Tradition vs Superstition…

I come from a large family with multiple beliefs and traditions from different cultures and backgrounds and Christmas pudding started all this thinking off!

I am busy preparing to make pudds on stir up Sunday (this Sunday, four weeks before Christmas), soaking the fruit in alcohol this week to (hopefully) get the best taste.  Traditionally everyone in the household or at least every child, gives the mixture a stir and makes a wish while doing so.  It is also common practise to include small silver coins in the pudding mixture. These are then kept by the person whose serving of pudd included them.  The usual choice was traditionally a silver threepence or a sixpence and the coin was believed to bring wealth in the coming year.

I am pretty sure I can get everyone to give it a stir and to make a wish but my dilemma is that I am pretty sure no one ever steams a Christmas pudd to warm it up these days, I know in mums house we portion it up and zap it in the microwave! Am I safe to not put coins in the pudding? Will it be bad luck? Or is it just a tradition that is followed loosely?  Or do I put coins in and risk everyone blowing up their microwaves? It’s such hard work. Any advice would be most appreciated!

So as you can tell, Christmas preparation is finally under way in the Barcroft household and I'm sure Christmas puddings aren’t the only things that are steeped in tradition surely? As a family, we don’t open any Christmas presents until after Christmas dinner, some people think that is ludicrous but its kind of a family tradition and I wouldn’t do it any other way. 
New Year brings with it more complications of a first footing which I'm sure is a tradition that people regard with superstition and end up too worried not to do it! 

In Scottish and Northern English folklore, the first foot is the first person to cross the threshold of the home on new years day. The first footer is traditionally a tall dark haired male that will usually carry a gift, this can include a coin, bread, salt, coal or whiskey – these represent financial prosperity, food, flavour, warmth and good cheer.  In our house we do try and do the first footing, so very soon after midnight we go out side and bash pots and pans and wish all the neighbours and each other happy new year (another old family tradition!) and the first person to go back in has to be male, tall and dark and he takes in a piece of coal and puts it on the fire place, thus ensuing warmth in the home all year round.

I know everyone is bored with Christmas already and saying it is too early, but all I am doing is thinking (and steaming) honestly! And it has made me think about the things we do in our family, compared to things other people do. When we grow up and get married, do we keep our families traditions, do we merge them with our partners or do we create out own?

I'll keep pondering and keep the Christmas talk to a minimum I promise!

TTFN Sammy xx