Photo by Carolyn Coles

Bye-bye, 2009. Isn’t there something refreshing and relieving about seeing those numbers change on a calendar? Even if you’re in the middle of a mental meltdown, the new year promises a clean slate. A fresh start. New beginnings.

We asked some Matadorians for their 2010 resolutions. The overall theme? Dream big and aim high!

Michelle Schusterman wants to (finally) live comfortably off her writing and music in a way that gives her the freedom to travel.

Carlo Alcos is about to embark on the journey of a lifetime with his wife, and will be spending most of his time on the road. He writes:

I think we’ll be trying our best to put into practice some lessons we’ve learned from past travels, like going with the flow more and trying not to get angry at things (like overcharging). We will attempt to let things roll of our backs more and just behave in a more relaxed manner.

Photo by ahisgett

He’s also participating in a little project called No Complaints Mate, with the goal of going 21 straight days without a single complaint.

And, of course, Carlo wants to progress with his writing.

Christine Garvin would like to welcome in the new year by resolving to keep her heart open as much as possible, being more efficient in just about everything, and making more money.

JoAnna Haugen’s big plan? Learning how to speak Spanish!

Hal Amen is putting down roots and becoming a home-owner: him and his wife would like to own a house before 2011.

Mike Lynch wants to limit the focus on his writing and dedicate more time to his one and only true love, his camera.

Adam Roy will attempt to live without any fear whatsoever.

Matt Scott will spend less time reading about traveling and more time actually traveling.

Andy Hayes’ resolution is simple: travel more, pack less, travel slower, enjoy more.

Lola Akinmade has resolved to live each day with continued gratitude and contentment.

Last but not least, Daniel Nahabedian wants to improve the world by spreading a smile everywhere he goes, raising global warming in the hearts of people instead of the climate, and traveling the world as much as possible to learn from different cultures. He also hopes to become a travel blogger and to start earning a living with his photography.

But his most poignant aspiration? “Just love.”

As for me, I resolve not to make any resolutions. I’m holding onto 2009 for dear life, because it was an amazing year and I’m not sure 2010 can top it. Thank you, fellow Matadorians, for being the loving support group to my Internet life. Best wishes for 2010!

Community Connection

What is your New Year resolution?

Photo by comedy_nose

One evening, while flicking through television channels with eyes glazed and brain only partially functioning, my ears perked up when I came across an interview with Franke James.

Franke, an artist, photographer and writer whose mission is to do something green and document it, runs a blog out of Toronto using visual essays to portray her art. In the interview, she talks about how she received a random email one day from a stranger with a bold idea.

The premise

The original email is highlighted in her account of the event, a gorgeous visual essay complete with colorful graphics and photographs of the participants. The stranger turned out to be a man named Mark Shouldice who had stumbled upon her blog and was impressed with her work. He proposed to Franke that if she prepared a full meal for him and a guest, he would donate $200 to a charity of her choice.

The table is set

Naturally, Franke was skeptical. But just two hours after replying to Mark’s email, a donation had been made to the Yonge Street Mission’s Christmas dinner and a vegetarian dinner with a stranger had been arranged.

Of course, it also helped to Google his name and to pick up small pieces of information.

Photo by AMagill

The outcome

In an interview, Franke says things were not the least bit awkward between her, Mark and his guest, Hilary. Throughout the course of the evening, Franke learned about Mark’s teaching career, his art school project, and his documentary film nights, as well as Hilary’s career as a nurse and her time working in Rwanda on an AIDS/HIV project.

The whole idea got me thinking. If this project could work in such a major city like Toronto, how well would it work in other smaller cities? How amazing would it be to meet somebody new on a whim, whether you’re the donor or the host? This might be one case where talking to strangers is a fantastic idea.

As Franke says on her blog, she had started out having dinner with two strangers, but by the end of the evening, she was dining with two friends. As a result, 77 homeless people were fed from Mark’s generous donation.

