don't know.
But anyways, I just thought itwould be fun and it ended up
like going around the room.
People really were into it andpeople really hated it at the
same time because they thoughtit was annoying.
Okay, as a kid we were allowedto open three gifts on Christmas
Eve.
Three gifts on Christmas EveWow, that's amazing.
(17:50):
We do polar express night onChristmas Eve with real hot
cocoa.
Yum, I love the real hotchocolate.
Although we do fun stuff withour tree decorations, this year
we are painting our ownornaments.
I love that.
Rosie was at the library theother day and they were doing
ornament making workshop and shewas having such a good time.
(18:11):
I love good old homemadeornaments and I feel like that's
why I love my going to my mom'sand seeing her tree, because it
has all our ornaments like madeout of life saver candies from
1999, like so old.
I love it.
Okay, going to Grayson TraversIs this you telling me that you
want to come?
This is for my best friend.
Yeah, I was actually justsaying to Trevor, like this year
(18:31):
we usually do every year weusually do like a big thing
where we get everyone together,but this year I was saying we
should focus on just havingpeople over in small groups and
doing more of like an intimategathering with people multiple
times, like little dinners hereand there, but I have not
planned any of them yet and Ifeel like this is the time of
(18:53):
year where it's like everyone'salready busy.
So I'm just going to throw itout there.
But, yes, going to GraysonTravers, love it, I hope you
come again.
Opening Christmas jammies onChristmas Eve yes, it's so fun.
We watch Christmas vacation andeat chips and dip on Christmas
Eve every year.
Love it, chips and dip isprobably my favorite food.
Take my daughter to the dollarstore and she gets to pick out
(19:15):
two gifts for kids lessfortunate and we donate.
I love it, I love it.
Do they still do the shoeboxdonations?
That was such a big part of mychildhood.
I remember we everyone got ourshoeboxes and we go to the
dollar store and get all the allthe requested items for the
shoeboxes.
Oh, and she added on that thatwas to the Salvation Army toy
(19:35):
drive.
Secret Santa, I love SecretSanta.
Every Christmas morning I makeeggs Benedict for myself and my
two daughter daughters love it.
Yes, trevor makes the best eggsbunny on Christmas, or just
like in general.
His eggs bunny are so good.
He's so good at poaching eggs.
Whole Christmas, whole day ofChristmas cookie making with my
(19:57):
mom and aunt.
It's my fave day ever.
I love that.
Last year we did that me, mymom and a family friend.
Why are we making so manycookies?
Oh, for the Christmas cookieboxes, and it was so fun and it
was so sticky.
We are Cuban, slash ColombianAmerican and do a huge family
party Christmas Eve night.
(20:18):
Oh, I love it.
I love Christmas Eve parties.
I feel like Christmas Eve isreally where it's at, like you
got to embrace the Christmas Eve.
I replace our everyday photoswith Christmas photos from years
past.
Oh, I love it.
We live near the beach, so awalk on the beach oh, my gosh,
give me a walk on the beach forChristmas.
(20:38):
I want it.
My mom and I bake, plus mygranny before she passed on.
I love the mems for four days A13 year tradition going strong.
Wow, that is a lot of baking.
I absolutely adore it.
My husband and I get each otheran ornament every year.
(20:59):
Oh, I love that.
Yeah, me and Trevor have.
I think we have one.
We have our wedding ornamentI'm trying to think of.
We've gotten each otherornaments at any point.
But we did get a couple newornaments this year that I'm
obsessed with.
Row picks them out.
Oh, christmas pickle on thetree.
First one to find it gets atreat.
Oh, this one does a treat.
Kids get new ornament everyyear when decorating tree, when
(21:22):
they move out enough for theirown tree.
Oh my gosh, that is so cute.
I'm not even ready to do that.
I love that.
Daughter gets a new pair ofpajamas on Christmas Eve.
One day.
Quilt for me to keep with allof them oh my gosh, you are the
literal cutest.
This person is a planner.
(21:42):
I love that.
The quilt I never thought ofthat.
I feel like I've been donatingour pajamas so I'm behind.
I can start because we do getto do the new Christmas pajamas.
Actually, trevor actually hasevery single pair of his only
pajamas.
Pretty much is his Christmas hehas.
Like how long has my mom beendoing this for us since we had
row.
So this is like our third orfourth I don't know on the year
(22:06):
of Christmas because she's awinter baby.
Anyways, we, I love the newornament, so he has the patterns
so I could keep that.
Chinese food on Christmas Eve.
I feel like that's such aclassic pickle in the tree.
I want to know what your picklein the tree does, because they
don't say what it gets you.
