Order Up! How to Create Your Own Christmas Traditions
BONUS for all Subscribers - A Special Interview with Emily, a One Potato Mom, about creating her family's own Christmas Traditions
Happy Holidays, One Potato Community! We’ve been bringing you a lot of interviews with chefs recently, and we’re excited to share this conversation with a mom from our own One Potato community.
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Introduce Yourself: My name is Emily, and I have two kids - Shok (13) and Story (9). Story helps me cook the One Potato meals, and they both love eating them, that’s for sure!
What were the holidays like for you growing up?
Honestly, it was pretty non-traditional. I lived in so many different countries with my mom as a kid, so I got to experience all kinds of customs. It was all over the place! One year, we’d be in England with my grandma, doing the full-on traditional turkey dinner and Christmas songs. Then the next year, we’d be in Spain, where Christmas isn’t even celebrated on the 25th—you have to wait for the Three Kings Day after New Year’s. Their celebration is wild, with loud parties and traditions like eating a grape for every chime at midnight. It’s fun but chaotic (and honestly, a bit dangerous if you think about it!).
My dad’s side is French Canadian, so Christmas with them meant eating early—like 11 a.m.—and even then, it was still traditional in its own way. And when I was in England with my mom, sometimes we’d go to these big hotel functions with loads of families. The kids would run wild, someone would inevitably end up napping under a table, and it was just this kind of crazy atmosphere. I’m not sure you have that type of thing in the States?
Food-wise, though? It was always kind of similar, no matter where we were. Turkey and all the trimmings—whether it was French Canadian or English style. Though, now that I live in America, I don’t think I’ve ever had what people here call a “traditional” American Christmas dinner.
Things really changed when I moved to New York City in my 20s. That was when I started figuring out my own way of celebrating. I remember spending Christmas with a Jewish friend’s family—so different from what I grew up with, but lovely in its own way.
Was there a specific moment that inspired you to create your own holiday traditions with your family?
Oh, absolutely! I can pinpoint the exact moment. My husband, Buddy, had never seen the movie A Christmas Story. I was like, “Wait, you’ve NEVER seen A Christmas Story?!” It’s such a classic!
So we’d just moved to the U.S. with our new baby—our son, Shok—and I made him watch it. There’s this scene where the family ends up eating Chinese food on Christmas, and we both just fell in love with that idea. We were like, “That’s going to be us one day!”
That’s really where it all started. Now, every Christmas, we do Chinese food, and the kids love it. My daughter, Story, is obsessed with rice in those little takeout boxes—it’s her favorite part! Some years, we’ve even made homemade versions—fried rice, spring rolls, even sushi one year. But honestly, takeout is the best because it keeps things simple.
Being far from extended family, does that influence how you celebrate with your kids?
Definitely. Since we’re away from our bigger family, we make Christmas all about just the four of us. My mom came over one year, but usually, we see her on Boxing Day or another time.
It’s become this little tradition of ours to keep Christmas Day just for us. Even when we went to England one year, the kids were upset we didn’t have Chinese food on Christmas! It’s funny how the traditions we’ve made really stick—they’re like the glue that holds our little family together.
What does having your own holiday traditions mean to you?
For me, it’s about simplifying things so I can focus on spending time with my family. When we order in or reheat something simple, I don’t have to worry about cooking and cleaning, and I can just hang out with the kids.
As they’ve gotten older, the traditions have evolved. Like, instead of building Lego sets together, we might watch a movie. But I told my son last year, “I missed you building Lego,” and he agreed (he’s 13 now). So who knows? Maybe that’s coming back. Traditions can ebb and flow, and I love that.
Any advice for parents wanting to create their own traditions?
Talk to your kids! See what they’re into and decide together. It doesn’t have to be complicated—sometimes the best traditions come from just noticing a moment, like how ours started with a scene in a movie.
Tips for keeping the holidays fun and stress-free?
Immerse yourself in the magic! We listen to Christmas songs every morning, do activities together, and keep it all about spending time as a family. We always make fudge for the kids’ teachers—usually orange-chocolate or peppermint—and they look forward to it every year.
Do your kids ever want a more “traditional” Christmas like their friends?
Not really! Though this year, Story did ask if we could go back to cutting down a Christmas tree instead of buying one. It’s sweet how traditions can come and go—you can drop them for a while and pick them back up later.
What are your family’s favorite Chinese takeout dishes?
Crab rangoon is a must! Story loves rice, noodles, and chicken (though the meat changes sometimes). My son is big on shrimp, and I’m all about the veggie spring rolls. Oh, and Trader Joe’s has the best frozen Szechuan chicken if you want to DIY at home. When we DIY, we have these Chinese takeout boxes at home so that it feels like we ordered takeout. It’s so fun!
Thanks for sharing your family’s Christmas traditions with us, Emily. One Potato community - leave us a comment with your family’s traditions, we’d love to hear from you!
And here’s a reminder to share your Tiny Food Story, that we’re collecting on a rolling basis! These are One Potato reader-submitted stories about the love of food and family, in 100 words or less. Learn more here.