Traditions and honoring the women in our lives, as well as those who came before us, are at the backbone of Farmer’s Body. Traditions that are passed down from generation to generation are held near and dear to our hearts; it’s part of what makes Farmer’s Body so special.
This holiday season, I’d like to share with all of you one of my family’s traditions. In our house, we celebrate Christmas and believe in Santa. My mom, who is an amazing person with the most generous, kind heart, would make us sit at the top of the stairs every year on Christmas morning (no matter how old we were) while she checked to see if Santa had brought us presents.
She would leave us sitting at the top of the stairs while she went into the other room where the Christmas tree was. When she came back, she’d say, “Oh no! Coal everywhere!” My sister and I (and later my brother) would look at each other in disbelief thinking surely we had SOMETHING from Santa, other than coal, under the tree. (I had also never even heard of anyone actually getting coal from Santa.) Seeing our faces, my mom would say, “Let me check ONE more time.” She’d come back the second time and say to us, “Well, maybe I see ONE present there.”(Phew!) We’d light up with joy and then rush down the stairs to see what Santa had brought us.
This sweet Christmas tradition was one that I passed on to my own children. Each year, I make them sit at the top of the stairs and wait while I check to see if Santa has brought them any presents. I come back and say, “Oh no! Coal everywhere!” just like my mom said to us. Even as they are getting older, we still do it every year. It brings me so much joy, even today, to continue this tradition, and I hope that someday my kids will continue it with their own kids.
From the bottom of my heart to yours, I hope that all of you are able to find delight in your own holiday traditions as we inch closer to another new year. Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, the Winter Solstice, the spirit of Santa, or just the happiness of being together, we at Farmer’s Body hope that you are happy, healthy, and hearty this holiday season.