Any Christmas Traditions you no longer partake in

[Airship Ariadne]

Me, not-so-much, DW gladly gave up lutefisk for tamales when she moved here from up north.

 

[minkydog]

Opening the gifts is delayed from Xmas morning until the afternoon. My teens wouldn't get out of bed before noon on a non-school day, even Xmas.

Us too. I never thought I'd have to drag them out of bed by their hair to open presents (J/K. I don't pull them by their hair.) They don't even want breakfast either, so now I just make coffee, oatmeal for Christian, and Pillsbury cinnamon rolls.

Traditional big Christmas meals. Now it's finger foods & such.

About 5 years ago my older kids approached me about not fixing the whole big dinner. They said they just had Thanksgiving and they didn't want to eat it all over again a month later. They requested that we just have sandwiches. So that's what I lay out: rolls, meats, cheeses, fruit, chips, celery sticks, olives, and pies. We always have boiled shrimp on Christmas Eve, so if we have any left over they go on the table too.

This year I am putting up an ADULT TREE. I am breaking tradition of all the "family ornaments"

(Say adult tree out loud, lol).

I saw what you did there. For years and years my two older kids put up the tree, lights and ornaments on Thanksgiving afternoon. Then 2 years ago, they decided they'd rather go be with their friends after Thanksgiving dinner. Completely natural, really. My DD made a rather snotty comment to the effect of "nothing will get done around here unless I do it myself." and flounced out the door.

So I flew down to the basement and wrangled the tree up to the living room. I decided that I didn't feel like dragging all the umpteen boxes of ornaments up, so I had a great idea. I gathered my elderly mom and we headed out to Target. I bought a about 6 boxes of different size party color glass ornaments--magenta, turquoise, orange, chartreuse, purple, red--and multi-colored lights. It looked pink, like a Barbie tree. I put the angel on the top and decorated the whole tree by myself. When DD came home, she was all put out that I had done it. Too bad, so sad...I like this new tree, a LOT.

I stopped decorating, too, inside and out. I put up the minimum in the house--nativity scene, stockings, hand towels, mantle decorations. I gave away our whole outdoor manger scene to some Latino guy who built our retaining wall--he was thrilled! My DD has taken over the outside decoration now. She puts up garland & lights on the porch and lights on the bushes. The most outdoor decorating I do is hanging a wreath on the door. Done and done~!

 

[tvguy]

Thinking about my answer is going to be in the Debbie Downer vein.
Our core Christmas celebration hasn't changed , what HAS changed are the things certain people did, because those people have all passed away.

We used to always have Christmas Eve dinner with some friends, but they both are gone.

My wife's step-father always bought a cheap fruitcake the day after Thanksgiving and poured a little rum on it every day until Christmas, when it was serviced up.

My MIL insisted on a French Silk pie (the saltiest pie I have ever tasted) from Bakers Square. She passed, and when she was alive, there were 6 Bakers Squares within 15 miles of here, now the closest one is 1,700 miles away.

My mom always bought the turkey, prepped it, make the stuffing, and dropped it off on Christmas Eve for my wife to cook. Then mom make the giblet gravy on Christmas day.

My adult daughter did have the presence of mind to make my mom sit down and write down some of her recipes, including the stuffing, so in that case, we still can enjoy mom's cooking, even though she isn't here anymore to do it herself.

 

[NFLDERS]

This year I am putting up an ADULT TREE. I am breaking tradition of all the "family ornaments".

Fresh REAL tree, white lights, and gold ornaments. Our youngest is a Sr. in high school, oldest is moved out.

I have my mom's gold ornaments handed down to me so I want to put them up this yr.

(Say adult tree out loud, lol).

I read what you did here then, heard it in my head!

 

[NFLDERS]

Thinking about my answer is going to be in the Debbie Downer vein.
Our core Christmas celebration hasn't changed , what HAS changed are the things certain people did, because those people have all passed away.

We used to always have Christmas Eve dinner with some friends, but they both are gone.

My wife's step-father always bought a cheap fruitcake the day after Thanksgiving and poured a little rum on it every day until Christmas, when it was serviced up.

My MIL insisted on a French Silk pie (the saltiest pie I have ever tasted) from Bakers Square. She passed, and when she was alive, there were 6 Bakers Squares within 15 miles of here, now the closest one is 1,700 miles away.


My mom always bought the turkey, prepped it, make the stuffing, and dropped it off on Christmas Eve for my wife to cook. Then mom make the giblet gravy on Christmas day.

My adult daughter did have the presence of mind to make my mom sit down and write down some of her recipes, including the stuffing, so in that case, we still can enjoy mom's cooking, even though she isn't here anymore to do it herself.

Loving Daughter.

Takes after her Grandmother..

 

[ZephyrHawk]

With my DD having just turned two, this year will actually mark a return to many of the Christmas traditions I haven't done in forever. Like leaving cookies out for Santa and, well, making cookies to leave out.