COMMUNITY CONNECTION

If you could dine with any stranger, who would it be? Why?

It’s incredible how a few kind words go such a long way. These creative notes left in random places show just how simple it is to make someone’s day.

Notes enroute

Photo by JoAnna Haugen

Photo by JoAnna Haugen

JoAnna combined her passion for travel with Operation Beautiful to spread the word while on the road. The first note was left on the tray tables in row 12 of Alaska Airlines flight 610 from Las Vegas to Seattle, while the second note was left on a bathroom door in Seattle’s Sea-Tac airport.

Dance to feel beautiful

Photo by Karin Norgard

Karin Norgard, a dance teacher in Alaska, shares her thoughts on the project:

I love dance because it makes people feel more confident about, expressive with, and connected to their bodies. So when I heard about Operation Beautiful, I immediately posted a note to my dance students at the health club in Anchorage, Alaska, where I teach. Its message not only builds up men and women who may feel self-conscious as they learn and start to open up, it reminds me why I love dancing and teaching my passion to others. It has also given me an extra dose of inspiration when writing articles on dance for my website, Joy in Motion. The response I get from a simple post-it note and from my articles is one and the same: people are excited about learning to love their bodies as well as their spirits.

Reaching out to all generations

Photo submitted by Ann Schroeder

Ann Schroeder of Relate Magazine, an online publication dedicated to inspiring teens to follow their dreams with confidence, wrote us to say the magazine had recently partnered with Caitlin and Operation Beautiful to reach the Relate audience. She writes: “The most memorable and surprising submissions were from the age groups which submitted. We had women from their offices submitting as well as teens submitting. It was a great feeling to see these notes start flooding in.”

The note above, posted to a co-worker’s computer screen, was submitted by a woman working in an office in St. Louis.

Dare to be humiliated

Photo by Joannaline C. Young

Joannaline, a MatadorU student, was so inspired by the Operation Beautiful project that she also wrote about it at WorldNewsVine. She posted seven post-its in seven different magazines, using Spanish to appeal to a wider audience. She writes: “I looked around me about every 2 seconds to make sure no one knew what I was doing. I pretended to take out a book from the shelf as people walked by. At every snapshot, I felt a rush of adrenaline immediately followed by a sense of triumph.” She concluded the possibility of humiliation was definitely worth it.

Starting with the kids

Photo by Debbie Oser

Debbie Oser is a “mompreneur” raising two boys, ages five and eight. Her company, Keeping it Positive, sells Positive Affirmation products. She writes: “I started the business after seeing how Positive Affirmations changed our sons’ attitude and behavior to be more self-assured and confident. I knew that I wanted to help spread this confidence to as many children and adults as I could.”

Debbie posted her note in the girls bathroom of her son’s elementary school in North Wales, PA.

Musical inspiration

Photo by JeBron

Singer/songwriter JeBron left this note in his home in Atlanta, Georgia, for a loved one to find. He says, ”When I placed this post-it, I was thinking to myself, what could I do to make a woman feel beautiful?”

Those tough decisions

Photo by Sarah Nelson

Sarah describes this note posted in Austin, Texas, as “decision making made beautiful.”

Thanks everyone, for your creative contributions!

COMMUNITY CONNECTION:

How do you help reinforce positive body images? Share your comments below.

Photo by Hal Amen

The editors, writers and interns for Matador are spread from Argentina to Australia, but regardless of where on the road we reside, we’ve all got a few favorite moments that we dig up every holiday season. Here’s a look at how we celebrate the happiest time of the year:

Now that she lives across the country from her family, Abbie and her boyfriend have started going to IHOP for breakfast on Christmas morning.

Candice also celebrates with a foodie tradition … coconut snowball cookies, a variety of whiskeys, Christmas rum cake, Christmas pudding, and copious amounts of cookies. And then there’s the watered-down Purity syrup. “Sound gross, but it’s delish,” Candice says.

