Kaitlynn Hoffman says surfing on Christmas Day is a new tradition that has helped her and her partner find connection with each other and in nature amid the expectations and pressures of the holiday season.Supplied
On Christmas morning, many Canadians are curled up in their coziest pyjamas to open presents. But Kaitlynn Hoffman and her partner are going to zip up their hooded dry suits and brave frigid ocean waters to go surfing off the southeast corner of Vancouver Island.
The holiday outing is still in its infancy, having started just last year. But it’s already a tradition the 31-year-old resident hopes will define their Christmases for years to come.
“I remember last year, we had a really fun surf, just because it was quieter and the waves were kind of perfect for our size and our level,” said Hoffman, who lives in Victoria.
“We’re always so busy with working and stuff, so it’s kind of nice to be able to tune into our own little tradition to connect with one another in nature.”
Hoffman learned to surf in 2023 from one of their closest friends who died of cancer later that year. They say spending Christmas on the water is also a way to feel connected to him.Supplied
With homeownership and children increasingly out of reach – or foregone by choice – for many millennials and Gen Zers in Canada, some younger adults are shedding typical holiday obligations and adopting new traditions to create their own meanings around Christmas, sans the obligation to host large gatherings.
Since Hoffman and her partner moved to Vancouver Island from Edmonton in 2020, they have been celebrating Christmas with their families in the Alberta capital either a week or two early or late. It’s a practice she said saves them hundreds of dollars in airfares and that gives the self-employed couple a quiet week to rest at home when friends are with their families.
But in the process, Hoffman also realized she is a bit “anti-Christmas,” preferring to avoid the expectation to attend lots of social obligations or significant expense of hosting friends at their apartment now that she has the choice. They learned to surf in 2023 from one of their closest friends who died of cancer later that year, and Hoffman said spending Christmas on the water is also a way to feel connected to him.
“It has shown me it is possible to have your own autonomy in this holiday season and you can still carve out your own little traditions that make you actually happy.”
For others, returning to Christmas traditions is bringing new opportunities to innovate. Creating meaning around Dec. 25 has been a challenge for John Trainor since the death of his mother, the “driving force” of the holiday, in 2013.
This year, the 34-year-old in North Vancouver had been planning to go see the new Lion King or Nosferatu movies solo on Christmas Day, if he didn’t want to make the road trip to join his sister to spend it with family friends in Calgary. But after she and her partner were able to purchase a home with room to host in Squamish, B.C., he says the holiday feels like excitingly open rather than an intimidating day to fill.
“It brings back a certain stability or predictability to Christmas again,” Trainor said. However, the siblings aren’t keeping the early wake-up times or massive dinners of their childhood, or even bothering with the turkey – instead opting to smoke a ham to have about six other friends over at the new house.
“It’s going to be an interesting little exercise for us, like what do we actually wanna do? Are we gonna go for a walk? Are we gonna go skiing?” he said. “Having that completely in our hands is, I think, it’s kind of a fun thing to to dictate.”
For 21-year-old Andrian Makhnachov, the responsibility to maintain Ukrainian Christmas traditions after fleeing Russia’s invasion in 2022 looms large, even as forging new customs in Regina has brought him comfort.
The social-media creator has found community in Saskatchewan’s significant Ukrainian population, both established and newly displaced by Russia’s war. On Christmas Eves, he attends a traditional Sviata Vecheria dinner, which includes 12 dishes to represent the 12 apostles, at a local Ukrainian community hall.
“In my country, Christmas is a lot about heritage, about our roots, about history, about knowledge,” he said, noting that it feels difficult to celebrate when his father and many relatives are still facing blackouts and conflict in Ukraine.
“I feel responsible for keeping it and to share it with other people and to make it strong in my family because I think it’s important for the future, and it’s important for families stay strong and stay together.”
But Makhnachov, who has documented his adjustment to Canada online, said going skating, participating in Secret Santa gift exchanges and attending the Frost Regina winter festival with friends has also shown him a new way of thinking about Christmas.
This year, he is spending Dec. 25 visiting Winnipeg to see the polar bears at the Assiniboine Park Zoo and go skating before flying to Vancouver, where all his family in Canada will celebrate the New Year together.
“I feel like it’s a blend of traditions that is about celebrating where I’m from while embracing where I am now because I feel like Canada is more about fun, and about joy.”
