The Advent season and the holidays are also an opportunity to perpetuate traditions. At Lætitia Heitz, Alsatian by origin and Breton by adoption, the magic of Christmas comes to the house from the end of November. With the making of a wreath, the decoration of the tree and above all, the making of biscuits, including the essential bredele in memory of his deceased grandmother. « Today when I make it, I make it for her and for me. I am in my own little world, I think about these shared moments and I tell them to my sons.
The batch of Christmas cookies from Lætitia Heitz, Alsatian by origin and Breton by adoption. DR
For the thirty-year-old, it is also a way of keeping a link with her region and introducing those around her to it: I offer ballotins for mistresses, for friends, work colleagues, those of my partner…
Chloé (who did not wish to give her name) is also very Christmas
. At 23, she returned to her parents on purpose
to decorate the tree, all with a Christmas playlist
in the background. It was our ritual, describes the one who became a mother at the beginning of the year. Even if my son doesn't understand yet, I decorated our tree to the same music. But I still wanted to do it with my parents. Since I'm no longer at home, it connects us.
Ugly sweaters and failed logs
Traditions can also be reinvented over the years. In recent years, Chloé's mother has gotten into the habit of making a personalized Advent calendar for her three children. She slips in tea bags, chocolates, stationery… For my brothers, it's made from cheeses and sausages!
This year, the siblings decided to return the favor. She didn't expect it at all. It took us a while but she was so happy that we think it will become a tradition. And even if I didn't tell them, it was also a way to get together with my brothers, which we do less since everyone now has their own life.
Sometimes, tradition is a diversion. Thus, the ugly Christmas sweater competition is very popular, at work and at home. At Margot’s, it’s time for the failed log. It all started from an icing accident, but today, with my brother, we accept it. So at home, we make a point of missing the Yule log because it's funny. And that’s something I would like to pass on to children.
Transmission of values and knowledge
Marie Poidatz is founder and director of the Réseau des parents association. For her, « c he traditions anchor the family in time and space. Family identity is formed day after day, but also year after year. Repetition is reassuring, because knowing what is going to happen reassures. It is also a way of releasing emotions and transmitting values, such as empathy or solidarity”.
It is also a way of transmitting knowledge… “Know how to make wrapping paper, make cookies… At Christmas, we pass on know-how and interpersonal skills at the same time, often while having fun. Rituals are a way of telling family history. And to make it your own by sharing “quality” time, which will become a memory. »
Sometimes, we expand the family circle or we break traditions… “The family cannot be a closed system, otherwise it is suffocating. She needs air, to fit into a neighborhood, a city… Events like the end-of-year celebrations are a pretext. Tradition can also lock up and “extinguish” individuals. So, sometimes you have to have the audacity to break traditions. »
