This time of year brings a lot of joy to people’s lives. There are the warm, cozy drinks, the powdery snowfall, the colorful lights & decorations, and the general good cheer for all. It’s a magical time.
Here at Omni, Christmas cards adorn the front desk, the Christmas tree shines throughout the day and the red poinsettias add a pop of color to get us into the Christmas spirit. So that got us thinking – why do people love the holidays? We reached out to our employees for some help and asked them: What do they love about the holidays? What special tradition do they have? What’s a favorite food they look forward to eating? Check out what they had to say.
Seeing family & decorating the house. This year Santa gets to come so I’m excited to start our own family traditions. – Stacy K.
Stacy and her husband get to start new traditions with their little girl Sydney!
I love the holidays because everyone is in a good mood. One of my favorite things to do is attend midnight mass. A special tradition we have is making snow angles – weather permitting. My favorite food to indulge in over the holiday is bacon wrapped water chestnuts. – JoAnn Z.
I love the food – especially cookies on Christmas Day. My favorite thing to do is spend time catching up with family. My special tradition is having an Irish Cream Whiskey on Christmas Eve. – Chris B.
The best treat during Christmas is the eggnog – hands-down. My birthday is just 2 days removed from Christmas, so my family always goes to the movies with me during that weekend, and I get to pick the movie (kind of like a birthday/Christmas present) . And I love to get time to spend with my family and reminisce about old times. – Rick B.
Our Christmas Eve traditions have always been special to me. In the morning, my sisters and I go shopping with our dad for my mom’s Christmas presents. We go to breakfast and then help dad pick out something mom would like. (He needs a little help sometimes!) That evening we attend the candlelight service at our church where my sisters and I sing. Following that we all go to my parents for holiday snacks and punch and the kiddos get to open one present…always new Christmas pajamas. It’s just a great day with the perfect mix of family, food, shopping and most of all focusing on the real reason for Christmas…Jesus! Christmas Eve is my favorite day of the year! – Rachel V.
Rachel Vincent’s children Carter and Halli enjoyed hanging out with Rudolph while getting their Christmas tree!
I love the holidays because I get to see family and friends. A special tradition we have is making our own 4’ diameter wreath for the front of our house. My favorite food is scalloped potatoes and ham. My favorite thing do to with family and friends is go on ice fishing trips. – Chris H.
Chris Herb’s kids pick out their Christmas tree for the holiday season!
Our family tradition is baking and candy making! Growing up, we made cut-outs every year (usually about 30 dozen). Now my family and I dedicate two completed weekends in December to make cookies. We have help from my mom, Aunt, sister, sister-in-law, six kids, and any friends who wanted to join in the “fun.” Our top producing year, the first weekend we made about 25 dozen of each type of cookie: Cut-out, chocolate chip, peanut butter, oatmeal, snicker doodle, and macadamia nut. In addition, 25 dozen of each type of chocolates: peanut butter balls, peanut clusters, hockey pucks (two Ritz crackers with peanut butter/marshmallow crème between, dipping in chocolate), and white chocolate covered pretzels. The second weekend was devoted to breads. We made four different Amish Bread flavors (Chocolate Chip, Lemon Poppy seed, Cinnamon, and Apple Raisin) plus Pumpkin bread, for a total of about 500 mini-loaves of bread. My sister and brother live next door to each other, and each has two ovens, so we would have four ovens baking bread at a time! We’ve drastically cut down on amounts and variety since then, but it’s still something we all look forward to every year. – Julie S.
The holidays are my favorite time of year. I really love all the winter colors and themes. My wife and I love to drive around looking at the Christmas light displays around town. We also love to decorate our house for Christmas. A special tradition that my in-laws do is spend Christmas in Charleston, SC, which is beautiful during the holidays (and warm). – Will M.
I enjoy watching the younger kids open their gifts. The expressions/actions are priceless. Having a few glasses of holiday cheer is nice too. – Tim F.
I love the holidays because I get to see family from out of state and watch lots of college football games, and catch up on what’s going on in their lives while grazing all the food. A special tradition we have is driving around to see the Christmas lights after church on Christmas Eve. – Jim B.
A special tradition we have is I will come with up some “fun/crazy” thing that I make or buy and wrap it and everyone has to pick from the pile of wrapped items, and then they have to model – adults and kids! – Kayleen H.
I love the holidays because you get to have fun with friends and family, drink beer, hunt deer and get all dressed up for New Year’s Eve. A special tradition we have is driving around to look at the yards/houses with excessive decoration and lights. Right now, we are trying to keep my son from destroying the Christmas tree. – Erik R.
This time of year is the best because there is always a happy, cheerful feeling in the air! My husband and I love Christmas so we always look forward to decorating the house, picking out a tree and decorating it, and hanging up Christmas lights! I love spoiling my family and friends with lots of presents especially my three nieces. – Kari S.
Kari Seefeldt’s tree glowing bright and filled with presents underneath.
There is a change that comes over our Nation as we prepare for Christmas. Folks become more giving. In the news there are reports of “Pay it forward” lines that go on for hours at Starbuck’s and Dunkin’ Doughnuts. Anonymous people walk into various stores and pay off every ones layaway gifts. The Green Bay Packers donate a truckload of turkeys and hams to Pauls’ Pantry. There are Christmas specials and movies that I watched with my parents, which I watched with my own children, and now my grandchildren watch those same specials and movies. Special foods are prepared! In my home growing up, it was Pffernussen, Christstollen and other multi-syllabic German desserts. I had the fortune of growing up in Milwaukee and having friends from a broad spectrum of ethnic groups and every home had its own unique dishes for the Holidays. Everywhere there are lights. We bedeck our homes and the trees we raise in them with lights. Even the smallest towns will have some night time displays on their little main streets. The remotest farmhouses will be decorated with lights and sometimes even the silos. All remind us that the light of the world is Jesus. – Craig S.
Fudge is one of my favorite holiday foods! I crave the cheap, home-made stuff using chocolate chips and a jar of marshmallow fluff! It is one of my favorite memories of Christmastime and making holiday candy and cookies with my mom. (And licking all the spoons and bowls wasn’t bad either!) – Greta A.
I love the holidays because you can eat and drink and eat and drink some more! It’s also the best time to go snowmobiling. – Bill R.
The holidays are the best time of year because you get to spend time with family and talk and catch up! – Bob L.
Watching my children open their presents and spending time with my wife, kids and the dog is why I love the holidays. – Jeremy J.
I love the holidays because I get to go home and visit family. My favorite thing is having all the kids and grand kids around to enjoy food and presents. It’s such a joy to see the kid’s excitement. A special tradition we have is looking at photo albums together every year. My favorite food is a cheese roll my mother always made. – Rhonda A.
From all of us at Omni Glass & Paint, we wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