Hal takes the time to think about the original meaning of Christmas:

My wife is from the small town of Winterport, near Bangor, Maine. Every year on the weekend before Christmas, the town puts on a costumed pageant outside a church on Main Street to tell the story of the nativity. Local kids play the parts of Mary, Joseph, the three kings, et al., and live animals simulate the manger atmosphere (llamas from a local’s farm were used this year—a nice touch for us as we just got back from a year in South America).

The scenes are narrated, and the 10-minute production is punctuated by carols sung by the 100 or so folks in attendance, ending with everyone converging on the manger while singing “Silent Night.” It’s a nice annual reminder that American community roots aren’t just the stuff of Christmas movies.

Photo by Hal Amen

Matador’s managing editor, Julie and her family have grown tired of “doing Christmas.”

“Though we loved all the traditional rituals of Christmas—the tree, the dinner and gift giving—it had become too stressful, so we decided to see what it would be like to take a vacation from—and for—Christmas,” she says. “The first year, we went to the Florida Keys and rented a home there. This year, we’ll be going back to Florida, borrowing the house of a friend who’s going to visit family out west. We’ll cook, but no elaborate meal, and any gifts will probably be lavished on my daughter… it’s her first Christmas.”

Lola recalls the traditions she grew up with in a very religious household in Nigeria:

Christmas morning was spent in church. We’d come back home to a huge meal; its base ingredients being some form of rice and chicken or turkey. Exchanging gifts wasn’t really a huge deal growing up, but time spent with family and extended relatives was key. Aunts and uncles and other random people we called auntie and uncle swung in and out of our house throughout the day, bringing more food and hampers; which are baskets filled with edible goodies.

Nowadays, Nigerians are weaving more Western traditions surrounding the holiday into their own lifestyles—fully decked-out trees, stuffed stockings, twinkling lights, presents galore.

Same with New Year’s Eve. We’d ring in the New Year in church coupled with some fireworks and we’d return home to trays of yummy sardine sandwiches, British biscuits and tea.

Paul, who’s living in Berlin, tells us how to celebrate a festive holiday season—German style. His girlfriend’s family goes to church the afternoon of December 24th and afterward is the ‘beschehrung,’ the giving of presents to each other, which takes place after dinner (though kids get their gifts before dinner). Christmas dinner usually consists of roast meat or sausages with potato salad and sometimes trout or herring.

And from Christine, who celebrates all things Christmas on Christmas Eve because her birthday is on Christmas Day:

We’ve always celebrated Christmas on Christmas Eve. When I was a child, my dad would always take me somewhere, to a movie or a football game, or to drive around and look at the houses covered in lights during the afternoon of December 24th. When we got back home, Santa would have made his visit, and presents surrounded the tree. For many years, I thought Santa came early for me because he knew my birthday was on Christmas Day, and he wanted me to be able to have separate presents. It wasn’t until I was about 23 that I found out it is a German tradition to celebrate on Christmas Eve.

Photo by JoAnna Haugen

Neha, who writes from Croatia, rings in the new year by lighting a traditional Indian brass lamp. “The hope is that the light brings forth a good year, and continues to shine on, bringing happiness, prosperity and luck,” she says.

As for me, my husband and I like to keep the holidays low-key. We make candy for the neighbors—chocolate-dipped pretzels, peanut brittle and peanut butter fudge are favorites—and always watch The Muppet Christmas Carol. But my most favorite tradition is reading The Best Christmas Pageant Ever out loud together while sipping hot chocolate.

Community Connection:

Now it’s your turn to tell us … what is your favorite holiday tradition?

- Leigh Shulman and Candice Walsh. Feature photo by Let’s Eat.

1. Here’s a sink dressed up in pastel colors and checkerboard print found in a chalet in Alsace. Photo by socaloca

2.Part of me wants to clean up the muck splattered all over, but mostly, I’m taken in by the collision of color. Photo by Philo Nordlund.

