Christmas arrives in only a couple more sleeps!
There are so many holiday traditions that are shared across households and loved ones. For fun this year, the Wingman crew wanted to share our traditions with all of you. Enjoy!
Wingman Crew Holiday Traditions
Britt
Growing up, we always got to open one present on Christmas Eve and the rest on Christmas morning. Stockings were opened first on Christmas morning. They were always my favourite! Christmas dinner was a potluck shared with my mom’s very large, loud and loving family. Each family would bring a dish. This is probably why I love potlucks so much. My grandfather’s seafood chowder recipe is the best! I miss loud holidays filled with amazing food.
David & Lisa
This is Lisa and my 25th Christmas together. In those years, we have blended our own family traditions to create new ones for us and our daughters. Christmas Eve is always ‘Appetizers Night’ which means we pig out on chicken wings, spring rolls, potato skins and more. Since Lisa always got to open one gift the night before, we have been doing that every year together. Then, we put out the cookies and milk for Santa Claus and a special oats/carrots/sparkles blend for the reindeer. I read “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas” and “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” to everyone before bed. In the morning, the stockings can be opened but all other presents are off limits until after breakfast, which always includes a version of my mom’s Christmas fruit bread (like stollen bread but less sweet). Yummy! It doesn’t matter if it is a rich or poor year, Christmas in our house is always magical.
Vivian
Every Christmas Eve for as long as I can remember, I go to my cousin’s house (her birthday is also on December 24th). My entire HUGE extended family is always there, including all my cousins, second cousins, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, grandparents – there are easily 100 people or more. It’s always a blast getting to see everyone, eat roast beef and gravy, and get up to crazy shenanigans with my cousins! I also have cousin birthdays on December 21st and 22nd, AND my brother’s birthday is on the 23rd, so that week is a busy time of year for my family! As a result, we don’t really celebrate Christmas until the actual day of, apart from putting up the tree and decorations a few weeks prior.
Mason
Santa would come early, and we would always open presents on Christmas Eve. We would always travel to spend Christmas Day with extended family, so Christmas always came a day early for my family. Travelling to see extended family and spending Christmas Day, Boxing Day, and New Years with everyone was always special.
Kevin
Every Christmas, my immediate family always has a feast where each person contributes a dinner item made by them. No phones, TVs, tablets, or any other tech that would distract us from the moment. Almost all my mom’s career working in Canada was being a chef at various restaurants, but the one she worked at the longest specialized in rotisserie chicken. Because of this, we never really ate chicken at the dinner table—especially for Christmas. Instead, she would always make roast beef for us. Being the chef she is, she would always try to tweak and improve her recipe. I have fond memories of always being her little helper.
Adriana
In Honduras, Christmas isn’t celebrated on the 25th. The actual celebrations and family gatherings usually happen on the 24th. We eat an unhealthy number of tamales and wait for the clock to announce midnight. At midnight, everyone goes to the streets to play with illegal fireworks and to have more tamales.
Wingman Crew Anecdotes and Foibles
Britt
My father was a cartoonist, and he did window paintings for a while in my early years. I always loved disturbing his studio to see his cartoons and sketches. This one year, he did a large Merry Christmas window painting complete with Rudolph and Snowmen on OUR window. That was the best, I loved it so much! It filled me with pride to know that all my friends could see how great my dad was.
David & Lisa
Our families are scattered across the country, so the big Christmas meal hasn’t always been a massive gathering. One year before having kids, the only family members not sharing time with their married families were Lisa, my oldest brother and myself. Since we had no big dinner to go to, we jumped in the car and drove to Banff. On Christmas afternoon, we ate and drank (and drank) at The Grizzly House, having Christmas fondue until they kicked us out to spend time with their own families.
Vivian
I don’t really have an embarrassing moment myself, but…the year they turned 18, a couple family members who will remain nameless had a little too much to drink at the family Christmas Eve party. They ended up passed out in the basement for the whole extended family to see!
Mason
My Christmas’s are pretty uneventful. I don’t really have an embarrassing or uniquely eventful story that truly stands out. ☹
Kevin
My siblings and I were very into Power Rangers when we were young. So much so that we would re-create their signature poses after defeating the big bad enemy each episode—with picture evidence. I shudder every time I look at those Christmas photos.
Adriana
My parents made one of their friends call me every single year pretending to be Santa Claus. I got so excited every year waiting for the call until I was old enough to “match” the voices.
Wingman Traditions that will Continue for Years to Come
Britt
In the hustle and bustle of Christmas, we got to spend relaxing time as a family together by going out to dinner on Christmas Eve. Since moving to Calgary, I’ve continued this tradition by dining in or taking out from a Chinese restaurant each year. This is something I’ve continued to do with my kids. I don’t think I’ve missed one Christmas Eve and I likely never will.
David & Lisa
Every year, we purchase/create/acquire a special tree ornament that reminds us of something from that year. The very first Christmas Lisa and I spent together, we received a white lace dove that sits at the top of our tree just below the star or angel. Some Disney voyage years, we have put out Wall-E or Maleficent ornaments. Other years were special because of ‘Baby’s First Christmas’ or the like. By the time Lisa and I share 80 Christmases together, we will need a much bigger tree!
Vivian
Seeing my entire extended family every Christmas Eve! We’re all so close and it’s mind-blowing to see how tall my younger cousins grow every year.
Mason
My girlfriend and I have a tradition that on Christmas morning we have cinnamon buns and mimosas for breakfast before we open presents – this is a tradition I have no problem continuing until I’m old.
Kevin
As I grow older, the more I realize how important it is to spend time with the people I love—both family and friends—and cherish their company. The tradition that I plan on continuing is always making time to see the people that I love during the holidays.
Adriana
This is going to be my first Christmas living with my boyfriend, so we’re looking forward to creating new traditions together. We might go for a Christmas hike or bake a giant wheel of Brie cheese… who knows?
‘Twas the Blog Before Christmas
‘Twas the blog before Christmas and stuck in his home
Was a Wingman Crew Chief writing this poem
The posts are all pre-scheduled on calendars with care
Hoping each of them will be liked, commented and shared
Our keywords all listed with Google and Bing
In hopes that new leads ol’ Santa will bring
The crew all resting up for a year of curated presents
Timely articles delivered with viral-inducing content
Designers, coordinators and interns all talking automation
Deciding should Wingman stay local or cross the nation
Our clients all nestled knowing their marketing is handled
While Wingman’s crew members light holiday candles
New trends were seen trending, to our keyboards we went
Optimized words created, timely hashtags all relevant
Our clients’ websites would be found and then to conversion
Sales funnels all filled with money-in-hand, ready-to-buy persons
…and so on. 😊
From the Wingman Crew Chief and our amazing crew: Merry Christmas, Seasons Greetings, Happy Holidays, and all the very best in 2021!