Entertainment
Top 10 Christmas Traditions With Justin Bieber
Around the world, holidays are almost always a time for fun and celebration. Their individual origins and themes give different purposes to all of them, giving people the ability to be a part of all sorts of activities. When it comes to Christmas, the possibilities are virtually endless.
Since the start of his career Justin Bieber has been the prince of the holiday season. Like Mariah Carey before him, his voice has announced the coming of the most wonderful time of the year.
If you’re a Belieber and you’re at a loss for what you can do to truly get into the Christmas spirit this season, here are the top 10 Christmas traditions featuring Justin Bieber.
10. Take family pictures with Justin Bieber
Although not every member of the family might be on board, taking group photos during the holidays is one of the best ways to hold onto the memories. Simply gather the whole family together, possibly coordinate your festive outfits, and snap a few shots.
Whether you’re situated with a backdrop in your living room or in a professional studio, having a family photo is a special way to keep the holiday memory alive. In addition to a regular snap of the whole family, Christmas pictures have been an ongoing thing for years.
One of the most traditional, and usually comedic, ways to capture the essence of the season is to pose with Santa Claus, who can usually be found at a local mall. While it’s not necessarily a thing for the whole family to enjoy, children either love the idea or absolutely dread it – and either way, it makes for a great, memorable photo.
Furthermore, family pictures don’t just have to sit in your camera roll. The beauty of the Internet makes it relatively simple to send out virtual Christmas cards to your extended family, or even print out a few and spread around the cheer.
Not only does it let the rest of your relatives know that you’re definitely in the holiday spirit, but it can also inspire others to send their season’s greetings back to you. If a whole Christmas card is too extravagant, you can always join the slew of other people posting their holiday photos on social media — whether your family members are happy about it or not.
9. Invest in matching pajamas with Justin
Once again, the whole family might not be thrilled by this idea, but matching pajamas on Christmas morning can really unify your holiday spirit. Not only are most Christmas-themed PJ’s adorable, but they’re also great at keeping everyone warm during the winter.
Typically created from heat-retaining fabrics and stuffed with every fuzzy material you can think of, if they’re not a hit with the family, at least they’ll be cozy. Throughout the holiday season, you can find holiday sets as cheap as $10 a piece covered in an array of Christmas emblems such as trees, snowmen, and rednosed reindeers.
In some cases, people will even share the fun with their extended family by gifting them a set of fuzzy pajamas. From children to adults, this tradition is all-inclusive and a great way to get everyone involved in cuddling up for the holidays. The true beauty behind this tradition derives from its ability to bring people closer together.
As this is one of the sole purposes behind the holiday, it can be a great way to establish these roots and kickstart the seasonal spirit. In addition to that, Christmas pajamas are a functional keepsake that can be used repeatedly throughout the season, and even into the next.
The creativity is endless when it comes to finding seasonal PJ’s, with a range of “ugly Christmas sweaters” and adorable onesie-style pajamas to choose from. Often, stores will sell full family sets to include everyone in the festivities. However, mix-and-matching can be a great way to get innovative.
8. Decorate the tree — Bieber style
The origin of the Christmas tree tradition is rooted in Germany, where the large plant was first brought into homes and decorated in the 16th century. Since then, people across the world have participated in bringing a real or fake tree into their home and sprucing it up with a variety of cool emblems including garland, ornaments, lights, and even candy.
While picking out a Christmas tree can be a fun time for everyone involved, the true excitement comes in when it’s all set up and ready to decorate. Not only does decorating a Christmas tree allow the family to exercise creative freedom, but it can also be a fun time to see where and how each member places their embellishments.
From candy canes to endless strings of colored lights, all the way to a beautiful tree topper to complete the picture, the tradition of decorating the tree is a great way to start feeling festive. Another awesome way to further personalize beautifying your tree is to create or purchase special ornaments for each member of the family.
Often, couples will order special bobbles adorned with their names together, or a newborn baby might have a “First Christmas” ornament hanging from a low branch. Creating these personal elements takes this tradition that much further, as it incorporates the all-encompassing vibes that Christmas is all about.