3. A decrepit sink in an abandoned house on the eastern plains of Colorado. Photo by vjstark.

4. This sink comes from an exhibit not-surprisingly titled “Everything But the Kitchen Sink” at the Fine Arts Center of Kershaw County, South Carolina. The original sink-art by Keith Tolen is called Sink-e-delic. The photographer calls his sink photo Testing Twittergram. Photo by raggedj.

5. Sink graffiti, from Paris. The photographer explains how you find them all over the city in different colors. Photo by reel aesthete.

6. You never know what you’ll pass along the way. This sink looks like it somehow belongs all shiny, clean and among the weeds. Photo by DPhotoOP.

7.Flamingos in the sink. Of course there are. Photo by ricko.

8. Underneath the sink. The parts you rarely notice unless they stop working. Photo by jhhwild.

9. Every sink should have a window over it, so your eyes can drift to the outside world while you’re finishing those mundane chores. The photographer calls the photo “Canning Day,” but it’s the striking blue scene outside the window you notice first. That and the evil strawberry on the wall. Photo by MizMagee.

10. This sink took part in the 2008 Museum of Modern Art exhibit titled “Home Delivery.” Want to see more from this exhibit? Photo by Scott Norsworthy.

COMMUNITY CONNECTION

These photographs attempt to take the mundane, boring kitchen sink and turn it into something different. Do they succeed? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below.

Photo by imcountingufoz

Can’t get enough of Twitter? Belgian researchers have come up with a way to get your toddlers hooked, too. Meet Twoddler, a prototype activity centre guaranteed to make your kid tech saavy.

The brilliant thing about Twoddler is that your kid doesn’t need to be a child prodigy to use it. The activity center, jazzed up with attractive playthings, sends texts to a Twitter account based on how the child interacts with it. For example, pressing a picture of Daddy will submit a tweet saying something like “Daniel loves his daddy.”

Toddlers can also communicate with other toddlers via Twoddlers by pressing certain lights or buttons. See? There’s no need to take precious time out to teach your child how to speak, it simply isn’t needed.

Other people, however, are concerned that such a gadget will make kids more “socially inept.” Watch the video, and judge for yourself.

Twoddler: Twittering Toddlers from Bart Swennen on Vimeo.

COMMUNITY CONNECTION:

What do you think? Brilliant new toy, or total waste of time?

Photo by Lisa_at_home2002

I’ve had my share of screaming family arguments. They leave me feeling hurt, angry, horribly unbalanced and almost never lead to anything positive. There’s been quite a bit of trial and error, but these are the things that help me remain calm and collected during sometimes difficult family time.

If you know who someone is, then you know what to expect from them.

It could be a constant stream of questions. Or maybe it’s the look your mom gets on her face when she sees your new haircut. Or how your brother starts every freakin’ sentence with “You really should…” Or any of the other fun family stereotypes that drive us batty.

You feel put on the spot, completely misunderstood and unheard because, quite frankly, you don’t ever intend on marrying some nice boy or “settling down” in the way they think you should.

Don’t let it hook you. Yes, easier said than done, but when you know a question is coming, why allow it to make you angry? Prepare for it instead. Have a joke ready in response. Stuff a roll in your mouth. Or just smile hugely, lean in and give your inquisitor an enormous hug.

The trick is in knowing you have no obligation to respond unless you really want. If you do choose to respond, here are some tips to avoid saying something you’ll ultimately regret..

Photo by Computerjoe

Don’t drink or do drugs if you know they have a negative impact on your emotions and behavior.

Pretty simple, actually. If your inhibitions will be lowered, leaving you more likely to get into an argument, don’t imbibe. You can always meet up with your favorite cousin later and discuss over a drink how grandma detailed every moment of her last bowel movement while serving the roasted potatoes with brown sauce. Yum!

Don’t expect more from people than is fair to expect.

Relationships go in phases, and you will not get along with everyone all the time. Some family members are simply different than you. You don’t see the world in the same way, and thus, you don’t get why your aunt prefers to live in an elaborate apartment in New York City while she may never understand your desire to travel through the Mekong Delta with only a backpack and shoes.

