What is your Christmas tradition?

In this issue of the Sooner Catholic, we are including short Christmas traditions from various priests, educators and Catholic laypeople in the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City.


Janette Boazman

“A silly but much-loved Christmas tradition at Father Zak Boazman's house stems from his mother (me) buying little things throughout the year when they were on sale. These were things I thought would be fun or that family members would need. They were cheap little gifts, so inexpensive or insignificant it would be embarrassing for anyone to really give them as a gift at Christmas. I would save them up throughout the year and at Christmas I would wrap them up as gifts from the family dog, Mayzie. Even though Mayzie isn’t with the Boazman family anymore, the tradition continues. At the Boazman family Christmas gatherings, the celebration would not be the same without gifts from Mayzie!”


Elizabeth McLinn
St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, Edmond

“The McLinn family goes to 5:30 p.m. Mass on New Year’s Eve then we pick up pizza on our way home and have a pizza party on the living room floor. We dance and eat and drink bubbly drinks and stay up late watching the ball drop. It’s so lame but so fun!!!!!”


Sofia Marquez
Sacred Heart Catholic Church, OKC

“Each Christmas Eve, our whole family gets together to have a posada. We sing songs to reenact the procession made by Mary and Joseph. Once inside, we pray the rosary and dress the baby Jesus in his garments before he is laid in the manger.”


Chip Carter
President, Cristo Rey OKC Catholic High School

“We always watch Christmas Vacation at least once together as a family! We’ve seen the movie probably 20 times, but it’s just not Christmas until we’ve all watched it again. My wife Lori and I think it’s just as funny today as it was the first time! We also always go to the 4:30 p.m. family Mass at Christ the King on Christmas Eve and then come home and have a nice family dinner with my mother and Lori’s parents.” 


Fr. Jim Goins
Pastor, St. Thomas More Catholic Church, Norman

“In my family, Christmas really began the evening my father brought home the bag full of oranges, pecans, hard candies, and English walnuts. He grew up in the depression, and fruit, nuts, and hard candies were Christmas luxuries. To this day, I must have English walnuts about the house before it begins to feel like Christmas.”


Brandon Seid
Executive director, Resurrection Memorial Cemetery

“We make and decorate cookies for Santa every year using a family recipe. And, we eat lasagna every Christmas Eve after Mass.”


Sr. Barbara Joseph
Superior, Carmelite Sisters of St. Therese of the Infant Jesus

“My family went to look at Christmas lights and then opened our presents on Christmas Eve, then attended Midnight Mass. After Midnight Mass, we had pancakes. Even now, when we get together, we do this!”


Tony & Kimberly Yanda
St. John Nepomuk Catholic Church, Yukon

“We celebrate with family with a Czech dinner on Christmas Eve, which consists of salmon patties, creamed peas and fried potatoes, and we always attend midnight Mass. Sometimes the little ones sleep right through it, but it is the most beautiful and peaceful Mass. We choose a charity as a family each year to donate time and talent.”


Diane Floyd, Ed.D
Director of admissions, Mount St. Mary Catholic High School

“Growing up, and even into adulthood with my own children, Christmas Eve was our big night of celebrating Christmas, which included Mass, dinner together and opening gifts, and then traveling to my grandparents' home in Enid on Christmas Day. My dad, Jack O'Brien, was an Okie transplant having been born and raised in Boston. It was the O'Brien family tradition to have Chinese food on Christmas Eve. As a result, my parents continued this tradition with me and my brother.”


Jennifer Goodrich
President and CEO, Pivot - A Turning Point for Youth

“One thing we do is get three special gifts for our kids. We don’t wrap them, and they are representative of the gifts of the Magi.”


Joe Castiglione
Vice-president for intercollegiate athletics, University of Oklahoma

“Christmas Eve: Italian food is always the annual tradition. Christmas Day: Turkey/ham dinner, eggnog and apple/cherry pies. Movies: We watch most Christmas movies at least once but Christmas Vacation, Elf, Santa Claus I and II get viewed several times. Christmas Eve tradition always includes watching “It’s a Wonderful Life” (our favorite). Everyone in the household has a stocking, including our three rescue dogs Lollie, Murphy and Rudy. Christmas decorations are a huge part of our Christmas tradition (Griswold family characteristic) and we hit at least two to three light displays in various areas around Oklahoma.”


Gov. Frank and Cathy Keating
“During Advent, as children, we prayed before Mary, Joseph and the Infant Jesus, and were ecstatic when the Magi arrived and our displays were filled with gold, frankincense and myrrh. As a married couple, we enlarged our Crèche families with collections from across the globe.”


Fr. James Greiner
As a boy, Father Greiner and his family traditionally attended the Solemn High Midnight Mass at St. Francis Church in Stillwater.  The pastor, Father Eric Beavers, was known for his speedy Masses in Latin and would begin the Mass a few minutes early. Father Greiner would be back home at the family farm by 1:15, eat a hearty Christmas breakfast, then it was off to sleep so he didn’t interrupt Santa’s visit!


Fr. Daniel McCaffrey
Father McCaffrey’s family also attended Midnight Mass each year. “It was extraordinary to stay up so late for the only evening/night Mass of the year. Our Lady Queen of Martyrs in Manhattan would be packed. The next day we enjoyed a very special Irish Christmas dinner of leg of lamb with mint sauce, turnip and parsnips, and plum pudding.” Father’s birthday was also Christmas Day, but “I got cheated” and always received a single gift, like his three brothers, as this was during the Great Depression.


Merry Christmas! 


Photos: (top) Fr. Zak Boazman and family dog, Mayzie.


The Marquez family


The McLinn family