Christmas Traditions for Bilingual Babies

Discover fun ideas for making your child’s Christmas bilingual with simple, meaningful activities to build language skills and family traditions.

This month is a wonderful time to blend and merge traditions of two cultures. Often times schools will introduce Christmas around the world to their students in the form of crafts. I would encourage you to take your child’s learning a little further! 

The Internet and your local library are great sources for learning more about holiday traditions around the world. If you are fortunate to have family members close by or a phone call away- ask them about their family traditions!

I was always curious about the Russian traditions. They do not celebrate Christmas on December 25th, but on January 7th based on the old Julian calendar. For many years celebrating Christmas was forbidden (More info here)

For many people, New Years became the “New” Christmas complete with a tree, fireworks, gifts, and a visit from “Ded Moroz,” Grandfather Frost. New Year’s today remains the largest holiday, but many Russians also celebrate Christmas.

My husband and I laugh because although we were born many, many miles apart, my Christmas and his New Years were very similar! Our families decorated trees ( we both have baby pictures next to the tree.)  We both gathered with our family for dinner and toasted for good health, happiness, and fortune. Our families all baked breads, roasted meats, and made other traditional dishes. Small gifts like books, sweets,  and clothing were also given to family members.

Our tree went up this weekend and it is a symbol of our traditions merged and is by no means meant for the cover of Martha Stewart magazine, rather an awakening of memories in our hearts. Just as my grandmother started a tradition of giving me one ornament for Christmas each year, we have asked our parents to continue the tradition for our children. Because of this – our tree represents who we are as a family. There are more classic Russian ornaments such as this one from my sons’ Christmas ornament last year.

And a more modern ornaments such as these from my daughter’s collection that represent the different cultural dresses of some Ethnic Russian groups.

We enjoy telling our children stories from the year they received each ornament and have made sure to label and date the boxes or the ornaments themselves with a permanent marker.

Now that our tree is up and decorated – we have time to enjoy it!

My Bilingual Goals for the month are to:

1. Cook some traditional pastries and soups – at least one each week.
2. Read 1 story a day in Russian.
3. Make a felt board story for Snegorichka (Grandfather Frost’s Granddaughter)
4. Teach my kids the song about the evergreen tree! More Russian songs here in case you were looking for some! We have the first verse mastered.

Here are the words…

В лесу родилась елочка,

В лесу она росла,
Зимой и летом стройная, зеленая была.
Зимой и летом стройная, зеленая была.

Метель ей пела песенку:
“Спи, елочка, бай-бай!”
Мороз снежком укутывал: “Смотри, не замерзай!”
Мороз снежком укутывал: “Смотри, не замерзай!”

Трусишка – зайка серенький
Под елочкой скакал.
Порою волк, сердитый волк, рысцою пробегал.
Порою волк, сердитый волк, рысцою пробегал.

Чу! Снег по лесу частому
Под полозом скрипит;
Лошадка мохноногая торопится, бежит.
Лошадка мохноногая торопится, бежит.

Везет лошадка дровеньки,
А в дровнях мужичок,
Срубил он нашу елочку под самый корешок.
Срубил он нашу елочку под самый корешок.

И вот она, нарядная,
На праздник к нам пришла,
И много, много радости детишкам принесла.
И много, много радости детишкам принесла.

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