Accept it with grace and ease and talk about the things you have in common. I find children seem to be a binding point for many. They can distract you with their games, and two adults who disagree on everything can usually find something they both love about the smallest members of the family.

Make time to take care of yourself.

Do you need occasional time alone? Would you prefer your deeply offensive uncle stay far away? Are you vegetarian? Make a list of the things you most need in order to feel sane and comfortable.

Photo by Lefthand

Of course, there’s a fine line between addressing your needs and being flat out needy, so perhaps choose your top three and work toward making them a reality.

At first, family may be offended, but over time, I promise they’ll get used to it if they’re rational and see that you’re making an effort to be part of the group in other ways. If they’re not rational, there’s no point in rearranging your life and behavior to accommodate someone who will likely never be pleased.

Pick your battles very wisely

Sometimes we want things our own way because we’re feeling pressured, disrespected or unheard. While these may all be good reasons to stand up for yourself, you have to decide whether the family Christmas dinner or New Year’s party is the best time to address them.

Fight only for what you need to take care of yourself, not for what you think should be or what you believe is fair. Fair tends to lose meaning, anyway, when faced with so many personalities, desires and personal philosophies.

If you do fight, do so with humor and sensitivity.

Don’t approach anyone in the throes of anger. Instead, take some time to compose yourself, focus on which issues are most important to you, then address those things directly. State them as a reflection of your feelings and experience, not as an accusation.

Example: It makes me uncomfortable when you make racist comments in front of my African girlfriend.

If your family member makes excuses, don’t get sucked into an attempt to justify yourself. Just repeat, I hear what you’re saying, but it makes me uncomfortable when you make racist comments in front of my girlfriend.

It isn’t easy to remain calm and friendly while restating the same thing like a broken record, but you’ll be surprised at how well this works.

Don’t discuss past details, either.

Details tend to lead to more details and pointless discussion. Next thing you know, you’re screaming about five years ago when Uncle Phil trotted out his travel tidbit of how Brazil is beautiful, if only there weren’t so many brown people it. Yes, Uncle Phil is a schmuck, but it’s not going to address your situation sitting at the dinner table in the here and now.

Walk away if you feel you’re not getting the response you want or feel yourself getting angry.

Everyone Loses It Sometimes

It’s not an inexcusable character flaw to make a mistake. Calm down. Try again or don’t. Take time alone. Or choose another way to disconnect from the drama.

Photo by Symic

Remember, losing your temper is not the end of the world, no matter what anyone else says about it, and no one is exempt from slipping up.

All in all, it’s important to see each visit as its own entity. No matter how much history, practice or experience you have with a person, what happens during one visit exists as a distinct event from anything else that has ever happened in your life and times with your family member. Each family event is just one opportunity to add a bead to the string of positive experiences.

Then, you go back to your own life.

COMMUNITY CONNECTION:

How do you cope with family stress over the holidays? Share your insights and experience in the comments.

Photos by schuey

If you’re like me, the horror of spending hundreds of dollars on presents, decorations, food and merrymaking is difficult to stomach when your feet are wrapped in plastic bags to protect against dampness. On the other hand, it’s an incredible time to show your appreciation to loved ones and to celebrate the finer things in life. Below are some alternative ways to spice up the season without leaving you scrounging for pennies.
  
Leave a large pot of apple cider with whole cinnamon on the stove — Your house will smell great and you have something on hand to offer guests. Leave a bottle of rum nearby for those who want the extra kick.
 
Make your own salt body scrubs to hand out as gifts — Using three parts kosher salt and one part regular sea salt (non-iodized), pour in an oil of your choice. The supermarket offers all sorts of options like grape seed, almond, olive and sunflower oil. Grape and sunflower tend to be lighter and better for sensitive, darker or oily skin. Olive and nut oils work for dry, paler skin. You can also substitute white or brown sugar for the salt.