Additional ways to get into the holiday spirit are to pick out the tree together, or if it’s a fake, get everyone involved in setting up the tiers. Similarly, alternate with members of your family to place the tree topper, or if you’re really in touch with your creative side, let a new family member pick the tree’s theme every year.
7. Bake and decorate cookies for JB
Nothing says Christmas more than a platter of fresh baked cookies straight out of the oven. Sugar cookies are among the top favorites for decorating, as they provide an easy surface to work with.
Simply pick up a few festive cookie cutters from your local store (think shapes like angels, trees, and even a traditional circle can work as an ornament), roll out your dough, and make as many cookies as you can!
For toppings, the baking section is usually a great place to pick up all sorts of sprinkles, sparkles, icings, and other child-friendly cookie decorating tools to make the experience a great time for everyone. In addition to this, one of the most popular Christmas traditions is to set out a plate of cookies and a glass of milk for Santa Claus.
Whether they’re specially made or simply plucked from a box, by Christmas morning the cookies have either vanished or very obviously been eaten, with a thank you from Old Saint Nick in their place.
The origin of this tradition comes from America during the Great Depression around the 1930s, when the economy was in such a poor state that families struggled to make ends meet, let alone get involved in Christmas festivities.
One way that parents taught their children to be grateful for the gifts they would receive was to set out a platter of cookies and milk to give back to Santa Claus, thanking him for his graciousness. To this day, nearly 90 years later, children around the world still participate in this tradition, whether to snag a few extra gifts from the jolly old man, or to simply say thank you.
6. Make food for Santa’s reindeer and JBiebs
Preparing reindeer food is a classic tradition popular among children as it allows them to directly interact with the mysterious and fantastic Santa Claus. In addition to being good throughout the year to score a spot on Santa’s Nice List, magical food is said to attract the reindeer pulling Santa’s sleigh so that he will be sure to visit while his deer get a quick snack.
To make reindeer food, a special concoction of edible glitters as well as oats or trail mix are spooned into a sealable plastic baggy. The glitter is present to glimmer and guide the reindeer’s eyes toward their future snack, and the oats/trail mix are a delicious treat, often favored by those pulling Santa’s sleigh through the night.
On Christmas Eve, sprinkle the reindeer food in your back or front yard. In some cases, a special song or poem is also recited to further infuse the magical properties of Christmastime.
When mixing the special reindeer food, it is incredibly important to remember to use edible glitter, as wildlife that may find their way to your concoction can become sick otherwise. In addition to that, don’t forget to label the mixture, or you may unintentionally turn your reindeer food into breakfast one morning!
5. Eat a Christmas meal like The Bieb
Many major holidays, including Thanksgiving and New Year’s, are often the home to festive snacks and platters full of every goody you can imagine. Christmas dinner is a tradition found throughout the world, all the way from China to France.
Although the general ingredients in each meal are different from place to place, the idea behind this tradition is to gather family together and enjoy the holidays in good spirits with good food. The meal itself is intended to be incredibly delicious with a variety of meats, sides, and desserts available to choose from.
In some religions, Christmas dinner is a customary tradition that is taken very seriously. However in others, the delicious feast is simply a way to congregate with family and friends to finish out the holiday. Additionally, influenced by local cuisines and native foods, Christmas dinner can take place anytime between the hours of Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
Some of the most popular meal selections include turkey and ham. In addition to these main courses, popular sides are mashed potatoes and gravy, cranberries, stuffing, puddings, and bread rolls.
4. Go caroling with Biebtacular
Caroling is the act of going around the neighborhood or at local festivals singing Christmas songs. Everything from “Frosty the Snowman” to “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas” are open game, but the tradition’s roots had people singing seasonal carols all year long. They were first sung in Europe during special celebrations throughout the year.
Primarily, the Winter Solstice, which is December 22nd and just shy of Christmas Day, included caroling to a variety of special songs. Many Christmas songs originated within religion, primarily Christianity, where hymns about angels and the birth of Jesus became popular among lyrics.
Over time, these concepts evolved to include additional elements that made the songs less religious and more entertaining, and thus the music grew from being sung primarily in churches and homes to traveling around the world.
