JUPITER, FLORIDA – Christmas has always been one of my family’s favorite holidays. Over the years, my family has created traditions and favorite pastimes to celebrate the season. I interviewed my mother, Elizabeth Vale, to ask her about some of her favorite Vale family Christmas traditions. Our favorite Christmas movie to watch together as a family is “While You Were Sleeping.” My mom says she loves it because the movie is set in Chicago, and it brings back “nostalgic memories” of living in Illinois when my parents were first married. She also says it’s a great movie to watch, cuddled up under a blanket, hanging out with the family.

Another Christmas tradition my family is big about is our annual Christmas breakfast. Every year, my mom makes her famous breakfast casserole. The casserole consists of eggs, bread, cheese, and sausage. It’s hard to go wrong with those ingredients. Funeral potatoes are another Vale family dish we can’t go without at Christmas. Every year, my mom or my cousin makes funeral potatoes for our Christmas dinner. This dish has been a staple of the Vale family Christmas dinner for as long as I can remember.

My family starts decorating for Christmas the weekend after Thanksgiving. Usually, my family will go to the Christmas tree farm in Hobe Sound, where we will try to pick out the tallest tree we can fit in our house. My dad, Daniel Vale, never forgets to bring his measuring tape with him when it’s time for us to go find a tree. 

My family also always goes to see Christmas lights every year. My mom says the best place to see Christmas lights is “Jupiter Heights or Abacoa.” However, my personal favorite is the Holiday Lights at the Eustace Residence – a mansion on Hutchinson Island that creates a holiday wonderland for visitors to enjoy. Seeing the twinkle of Christmas lights never fails to make my family happy.

Even with all of my family’s great Christmas traditions, my and my mom’s personal favorite is the lighting of the Advent candle each week. Every Sunday night, the Vales will get together in the living room and light one of the Advent candles, and each of the kids takes turns getting to light one. This reminds us to keep God at the center of Christmas and reminds us of the real meaning of the season.