For a fancier effect, grind up herbs like lavender and calendula or add a few drops of essential oils. Lavender is soothing, tea tree is cleansing, and bergamot offers a great smell.

Photo by Baying Hound

Adorn your tree with origami decorations – Using any type of paper, including recycled paper, you can create paper animals, birds, and other objects to hang from the tree. The craft is simple, and children will love it.
 
Buy environmentally-friendly gifts – While greener doesn’t necessarily mean cheaper, it’s still a good idea to keep ecology in mind with economy. Refer to The Ultimate Green Christmas and Holiday Guide for some gift-giving ideas, and then consider recycled wrapping paper to accompany your generosity.

Make your own gift wrapping – Get creative and have the kids express their artistic side by creating their own wrapping paper. You can let them think they’re having fun with sponge or potato stamps, paints and brown paper bags, when really they’re doing all the hard work for you.

Eat for less — Paying less doesn’t mean a low quality meal. For example, don’t get caught up in fancy packagings and brand names; the no-name brand tastes just as good as the others.

Reducing your food consumption will also help: do not prepare too many side dishes, and buy a cheaper turkey. Don’t worry, your family will still get fed. Take the time to prepare your food rather than buying expensive pre-made equivalents at the supermarket.

Purchase LED lights — Ok, so this suggestion is pricey to begin with, but is another environmentally responsible decision to make when decorating the tree or house. Also, because the lights are so energy efficient, the long-term effects are super beneficial: LED lights only use a fraction of the regular lights used during the holiday, and can save up to $50 per holiday season for a household.

COMMUNITY CONNECTION:

How do you cut corners for the holidays? Share your wisdom in the comments!
 

Photos by Sejal Saraiya

Beads of sweat develop on his forehead as he smears a generous lump of fresh green chutney onto two slices of bread. It is a busy day for him, Mondays usually are. Young boys huddle around his tiny wooden booth in their school uniforms—pants folded to keep the sand off their clothes–so that their parents don’t find out about their furtive excursion to the beach. I realize it’s going to take a while before I can place my order.

He pulls the grubby napkin resting across his shoulder and wipes off the sweat. Then, pushing it back to where it belongs, he begins to slice tomatoes, onions, potatoes and finally cucumbers, swiftly but nimbly, and tosses them onto the bread with such precision that every bite of the sandwich has a bit of each vegetable.

It is nearly evening, but the heat is piercing. The tide is low. Grey clouds traverse slowly from the Arabian Sea. The street children have seized this scorching hour to play cricket. Their tan skins burn to chocolate brown but they play passionately because the boys from Young Guns Soccer League will invade their space in the evening for their daily, after-college, beach soccer practice.

I sit on the wooden bench by his stall and dig my toes into the cool damp sand. The paint is wearing off, and green specks stick onto my moist palm. The inevitable smell of camels reminds me of my early childhood, of days when my mother used to bring us here—my sister and I—for camel rides in the evenings. 10 rupees per ride. There are no camels on the beach anymore. Nor is anything offered for just 10 rupees.

A woman sits next to me on the bench and munches her sandwich greedily. Her son tugs at her saree impatiently. She’s probably South Indian because she talks swiftly, swallowing alphabets. She’s thin and dark-skinned, and has a garland of mogra (jasmine) in her oiled hair. The fusion of the two smells—the flowers and the oil—is repelling. Her son bursts into tears and she trashes her half-eaten sandwich exasperatedly [and shamelessly] onto the beach and lifts her son into her arms. They walk towards the sea swiftly.

A dog totters to the tomatoes and now-soggy bread lying on the sand and licks it, wagging its tail. The driver in a Lexus, parked on the road not too far from the beach, honks impatiently to remind the sandwich wallah that ‘madam’—the wife of the owner of the Lexus—doesn’t have all day, and that he should hurry up.