Today, while it isn’t very common to see carolers going from door-to-door singing Christmas hymns, the tradition continues itself in more modern ways. Many churches host events such as the infamous “Carols by Candlelight” service that welcomes everyone to join them in singing Christmas music, surrounded by nothing but candlelight.
The atmosphere enhances the holiday spirit and can be an excellent outing for a family in search of the perfect way to get back to their seasonal roots. Furthermore, without directly knocking on anyone’s doors, Christmas carolers will walk down neighborhood streets singing their tunes.
They are also commonly featured at festivals and events for the holiday, or even in malls, outside of supermarkets, and in their own homes.
3. Donate to a toy drive with J-Beebs
Although Christmastime is seen as one of the happiest, most exciting times of the year, in recent years the celebration is often incredibly extravagant. Children from around the world look forward to the holiday primarily for the gifts that they will receive on Christmas morning, while others are financially unable to experience the season in the same way as their peers.
This topic has been a leader in controversy over whether or not children should be showered in presents, as well as if labeling the majority of gifts from Santa Claus creates a divide between children who do not receive as much as others. Either way, the true spirit of Christmas is not just to receive, but also to give back to others.
While this concept can be lost in the chaos of the holiday, there are a multitude of ways to ground yourself in the beautiful ways of Christmastime. Throughout the world, toy drives are annually held to raise donations for low-income families, children in hospitals, and children affected by drastic events.
Many toy drives provide lists of items that are most needed and include guidelines as to what can and can’t be donated. In addition to that, some drives even accept gift cards that allow them to provide toys to a multitude of children. This tradition is incredibly humbling as it allows both adults and children to work together to create a beautiful Christmas for everyone.
Similarly, if you aren’t located near a local toy drive or you’re simply in the spirit for it, organizing your own toy drive to be donated to kids in need is as simple as advertising, setting up a drop-off point, and delivering toys.
Not only can this custom teach children the true spirit of Christmas, but it’s a great reminder of the blessings and humanity we can share throughout the world.
2. Go light hunting with Bieba Baby
Stemming from the 17th century, the tradition of decorating indoor trees with Christmas lights prompted the idea of outdoor set-ups. Prior to using electronic lights, which cost a fortune to purchase and run, people would use candles to decorate their Christmas trees and yards.
This posed many hazards, and in 1895, President Grover Cleveland was the first president to display a Christmas tree lit up with electronic lights. This kickstarted a trend across the nation that, while initially incredibly expensive, eventually allowed people everywhere to join in on the fun.
In fact, the traditions have evolved so much that entire neighborhoods will light up December with a variety of magical premises. From basic strands of multi-colored lights to gigantic displays of Santa climbing down a chimney to a giant sleigh being pulled across a yard, the usage of LED lights has introduced economically sound ways for everyone to get involved.
Because of this stunning tradition, people will come from miles away to get a look at Christmas displays. All it takes is a car full of family and friends and a desire to find the coolest set of lights to create one of the most easygoing and fun past-times of the season.
1. Hang mistletoe with Bieberlicious
Mistletoe is most commonly associated with Christmastime, but before we get into the romantic purpose that hanging mistletoe substantiates, a bit of back story is in order. The plant grows from a variety of different trees including oak, willow, and apple.
In ancient times, the properties of the leaves were intended to ward off bad spirits while possessing magical qualities that brought good luck to those around it.
In addition to being a symbol of favorable conditions, mistletoe was also regarded as a sign for love in Norse mythology, which eventually created the tradition of hanging mistletoe and customarily kissing whoever is beneath it. Originally, the practice began in England, where the berries of a mistletoe had to be plucked in order for two people to kiss.
Once all of the berries were gone, the concept was finished, and no more kissing would be in order. In recent years, mistletoe is hung from doorways so that, when people enter a room simultaneously, they are faced with the prospect of a kiss.
Often, the white berries adorning the leaves will be painted red to create the class color combo of green and red, favorable during Christmastime. Currently, unless a couple steps under the eaves, mistletoe is primarily hung for its traditional, decorative purposes and purely implements an additional holiday element into a festive household.
Christmas wreaths are often designed with sprigs of mistletoe, while the popular plant is also hung in the shape of a ball, tied up with ribbons and bells.