The SA staff shares their favorite holiday traditions, from our families to yours.
SA Holiday Traditions
Joan Schneider, President and Creative Director of Schneider Associates, shares her family Sabbath tradition.
“Getting the family Christmas tree had always been my favorite part of the holidays. We went out every year with my dad to pick just the right one. I carry on this tradition with my husband, Howard, and our two wonderful boys, Linus and Oliver.”
- Julie Hall, Executive Vice President
My dad and my brother in 1981 with our tree
My family choosing our tree in 1989
One of our family Christmas trees, still standing in the backyard of my childhood home!
The tradition lives on!
“In the Ferrante family we are all about our traditions and we have a BIG family so there is a lot of tradition to be had. Scalloped potatoes, charades, ice cream snow men and the list goes on!
First on the docket, is the mandatory brother & sister photo opp. Thankfully we are no longer forced into matching outfits (below). “
(John, Francesca, Cameron)
I would say that our holiday traditions are about the chance for everyone to have a little moment in the spotlight, like my cousin who once debuted his spoken word rendition of Eminem’s ‘Lose Yourself’ to a baffled group of adults and hysterically laughing teenagers. For the past few Thanksgivings we have been concentrating on haikus – preferably originals like this little ditty from me last year.
‘Stomach exploding,
I can’t eat another bite.
What? Pie? Bring it on!’
Christmas is about “talents” and readings. Think of it as family open mic night. When we were really young, we did readings with those that could actually read. For example, my brother John (below), who was totally excited to sit on my uncle’s lap for a reading of his favorite book in his brand new Christmas footie pjs.
My personal favorite tradition is with my Dad. Since as long as I can remember, we recite Robert Frost’s ‘Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening’ in tandem, which is fantastic except I still only know stanza 1 and 3 by heart even after all these years! To get a full grasp on what this looks like check out the wide angle shot (below) which gives a glimpse into what we willingly (or in most cases) were forced into doing in front of a rather large group, all while being videotaped for future enjoyment – thanks Dad! Maybe this is why I am so comfortable speaking in large groups? Let’s call it training for public speaking Ferrante style!
Happy Holidays! From one family tradition to another!
- Francesca Ferrante, Director, Consumer Group
Sarah Scalese, DIrector of the Corporate & Nonprofit Group, shares the host of activities that make up her holiday traditions.
“In my family, we make every effort to make each family gathering a memorable occasion. This can be a little overwhelming for newcomers to the group who don’t really see why Mother’s Day, for example, is as huge of a deal as it is. As a child at Christmas, this meant a relative dressing up as Santa Claus and handing out presents to all 12-plus grandkids every Christmas Eve. In the past, it was an uncle or my grandfather – even my grandmother on an especially memorable Christmas Eve. They all had terrible suits and clearly did not take the role seriously, which is probably the reason the Santa illusion was shattered for many of us earlier than our parents would have liked. When you have a kid noticing, ‘Hey! Santa has the same glasses as Grampy,’ clearly you aren’t doing a very good job.
As we grew older and fewer and fewer of us truly believed, we kept on with the tradition and still do it today even though there are more “Beliebers” than believers left. Why keep up with it? Well, besides the fact that we’re all incredibly stuck in our ways, we have found the perfect Santa. The suit, the voice, the spirit – this man just screams Saint Nick.
For some reason, my dad decided to take over the Santa tradition, probably because he was sick of his in-laws’ lackluster performances, so about six years ago, when my sister and I were in college and high school, he invested in a great red suit and a vaguely English accent. Now, rather than just being a part of the Christmas Eve festivities, all 25-plus family members look forward to this extreme display of Christmas spirit, which always includes mispronouncing his own kids’ names and yelling to his head elf, Bartholomew, to ‘fire up the reindeer!’ Now that Christmas is one of the few times I get to see my entire family, I am more thankful than ever to not only have a family that values tradition and togetherness, but to have a father who keeps the Christmas spirit alive for all of us.”
- Shannon Watterson, Account Executive, Corporate & Nonprofit Group
“Each holiday season, my Nana and I read a not-so-classic Christmas book – The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. The book tells the story of the Herdmans, the worst kids in the history of the world, who decide to take over an annual Christmas pageant. I look forward to one day sharing the funny tale with my children leading up to Christmas. If you haven’t read the book, check it out. It’s sure to find a special place on your book shelf and in your heart!”
- Cassidy Lawson, Account Executive, Corporate & Nonprofit Group
Chris Meehan, Deputy Director of Public Affairs, shares his holiday tradition and his favorite clip from Nartional Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
“Christmas is serious business in our house. My mom named me Noel for a reason. She lives for Christmas. Mom always went above and beyond every year to bring the Christmas magic alive at home. Everyone gets a stocking and presents from Santa. Even the pets, right down to the hamsters I had when I was a kid. And as we got older, and stopped believing Santa was a real guy who came to our house, we would say ‘Wow, mom, did you get me this?!’ as we opened our gifts and she would smile and say ‘No, it’s from Santa.’ So, when I got my first real job after college and was finally making a decent income, I started buying extra little presents for her, my stepdad and brother, and tagged them ‘From: Santa.’ The first time she opened one, she looked at me all confused and said ‘Did you get me this?’ and I smiled and said ‘No, Mom! It’s from Santa!’
As far as we are concerned: Yes, Virgina. There is a Santa Claus.”
- Noel Fisher, Integrated Marketing Coordinator
“The Pryor family has eaten Popeyes fried chicken every Christmas Eve for more than 20 years. Mom Pryor has no recollection as to why the tradition began, though admitted it was probably because she didn’t want to cook and she wanted to bring home something better than McDonald’s on Christmas Eve. So, each year, the Pryor’s sit in front of the Christmas tree on a holiday-themed plastic mat colored by me, the oldest daughter of three, and eat our buckets of fried chicken, biscuits and mashed potatoes before going to Christmas Eve mass. Despite the fact that we are annual Popeyes customers, the question comes up without fail each Christmas Eve, ‘When does Popeyes close??’”
- Melinda Pryor, Account Supervisor, Consumer Group
“Every Christmas morning, when the presents are all unwrapped, my mom takes the Holiday Breakfast Casserole out of the oven. She makes it the night before and keeps it in the fridge so it’s ready to heat up the next morning. Although the casserole signals the end of the gift-giving, it’s a great way to start Christmas day!”
- Carolyn Tillo, Account Coordinator, Corporate & Nonprofit Group
Johnsonville Holiday Breakfast Casserole
WHAT YOU NEED
2 packages (12 ounces each) JOHNSONVILLE® Original Breakfast Sausage Links
6 English muffins, cut into 1-in. cubes
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 cup (4 ounces) Cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup (4 ounces) mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1/2 cup red pepper, chopped
12 large eggs
2 cups milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup bacon bits
PREPARATION
- Cook sausage according to package directions. Cool slightly; cut into ¼-inch slices.
- In a greased 13-inch x 9-inch baking dish, layer half the English muffin cubes and half the cooked sausage. Repeat layers.
- Drizzle with butter and top with the cheese, onion and red pepper.
- In a large bowl, combine the eggs, milk, salt and pepper. Pour over casserole. Sprinkle with bacon. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
- Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Uncover and bake at 350˚F for 45 to 50 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Let stand 5 minutes.