Oops, sorry, I zoom this in waytoo close.
(22:26):
Gingerbread house on ChristmasEve.
Kinder eggs and stockings yes,kinder eggs and stockings
designated ornaments that acertain person puts up every
year.
I love that.
That's fun.
And kinder eggs and stockingsremind me of orange.
We used to always have anorange growing up in our
stocking.
Now I feel like I just want toTerry's chocolate orange.
(22:48):
That's like my number oneChristmas love and I love those.
All that's so sweet.
Some of them are so sentimentaland like are going to pay off
in like a long run.
The quilt I can't imagine.
And I love the.
I love how a lot of themoverlap and I love that Chinese
is such a big one.
I feel like it's one of thosetimes where Christmas Eve is one
(23:11):
of those things where I lovethe idea of like going, not hard
, but like having like thesocials on Christmas Eve and
enjoying and really likeembracing, because Christmas Day
then is just like so relaxingand slow, which our Christmas is
a little bit like BippityBoppity Boo, because we go from
one place to the next place tothe next place, but in that
(23:33):
sense it's like it's not, it'shonestly so slow motion, because
I, my family, is really small,it's not a lot of us, it's less
than 20 at our like Christmasbrunch and it's very relaxing.
We're all just hanging out,eating delicious food and
chillin on the couch.
Like it's very fun and not likeI feel like it doesn't really
(23:54):
use up too much of your socialbattery.
And then we do have our slowmorning where we just slowly
open gifts, and so it's so funnybecause I'm someone who like
wants to wake up first thing inthe morning and open the gifts.
And then I feel like Trevor issomeone who always will love a
nice lie and like I'm such a,it's not even like I want to
open the gifts, like I just wantto get the day started when I
(24:16):
wake up and Rose gonna wake upanyways.
She's always up every day by530.
And so we're both awake.
And last year she could haveshe didn't know like to go
downstairs was gonna be gifts.
This year, I feel like she'llwake up and she's like let's go
downstairs.
So she'll want to wake Trevorup.
But then I think it's more funwhen we give Trevor time to like
wake up than him just beinglike half asleep.
(24:36):
Well, we're doing Christmasbecause he should be present and
enjoying it as well, right?
So it's like such a hard littlebattle.
But and by battle I mean it'sreally not a battle, but it just
reminds me of like I feel likewhen you get older, when your
kids get older, like Christmasbecomes later and later in the
day.
(24:57):
But for me it's always beenfirst thing and like a tradition
growing up.
That we did was we would wakeup and we were allowed to open
our stockings before our parentswere awake.
So we could me and my brothercould open our stockings and
then sometimes he would just goback to bed and then I would
just go chill with my stockingstuff and then we would do gifts
a little bit later in themorning.
So that's also a good one, butI want to be there for
(25:17):
everything, like I want to seeit all and I'm awake anyways.
Roe comes right to me.
She's like mom, it's morningtime, we're awake, let's do it.
I closed my thing before my iPadbefore I even did our recipe of
the day, but I'm feeling superlike nostalgic with a lot of
those traditions and I love abunch of them for moving
forwards and I feel like I missat this time where it's like I'm
(25:40):
trying to get more thoughtfulwith what our like actual
immediate family traditions are.
And then I also I'm so happythat I put no pressure on us,
because now it's like how longhave me and Trevor been married?
I'm not even sure.
I think it's six years, but nowit's like six years later into
our marriage and we do havetraditions that we've been
implementing every year.
I feel like when we weremarried, we never did.
(26:01):
Maybe we did do Christmas onceat our own house, but I feel
like we would always sleep overat one of our parents' houses
and like partake in their familybecause it was just the two of
us.
But now, with Roe, we alwaystry and do Christmas in our
house.
I think we stayed at my mom'sonce and did Christmas morning.
Oh no, that was before we hadRoe, but with Roe we've always
(26:22):
done Christmas morning in ourown house.
So we've started doing that aslike a Christmas staple is to go
to bed in our beds and wake upin our house and have our
special like intimate Christmasmorning with just the three of
us, and I really do appreciatethat.
It is something special and so,yeah, I just love all of the
Christmas traditions.
(26:42):
I'm gonna look up the Christmaspickle tonight.
Actually, why don't we look itup today?
Because I just wanna learn moreabout where the Christmas
pickle came from.
Christmas pickle, okay.
Christmas pickle history.
Why'd you be like?
I don't know what you'retalking about, but we had at
least three people mention it.
Okay, during medieval times,two Spanish boys traveling home
(27:03):
for the holidays from theirboarding school oh my gosh.
Okay, not that, that was ahorror.
Sorry, I'm laughing.
It's not funny at all.
