Over the years I've noticed that little by little Christmas practices/traditions/rituals have been disappearing and newer "trends" have been emerging. Some have remained although not observed the same way we did when I was still a kid.
WHAT's OUT:
1) Christmas caroling the old fashioned way: used to be you could just go caroling anytime.Now,because of the ban on caroling, you have to send in advanced notice otherwise they won't let you into subdivisions.
2) Candy canes-when I was a kid Dad used to buy 2 large peppermint candy canes and hang these on one of our walls;I dont see these around anymore.
3) Christmas trees from real pine or agojo trees - Christmas trees are made of plastic or foil. There are even trees with built-in Christmas lights.
4) The traditional Belen under the Christmas tree - these were made of cardboard and you set these up like a diorama.
5) Sending Christmas cards-Used to be you would buy these and send them so many months in advance so they would reach the addressees in time for the Holidays.
6) Personalized Christmas cards- These were printed with the family photo at the front and customized greetings inside the card.
7) One Christmas Eve Mass only-it used to be held at 12 midnight and end after about an hour. Noche Buena followed. Nowadays,there can be as many as 3 evening masses.
8) The many corporate displays outside office buildings- Coca-Cola, Pepsi Cola, Ysmael Steel,COD. These would have movable displays which would be watched by people during the Christmas holidays.
9) Christmas shopping only in December- that was the only time we shopped for gifts and Christmas music was played.
10) Christmas vacations and celebrations at home-it used to be that people just stayed home or went to the provinces but still stayed inside homes during Christmas vacation.
11) Giving gifts that come in boxes and painstakingly gift-wrapped with ribbons and all. The bigger the gift the more expensive it usually was.
12) Dressing up for the holidays.
13) Home made parols and lantern parades in schools-used to be part of the pre-Christmas vacation activities in schools to have lantern parades.
14) Home-cooked Noche Buena
15) The Nativity story would be televised frequently.
WHATs IN:
1) Christmas shopping as early as July
2) Non-traditional Christmas decor and more brightly lit,flashy,high-tech lanterns.
3) Christmas vacations in hotels and resorts
4) Christmas gifts in bags and preformed boxes
5) Noche Buena meals in quick service restaurants or food delivered to your homes.
6) More monetary gifts or donations to the poor made in your name.
7) As times get tougher,more cookies and baked goods are given as gifts.
8) Nowadays, the smaller the package the more expensive the gift (e.g cameras, mp3s or ipods)
9) Sending electronic greeting cards or actually face to face greetings via webcam.
10) Christmas movies shown in so many channels but less of the Christmas story as told by the Bible.
11) Christmas masses held as early as 9 PM.
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