MERRY CHRISTMAS!
This year we asked Notre Dame Staff & Students to share their Christmas Tradition!
Below is a sample of some of the ways our Community celebrates this joyous time of year!
Below is a sample of some of the ways our Community celebrates this joyous time of year!

At my household, my family likes to celebrate Christmas on the 24th while having a nice turkey dinner. We stay up until 12:00am to open gifts and wake up the next morning to have a great breakfast. I cannot remember a Christmas where we haven’t celebrated until the very early hours of the day!
AZ
On Christmas Eve we go to my Avo's house and eat lunch and later have a bunch of Portuguese desserts like Natas
ME
Probably getting to wake up and yell to my sister and mom to wake them up and fall down the stairs to get to the presents
AD
I’m really looking forward to this tradition I have with my friends from outside of school where we spend the day doing all Christmas themed activities.
VY
At the Mikitzel household we go to Baba and Gido's house on Christmas Eve for a Ukrainian meal of cabbage rolls, perogies and a sweet wheat dish. We used to make it with wheat saved from my grandfather's farm in Saskatchewan up until a few years ago!
Mr. Mikitzel

The Obrovac family has many Christmas traditions, but my favourite is our “Do Nothing Day” every December 26th! While many people will head out for Boxing Day sales, my kids and I stay in our PJs, indulge in Christmas leftovers and have a movie marathon😊
Mrs. Obrovac
Christmas cookie baking & having the family over on Christmas Eve for 'Christmas Curry' and singing carols.
Mrs. Typer
We have family spread out between Ontario and Montreal. Every year we do a Secret Santa between all of us, and you have to mail your gift to that person in time for Christmas morning. No gift cards allowed! It's fun to receive Christmas mail and packages from family members.
Ms. ?
Every Christmas is a five day event in my family, where they all stay over for 5 days straight and make prep our turkey on christmas eve, we have a family dinner. on christmas we wake up at 7am and and open all of our stockings and "santa" gifts for each of us, after that's done, we one at a time from youngest to oldest open all of our gifts (15 of us) we have a couple of breaks for food and tidying up a bit and then continue until around 1 or 2. We have a huge christmas dinner, and have a big family brunch the next day and a "family" day the day after Boxing day
SM

The Leylands are looking forward to our first Christmas as a family of four, as it's Baby Emma's first Christmas.
Mr. Leyland
On Christmas Eve my family usually takes a night drive to go appreciate all of the Christmas lights. We go visit my grandmother, and celebrate my birthday as well as my moms’. Then on New Years we order Chinese food, stay up till Midnight, and I spend more time with my sister Cadence.
Easton McGillicuddy
At the Geady house in Christmas Eve, after dinner and family have gone home, we watch National Lampoons Christmas vacation.
Stephanie
My family opens one present each on Christmas Eve and watch christmas movies.
TS
I watch 'Arthurs Perfect Christmas'
GF

My family celebrates Christmas by opening gifts on the 23rd, so that we can go see my Grandmother on Christmas Day... we have home-made Crabcakes as part of brunch with the family, and them my wife and I enjoy Spaghetti Marinara for dinner Christmas Day. We started this tradition 10 years ago when we got married and had no other food in the house... and it stuck!
Mr. G
I'm starting a new tradition this year with my beautiful grandson. We are going to make Christmas cookies for Santa.
Mrs. Hamilton
What is a tradition in our family is a “Secret Santa” routine with my sisters and their families, my parents and my wife, daughter and I. It is great fun but we really have to change the name to “non-Secret Santa” since everyone eventually knows who everyone else “has”.
Mr. Shaw
Mr. G
I'm starting a new tradition this year with my beautiful grandson. We are going to make Christmas cookies for Santa.
Mrs. Hamilton
What is a tradition in our family is a “Secret Santa” routine with my sisters and their families, my parents and my wife, daughter and I. It is great fun but we really have to change the name to “non-Secret Santa” since everyone eventually knows who everyone else “has”.
Mr. Shaw

At my household our tradition is to make dishes from our country only made during christmas called hallakas with other types of food from our country only made once a year
RR
My family goes to midnight mass every year, after we've had christmas eve dinner at my grand-parents house.
IQ
Our Annual Christmas Day lunch!
DO
What I am excited for Christmas this year is my family doing a Novena, which is a celebration/ prayer that you start 9 days before Christmas Eve and do everyday until then. I am especially happy l this year because I am celebrating it with my uncle in Ottawa. I am really excited!
Sofia Canas Morales
RR
My family goes to midnight mass every year, after we've had christmas eve dinner at my grand-parents house.
IQ
Our Annual Christmas Day lunch!
DO
What I am excited for Christmas this year is my family doing a Novena, which is a celebration/ prayer that you start 9 days before Christmas Eve and do everyday until then. I am especially happy l this year because I am celebrating it with my uncle in Ottawa. I am really excited!
Sofia Canas Morales

We celebrate on Christmas Eve. Its 12 seperate dishes, no meat, mostly fish, and then we share presents and get our butts to midnight mass at St. Gabriels.
We also leave an empty plate out on the table in case there is someone in need that comes to the door!
Mr. Cychner
On Christmas Day, we have the whole family over for a Swedish Smörgåsbord dinner!
JQ
We also leave an empty plate out on the table in case there is someone in need that comes to the door!
Mr. Cychner
On Christmas Day, we have the whole family over for a Swedish Smörgåsbord dinner!
JQ