The big family maintains a beautiful and unique tradition during these holidays.
Olivia Martinez, on TikTok @teenyolivemartini, has gone viral for sharing her family’s traditions. They use the same holiday tablecloth every year, and have each guest at the Christmas dinner sign it.
“Since 1997, every Christmas guest has signed this tablecloth. The day after Christmas, my mom sews over their signature,” the video reads, showing off some of the sweet signatures and drawings that have accumulated over the years.
Martinez tells PEOPLE that what started as an idea while her mother was growing up has become one of the family’s favorite moments every holiday season.
“The tablecloth always comes out during Christmas, no matter where we celebrate,” Martinez tells PEOPLE. “One year we ‘skipped Christmas’ and went on a cruise. Mom brought a tablecloth and asked the waiter to place it on our dinner table. The tablecloth traveled all the way to France and Mexico!”
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The work on the tablecloths takes place while the family celebrates Christmas in Paris.
Courtesy of Olivia Martinez
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The tradition began in 1997, when Martinez’s “super crafty” mom started embroidering.
“She learned to cross as a child with her mom and has always been crafty,” Martinez says.
It became the centerpiece of their large family gatherings on Christmas Eve.
“My mom has eight siblings, so our family gatherings are always very big. We always have the family over for appetizers and drinks on Christmas Eve, and that’s usually when everyone signs the tablecloth. We use a water-soluble marker that washes off after we cross everyone’s names,” she explains the process.
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Tablecloth signing in progress.
Courtesy of Olivia Martinez
What started as a project just for her mom developed into a family business.
“When my brother and sister were little, my mom would sew everyone’s signatures. When my sister and I were old enough, we loved helping out. We all started sewing our own names when we were about 11 or 12,” Martinez recalls. .
“I don’t actually remember ever being taught – my mum would just give me a needle and thread and let me work on it. She never made me feel like I was going to ‘mess up’. It’s cute to see some messier names from younger kids anyway .”
She adds: “Even my dad takes part. We usually make him cross stitch his signature because he always draws a very intricate picture.”
After their Christmas Eve gathering comes to a close, the family begins Christmas with a period of naming names.
“We usually start after dinner on Christmas Eve and finish by the 26th or 27th, depending on the size of our dinner party. Sometimes, when a big group would gather, my mom, sister, and I would sit on the couch and have a tablecloth on our lap like a blanket while we sewing and watching Christmas movies,” Martinez shares.
Martinez was inspired to share the tradition after seeing other TikTokers post about family traditions. She knew some people would appreciate it, but she didn’t expect it to go viral. The video has more than 1.5 million views to date.
“I love watching videos of other family traditions and feel inspired to share our family’s traditions with them. I haven’t seen anyone post anything like this,” she says.
“My mom was the most excited that the video blew up. I posted the video around 10 p.m. and I didn’t even know it had a lot of views until she woke me up the next morning to tell me,” Martinez says.
“The first day it was published, she texted me every hour while I was at work to update me on metric milestones. She read and responded to almost every comment and is so happy that her tablecloth is inspiring others.”
Martinez is excited to see her family tradition celebrated as they prepare to add another year of memories to the tablecloth. “It’s especially cool to see the signatures of loved ones preserved, especially if they’re no longer with us.”
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education