Keeping Traditions Alive During an Unusual Holiday Season
(StatePoint) This holiday season may look a bit different due to social distancing. But just because everyone is not physically together, doesn’t mean your family can’t share its favorite traditions.
The Olesen family of O&H Danish Bakery knows how important holiday traditions are to feeling connected to loved ones. Now in its fourth generation, the family-owned and operated bakery is sharing its best tips for creating holiday cheer from anywhere:
- Celebrate virtually: In a survey commissioned by O&H Danish Bakery and conducted by SWNS Media Group and OnePoll, nearly 80 percent of respondents say time with family is their favorite part of the holiday season. Whether your tradition is a Christmas movie marathon, a caroling session around the piano or eating certain foods and baked treats, you can enjoy these activities together over video chat this year.
- Share traditional foods: The sensory memories that good food creates are powerful. In fact, 44 percent of people say the holiday spirit wouldn’t be the same if they didn’t have their traditional holiday dessert.
If you are like many families, that favorite dessert is Kringle, a traditional Danish treat made of 36 layers of butter and pastry. Among O&H’s special holiday offerings are Thanksgiving Stuffed Kringle, A Very Danish Christmas Kringle and the classic Pecan Kringle. Over the past 70 years, the award-winning bakery has shipped to more than 100 countries, making landfall in all seven continents, including Antarctica. This year, doorstep delivery makes it easy to order a traditional favorite for your own household or send a gift to family members near and far. Visit ohdanishbakery.com.
- Plan ahead: When it comes to ordering gifts and specially baked treats, make sure to account for busy schedules and congested delivery services to ensure all your goodies arrive on time. Take note of shipping times and policies, as well as ordering deadlines for each company. For example, O&H allows customers to pre-order Kringle and schedule a preferred delivery date in the future.
- Create hygge: Evoking the sights, sounds, and aromas of a typical holiday season will help make this year feel more cheerful. Take a cue from Danish culture and embrace hygge. Pronounced “hoo-ga,” it means creating a cozy atmosphere and enjoying the good things in life, such as the warm glow of candlelight or a steaming cup of cocoa — and there is no better time of year to do it than the holiday season.
This year might be especially difficult for families who are physically separated, but there are many ways to spread cheer and keep traditions alive.