Okay, don't search Christmaspickle history.
Is that what that has to dowith it?
What?
Okay, I'm not gonna continuereading that because it's
(27:26):
tragedy and I don't believe thatChristmas pickle ornament
history.
Do you ever find something?
You're like what the heck?
Okay, here we go, here we go.
Okay, oh my gosh.
I just had like shock from thatarticle that I just read.
Okay, world traditions A Germantree trimming tradition.
(27:49):
The pickle ornament is veryspecial to German families.
After the decoration, or afterthey decorate their tree,
parents hide the pickle ornamentamong the bows.
Is that what the arms of thetrees is called?
When children see the decoratedtree for the first time, they
hunt for the hidden ornament,knowing that the lucky child who
finds it will receive an extralittle gift from St Nicholas.
(28:12):
What other traditions will youdiscover next?
I love it.
So it comes from Germany.
Very cool.
According to one legend, yeah,german-american soldier, oh my
gosh.
Okay, whoa.
There's even more history intoit.
According to one legend, it wasinspired by a German-American
soldier who was taken prisonerduring the Civil War.
(28:34):
Starving, he begged a guard togive him one last pickle before
he died.
The pity pickle gave him themental and physical strength to
live on.
Well, isn't that a lovely story, and I love that.
It was a pickle that gave themental strength, but it's like a
one last pickle before he diedoh my gosh, for good luck.
(28:59):
The pickle always was the lastornament to be hung on the tree,
with mother and father hidingit in the green bows among the
other ornaments.
When the children were allowedto view the splendor of the
decorated tree on Christmasmorning, they would gleefully
begin searching for the pickleornament.
Okay, so there's the Polishversion.
Who puts the pickle in the tree?
Okay, vaguely German, it's okay.
(29:21):
So German, polish, very fun.
Oh, I love learning new things.
The untold story of theChristmas pickle ornament, a
Martha Stewart article.
You know I do love a MarthaStewart article.
What does she have to say?
It's kind of a big deal.
At my house Every Christmas Eveour halls and trees are decked
from top to bottom.
(29:41):
Just trying to see if I can sumit up the story behind the
Gherkin themed game for yearspeople believed that a Christmas
pickle tradition was passeddown through the generations
from old world, germany.
Other people believe the pickleis an honor of an American Civil
War soldier who was saved fromstarvation on Christmas Eve by
eating a pickle.
I'm just loving this story.
Still others believe that thetradition was something to do
(30:03):
with St Nicholas saving two boyswho were oh okay, so the
original story does have to dowith that, okay.
Still others believe that thetradition has something to do
with St Nicholas saving two boyswho were trapped in a barrel of
pickles.
Okay, so the first thing Ilooked up when I saw the
Christmas thing let me see if Ican find that article again
Christmas pickle pickle history.
(30:28):
It said during medieval times,two Spanish boys traveling home
from the holidays from theirboarding school were killed by
the innkeeper where they werestaying.
The innkeeper hid their bodiesin a pickle barrel, and so then,
if I paste that together withwhat they're saying, it's that
Santa or St Nicholas found thebodies, but I feel like they
were killed, so I don't think hesaved them.
(30:49):
I'm not sure.
Anyways, it is a tradition thatcomes out of tragedy, whether
it be the saving pickle or thepickle barrel.
Oh, it's interesting.
Thank you for the historylesson, google.
Okay, so let's get into ourrecipe of the day Cuties.
(31:10):
Oh my gosh.
This recipe is such a fun oneand didn't enter my life until
Trevor entered my life, becauseI think it was a big part of,
like my mom's childhood, butnever part of our family
functions that I remembergrowing up.
No one ever made it and broughtit, but anytime I talk about it
, my mom is always likevangirling over it.
(31:32):
So I feel like it was part ofher life, her generation.
And then also, that being said,we did have unique things
growing up but we didn't bringit to.
I haven't told you what it isyet, but we didn't bring it to
family holidays, we would justmake it ourselves.
But the second I started datingTrevor, he would, every family
holiday always had a fancyJell-O.
(31:52):
So I feel like there's so manydifferent kinds but, like you
know, the Jell-O with theshredded carrot or the
cranberries or whatever, it'sjust full of stuff.
Ambrosia salad, which is likebasically like a Jell-O-Wee
fruity whip, creamy, sour,creamy mayo.
It's a weird combination saladbut like fancy Jell-O.
And I had to do fancy Jell-Othis year because it's one of
(32:12):
Trevor's absolute favorite.
I personally am not like a hugelover of items in my Jell-O.
The most unique or like textureI get with my Jell-O, which I
was saying earlier that we wouldmake growing up, was like the
three layer Jell-O.
