A sweet tradition: Hundreds line up outside Termini Brothers Bakery as part of a holiday ritual

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For more than a century, Termini Brothers Bakery has been a Philly Christmas Eve tradition for its loyal customers with its offering of classic Italian pastries and old-world charm. People travel from far and near, lining up for hours outside the South Philly store to claim their share of the famous cannolis, ricotta pies and almond biscottis.

On Monday night, Northeast Philadelphia resident Ed Webster stood in line at 11:45 p.m. — six hours before the store opened, earning bragging rights — for being the first in line. He’s only been participating in the tradition for a “mere 20 years,” he said. Webster’s father-in-law introduced him to the ritual. But, the patriarch couldn’t join him this year because of a spinal surgery. So, Webster held a cutout of his face, where he was seen sporting a Termini hat.

For fans such as Webster, the family-owned bakery is not just a business. It’s a legacy of taste, community and nostalgia.

Those three things also made Susanne Souder drive from Huntingdon Valley, Pennsylvania, for the 34th year. She arrived at 1:45 a.m. and has been consistently number three in line for the last 18 years, she said, an achievement that makes her proud.

“They open up the coffee shop across the street at 3 a.m. and we can use the restroom, and it makes the holiday more merrier,” she said.

Mike Smith of Gloucester City, New Jersey, said he makes the quick trip across the bridge to hang out with his surrogate family that he sees once a year in the line. This year, he appreciated the umbrella heater that he was huddled under after arriving at 4 a.m. He said, like the Websters, he is planning to turn this into a family ritual when his children, now ages 2 and 5, grow up enough to be able to join the line and the fun.

Vince Termini, who is 86 and co-owns the store with his brother, believes the reason his multigenerational family bakery is in existence is because of two things: consistent product and traditions. It was his father, Giuseppe Termini, an Italian immigrant and the original founder of the store, who brought the recipes from Italy, which continue to delight Philadelphians to this day.

“That’s all tradition,” he said. “Tradition and the products always the same. I mean, we’ve been here 103 years, and the product never changed. I mean, they still make the same product with the same ingredients and it never changed and people remember it.”

Vince has become the face of the business and greets everyone at the door on Christmas Eve. He said the secret to their famous cannolis is one special ingredient.

“My father’s original recipe,” he said “We never changed it. That’s the secret. Plus, I’m going to give away one of the ingredients. Red wine. Red wine has the alcohol and that’s what makes the bubbles on the cannoli.”