The drill is familiar. Another holiday season away from extended family and figuring out new short-termed Holiday traditions. Military families don’t always get the luxury of doing the exact same things year after year. With frequent moving, even during the holidays themselves or with a deployed spouse, Christmas is sometimes spent in TLF, or in a lonely house, or in the company of the friends made at the current station. Like all seasons in life, holiday seasons can end up being a little sad, but they can also end up bringing lasting memories that bring smiles to faces along with new traditions throughout the years.

Minot can be hard and cold but the traditions we all create over the years help bring warmth and joy to the Holiday season. Families all over base have taken advantage of new ways of life and merging them with old traditions to create joyful ways to celebrate the season. Here are the ways several of the MAFB families celebrate the season.

Tabitha Bennett: We open one present on Christmas Eve and it is always matching Christmas pajamas. We all wear them to bed and all our photos on Christmas morning are so cute with our matching PJs. The family also enjoys many fun and silly holiday games together.

Cheyenne Butler: Since our family is all military we all video chat with making gingerbread houses Sunday before Christmas and have a contest.

Tena Holmgren: Christmas Eve every year we “dip in the pot.” It’s a Swedish tradition. Back in the day they used to have a huge Christmas Eve meal, and while preparing that meal the servants would have a basic meal of meat, broth and rye bread and “dip in the pot.” My husband’s family has done it for Christmas for generations, and we’ve adapted it as our own. So Christmas Eve before we go to candlelight service at church our family eats a simple meal of roast, broth and rye bread. A way to simplify the holiday and bring us back to what’s important. If you drop the meat and bread in the broth you have to kiss your neighbor on the cheek. And then on Christmas Day we make a small birthday cake and sing for Jesus.

AC Williams: [We] leave a quiet toy wrapped outside the kids doors on Christmas Eve. When they wake they have a gift to open and keep them busy and it lets Mom and Dad sleep a bit!

Chandler Ncha: We make a big pot of wassail the night of the 24th. Before we drink it we get into the car and drive around town looking at all the decorations and light displays people have put up while listening to carols (our modern-antisocial way to go Wassailing). We then come home and watch The Muppet Christmas Carol while sipping on wassail and singing along while Michael Caine gets roasted by muppets.

Jillian Cangealose: We open a few gifts, stop and make a HUGE Christmas brunch together for our family of 4, open a few more gifts, stop and watch a Christmas movie together (usually Elf or A Christmas Story), then finish opening the rest of our gifts, then call family. It’s a whole day for us!

Karin Jung: Since 2011, during Christmas, we have hosted someone who doesn’t have a place to go. This year we hosted 4 people from two countries. The American teen is Jewish so it might be a Happy Hannuka on top.

Jesse Little: Although we just started growing our family, we make ornaments with our daughter each year. Also, we wear matching pajamas on Christmas Eve to wake up on Christmas Day!

During the holidays, sometimes more than any other time of year, that special connection to our roots and holiday traditions often shines brightly, despite where we live. Thanks for sharing your holiday traditions with us! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all the Team Minot Airmen and families!