Basic Life

Behind Brass: Holiday Traditions

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The holidays are always an exciting time. But hurrying to holiday parties, organizing Secret Santa swaps, assembling family gatherings, and planning Christmas gifts can be overwhelming. So, we wanted to take a moment to remember what’s most important to us: our holiday traditions. Our individual traditions have followed us through childhood and into our adult lives. We’d like to share our traditions with you in hopes of spreading the holiday spirit. We’ve also styled a few of our favorite Brass pieces for a little extra holiday inspo. Enjoy!

Katie Doyle, Co-Founder

Katie is wearing the new Cozy Kit: the Leggings, the Scoopneck Tunic and the Cropped Crew. It launches next week!

My past holiday tradition:

My old tradition started when I was just a little girl growing up with my two sisters: holiday movie night. Every year my dad would push to watch It’s a Wonderful Life. But inevitably we’d end up watching Home Alone. Now that we are grown up, living in different states, and having children of our own – it seems like a Christmas miracle that we’re able to find the time to do it every year. Our go-to movie over the past few years has been The Family Stone. Don’t ask me why we choose the most depressing holiday movie of all time! By the end of the movie we’re all crying and asking ourselves why didn’t we just watch Love Actually!?

My current holiday tradition:

I’m looking forward to starting new holiday traditions with my husband and new pup this year. My husband’s birthday is in December, so over the past couple of years, we’ve gone away for a weekend together. This year we’ll be hitting the slopes of Vermont – and taking the dog with us. We can’t wait for him to see snow for the first time and are excited to discover new traditions as a family. 

Jay Adams, C0-Founder

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Jay is wearing the Button Down Blouse – now available in black!

My past holiday tradition:

Growing up, my mom would sometimes have me and my brother make our own advent calendars. We would create drawings that she would then cut the “doors” in and behind the doors were photos of our family. We might have only done this a few times, but it really stuck with me as a nice way to think of family near and far during the holidays.

My current holiday tradition:

We don’t have a lot of children or grandchildren in our family right now. So, Christmas Day has less meaning. Instead, my parents host a raucous holiday party leading up to the big day where friends and family all come over for the evening.The party has gained a bit of a reputation and is an excellent excuse for seeing old faces and over indulging.

Lexie O’Connors, Operations Manager

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Lexie is wearing the Ponte Pants, the Button Down Blouse, and smoking red shoes!

My past holiday tradition:

I have a very small extended family, so it’s easy for us all to get together for the holidays. I can’t remember who started it, but a tradition that we have alway had is the breaking of the “Peppermint Pig.” Usually, on the day after Christmas, the Peppermint Pig comes out at dinner and we all take turns passing it around the table. Using a small hammer, each family member takes a turn breaking off a piece of the pig and sharing what they have been thankful for over the past year as well as what they are looking forward to in the year to come.

My current holiday tradition:

Every year since I can remember, my family and I have spent the holidays in Florida with my grandmother. But a few years ago, my parents got their first dog, a golden retriever named Chowder. The thought of leaving Chowder in Boston for the holidays made my parents sick, but they had no desire to make him travel under the plane either. So one year my dad told us all he had decided he was going to make the 24-hour drive from Boston to Florida just so he could bring the dog. Somehow or another we all got roped into driving. Since then, that is how we start off our holidays: cramming six people into an old Suburban, countless amounts of suitcases and presents, and one dog. Can’t get much more holiday family bonding than that.

Dakota Donovan, Marketing Coordinator

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Dakota is wearing the A-Line, but her leopard jacket is the star of the show.

My past holiday tradition:

Every Christmas Eve, after going to my grandparents annual Christmas Eve party, my two younger sisters and I would come home and get ready for bed. We would then put on our favorite Christmas movie “How The Grinch Stole Christmas” (Jim Carrey version!). After watching this, I would read the picture book The Night Before Christmas by Jan Brett to my whole family. Then all three of us would pile into my bed because no one can ever sleep alone on Christmas Eve! We still watch The Grinch but I’ll never forget being snuggled against my sisters as we read The Night Before Christmas and got excited about what Santa would bring.

My current holiday tradition:

Now that everyone has different schedules, my new family tradition around the holidays is to go to the Boston Pops together and skate on the Frog Pond afterward. We usually plan this on the Sunday of the weekend before Christmas. We will all get dressed up and go to the Pops during the day and then head to the skating rink at night. Afterward, we stop in a restaurant just to order dessert, coffee, and hot cocoa. It’s a great way we can get into the spirit of the holiday’s and finally catch up with each other before my extended family comes.

Melissa Tilley, Production Assistant

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Melissa is showing the cozy side of the Modern Midi with her favorite chunky sweater.

My past holiday tradition:

In my childhood, my family would go to my grandmother’s house for Christmas Eve. I have a large family, so it was always a loud and rambunctious party. All cousins interchanged gifts and each kid would open their present while everyone watched and cheered. Some years we played bingo together and others we did a group lottery scratch ticket game. We never failed to make each other laugh and feel loved and there was never a dull moment. Now that my grandmother doesn’t live near us anymore, I am so thankful for these memories.

My current holiday tradition:

Now that my brothers and I are all older, this year we decided to start a new holiday tradition.  In place of buying each other gifts, we are going to plan a special activity to do together- something that we wouldn’t normally do.  We are still in the stage of deciding what it will be, maybe we will take a weekend road trip together.  I am really looking forward to this new tradition because the experiences we have together are more meaningful than anything we could buy for each other.

We’d love to hear your holiday traditions! Please leave them in the comments below!