The clouds are overhead, and it’s starting to cool. Two women in a traditional salwar kameez and white Nike sports shoes—quite obviously here for their evening brisk walk—walk past me, hardly briskly, quite tired, talking loudly, their buttocks jutting out. I can’t help but chuckle. Not too far away, the South Indian woman enters the sea in her saree. I’m nervous for her, her saree could come loose against the force of the water, but I notice that she’s not the only one. There are many tourists from other, non coastal parts of India, in sarees swimming in the sea.

The crowd around the sandwich wallah finally subsides. I place my order. “Ek Veg cheese grilled sandwich. I hate potatoes and onions in my sandwich and he must know that. “Bina alu aur kaanda…” I continue, but he has already started making the sandwich. The clouds are approaching and I have an hour’s jog on the beach before I get home to get ready for my cousin’s wedding. Not too far away, the coconut vendor is shaving off the top of coconuts dexterously. I’m thirsty. I hand over a twenty rupee note to the sandwich wallah and accept my grilled sandwich—packed in yesterday’s newspaper. I hold it tight as I walk to the coconut vendor. “Ek Nariyal paani.”

COMMUNITY CONNECTION:

Want to realize your dream of becoming a successful travel writer? Check out MatadorU to learn more about Matador’s own online travel writing program.

Photo by *~Dawn~*

Everyone has those holiday traditions that conjure up nostalgic memories of years gone past. Some traditions are quiet and reflective, others are just downright strange. Here are a few new ones you should try if you’re looking to shake things up a little.

Get out and enjoy the quiet morning of December 25 – For those who don’t celebrate Christmas, like Matador Life’s Jewish editor Leigh Shulman, December 25 isn’t filled with frenzy. Instead, she likes to get up before the rest of the world and take a walk, especially in New York City:

“The streets are cold, sometimes I’m lucky and there’s a new dusting of snow on the ground. Since the rest of the city will either be sleeping in or heading to their presents under the tree, the only footprints in the snow are mine. There are no cars or people around, the only sounds I hear are people in their homes, making breakfast in the kitchen. I can hear kids squealing as they open their gifts. Sometimes you can smell burnt sugar and coffee wafting from the windows as you walk by.”

Get creative with your tree – Sick of the garland, tinsel, gaudy ornaments and flashy stars? How about a lobster trap tree, or a giant Pac Man ensemble?

Mummering, or Jannying – This is without a doubt one of the most absurd holiday traditions from my Canadian province, Newfoundland.

Mummering entails a group of individuals going door to door in a community, dressed in absurd disguises of pillowcases over heads, mitts on feet, bras on the outside of clothes, and anything else that will render a person indistinguishable.

At each home, the hosts guess the identities behind the masks, and a party breaks out with whiskey and fiddle music. For a better idea of this monumental ocassion, check out Simani’s music video.

Photo by NealeA

Order Chinese food – Whether you celebrate Christmas or not, combining two cultures reflects the harmonious spirit of the holidays. Swap the turkey and cranberry sauce with chow mein and sweet and sour chicken.

Attend a Midnight Mass – I’m not a religious person, but attending midnight mass at my town’s Catholic church with my grandmother was something I looked forward to every year. It’s hard to not feel moved among family and friends as you’re standing inside your town’s most prominent structure, surrounded by hundreds of lit candles, with the choir raising the hair on the back of your neck.

Picnic and swimming – If you live where it never snows, make like the Australians and head to the beach. Pack a picnic basket loaded with a fancy dinner, and enjoy a meal in the sand without having to worry about the conditions of the roads or if the driveway needs to be shovelled.

Mari Lwyd, the “gray mare” – This pagan midwinter custom hails from the Wales and is kind of like carolling, except with a horse’s skull and a person dressed up in costume. The horse skull and entourage go to houses or pubs, singing introductory verses outside the front door, and then engaging in challenges and rhyming insults with the household/pub until someone finally backs down.

COMMUNITY CONNECTION

Do you or your family have any strange and unusual holiday traditions? Share them below!