You buy a pack and I'm not surewhat it's called, but it kind
of you mix it in a certain wayand it, when it sets, it's in
(32:34):
three layers, like the Jell-Olayer, the moose layer and like
a foamy layer.
I'm trying to think of what thethird layer is.
But it's Jell-O, moose andfoaminess and it was so fun.
I loved that Jell-O growing upbut, like I never liked like the
carrots in my Jell-O.
I just wasn't a fan.
But you know what, now that I'molder maybe I would like it.
Sometimes your texture budschange, like you get more
(32:56):
confident in what you enjoy.
So we're making fancy Jell-Obecause I know that Trevor will
appreciate it so much.
I think it's such a big part ofhis childhood and his family get
togethers.
And I actually got gifted atraditional Jell-O mold for my
aunt which they use.
I think it's like a like.
(33:16):
I don't even know how old it is.
I want to say it's like 40years old or whatever and so I'm
going to use the classic Jell-Omold to make the most fun
traditional fancy Jell-O.
So if you love a fancy Jell-Oor have never participated or
just want to see the fun unfoldbecause I've never used it and
I've never used a mold, then gocheck out that video.
(33:37):
It'll be on my Instagram.
It'll be on my TikTok at FiveYears Time podcast.
I'll put it up here on YouTubeas well.
I want to make it as availablefor everybody who, on whatever
platforms you use.
But I'm so excited and maybethat will become one of my
traditions Now that I have themold is to make a fancy Jell-O
every year.
That being said, I'd love toknow what kind of fancy Jell-Os
(33:58):
you use Are you make?
Because I feel like there's somany different ones and they're
so specific to everyone'sflavors, our flavors, families,
like Trevor's.
One has one that has it's redand I feel like it has I want to
say it's cranberries in it, butI feel like it's not.
I don't know.
I got to look it up because I'ma red Jell-O cutie.
I love red Jell-O, but that isour recipe of the day.
(34:24):
As we go into week two of our Imean, I know it's not
technically week based, but aswe go into week two of our pod
mess, I always want to say vlogmess.
Also, I've ended up sitting inmy uncomfy way again.
Cutie, you got to always checkme Be like, sit comfortable.
There you go.
But as we head into week two,being that tomorrow's Monday, I
(34:47):
would love to hear some feedbackon how you're enjoying the
podcast, if there's any topicsthat you specifically want us to
talk about.
I do have some really goodthings coming up.
We're going to be hitting onsome important topics this
upcoming week and I'm going tobe really digging deep into my
childhood Christmas, which I'mso excited about.
I love reliving memories andreliving traditions and family
(35:09):
and fun and friends, family andfun and friends.
But just like reliving goodmemes from the old days, because
they have a special place in myheart and I'm excited to share
them with you.
I also feel like I had like aunique Christmas makeup, so I'm
excited to share how ourChristmas mornings and Christmas
(35:30):
days would work.
But what else is there that youwould like to hear, or is there
anything specific that you'relooking for?
Are you happy with the formatand how we're going?
I've been having so much funmaking all this delicious food.
Oh, my gosh, that shortbreadand the Hello Dolly's.
The fact that we got to haveHello Dolly's so much earlier
normally I'm not having themtill Christmas day I was like on
(35:51):
cloud nine.
I freaking love Hello Dolly'smy coffee every morning too.
You know how much I love abitter coffee.
Okay, just like a coffee thatdoesn't have sweet in it.
I like coffee with splash ofcream and some sweet on the side
.
That's like my perfectcombination.
It's been making me so happy.
I'm just so grateful for all ofyou and I cannot wait.
(36:14):
I feel like this is theofficial like.
This is like the countdown toChristmas.
Really, now we're like at thepoint where kids are going to be
out for school holidays andwe're really just going to be
starting embracing those finaldays to Christmas, which is just
wild.
I'm so excited, the warmth andthe joy of it all.
(36:37):
I'm sending you so much love andI hope that if you're feeling
lonely or sad around this timeof the year, that this podcast
can be of comfort to you and ahug and we will have an episode
all about that coming up,because we've been there.
I've been there.
I feel like it's part of theChristmas feels and I know that
when you don't have thatcommunity around you or you feel
(37:01):
like you, I feel like Christmasis a big thing about other
people.
So I want to do an episode allabout yourself.
Well, we did have our magic ofChristmas is within you, but I
do want to focus on moreindividualness as well and that
know that community is foundhere and that I'm always here
for you can send me emails orreach out to me on DM and we can
(37:22):
always have conversation.
I love you all so much.
Thank you for being here and Ican't wait to come back tomorrow
.
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