 

[NFLDERS]

With my DD having just turned two, this year will actually mark a return to many of the Christmas traditions I haven't done in forever. Like leaving cookies out for Santa and, well, making cookies to leave out.

Christmas through the eyes of a child..

 

[jdb in AZ]

We have a Dept 56 village that's turned into urban sprawl over the years. It's so fun when it's up, but it takes several days to get it out, set it up, get all the electrical parts working, landscape it, and populate it with the village people.

I'm sooo looking forward to spending Christmas at DD's on the east coast this year! The village can stay buried in the closet(s), tho I'll probably put up the Disney Christmas tree to enjoy before we fly outta here.

 

[Teresa Pitman]

My family is now mostly vegan, so we have for many years not had a traditional Christmas dinner. We come up with a theme each year and that's what dinner is based on. Some past themes we've had:

Foods stuffed with something.
Foods from countries or states where Obama has lived (from the year he was elected).
All finger foods.
Red and green foods.
Indian foods
African foods
Italian foods.
Layered foods.

This year, my daughter has just moved in with her partner, who is German. So we are going to "veganize" some traditional German foods.

I find it a lot of fun to research and figure out ways to make the foods vegan, and it's interesting every year!

TP

 

[MamaLema]

Last year we skipped Christmas and took the kids to Puerto Rico. This year WDW. We might never stay home for Christmas again!

 

[tigercat]

Our whole Christmas has been put upside down. 2 yrs. ago my son in law was mad at my dd so decided that all holidays except every other Christmas would be spent with his family only. My other dd decided years ago that everything I ever did was horrible. Her 2 dd's were old enough to look after themselves so she didn't need my free babysitting any more. They stopped coming as well 3 yrs. ago. Last year with her oldest dd living with us now we had everyone here except my dd and her dh. Her other dd spent it with us. I did most of the normal things last year but this year with the only people here to be my dh and my 2 ds (both in their 30's) we won't be doing anything at all for Christmas. We won't have a tree or a big dinner. Actually the 3 men will be going to the movies for the day on Christmas day. It will be a very quiet Christmas. The dgrdd is going to stay with her fiancee for a month and will also be away. Less stress for me. We also don't really give gifts on these years. A little something for the 3 youngest grandkids but other than that no shopping and may end up getting them gift cards so that they can enjoy going and getting what they want. Their other side really spoils them so this way they can go and get something to add to what they received. Everyone is happy.
tigercat

 

[SurferMom]

My family is now mostly vegan, so we have for many years not had a traditional Christmas dinner.

TP

Us, too! We have been vegetarians/vegans for nearly 30 years. I love your idea of going with a theme and then making it work. Since we don't do the big turkeys and hams, I roast pumpkins and fill them with a stew. Now, everyone - vegans or not - want one because the presentation is just so pretty.

We are cutting our usually over-the-top decorating (Snow Village everywhere, for starters) as we are in an out of hospitals with our daughter's sudden and profound encephalitis that she got after a strep exposure. Once your family gets zapped with that, everything goes out the window and every little thing works, and those that don't well…you just shrug your shoulders and keep on moving. This year we will be driving back Thanksgiving day from a hospital six states away with chemo the day before. All of a sudden, the traditions seem kind of silly.

So no new traditions this year, holy cow..we nearly lost our girl …and now she is fighting her way out (two years and counting) so a year with nothing but a simple tree sounds so, so good….and Thanksgiving…well, another year too!

 

[sasywtch]

Now that I'm older and my kids are grown and out on their own, things have changed but I see my kids holding onto most of the same traditions which is nice.
I am finding that I'm putting less and less decorations around the house. I think the older you get, you catch on that it's a pain to put them all away after the holidays

We still all get together Christmas morning at my son's house (he 's the only one married with kids). I believe they do the one present on Christmas Eve. The kids wake up early on Christmas morning, open presents from Santa then all 4 sets of grandparents (we are all divorced grandparents but get along) and my 3 other adult kids and my sister come over to their house for more presents for them to open.

What we have changed is what's for lunch/dinner. Last year it was tacos. Haven't discussed this year yet. I figure when we are stuffed with turkey on Thanksgiving over there, we'll decide we don't want turkey for Christmas. We also take a family drive before Christmas because my cousin lives on the original decorated street that all the tv stations would cover. We walk the street and then visit her a bit and then hit Dennys.

The one thing that's great about being a grandparent is that when dinner is done, dishes are cleaned, you aren't wiped out. I go to the casino for a few hours and enjoy myself.

 

[DisneyMommyMichelle]

Unfortunately it's the same as it was growing up only times 2 now that I am married! It has been 14 years of insanity for the holidays and we don't have the courage to put our foot down. We are giving it another year and then we will begin travelling for the holidays every other year.

 

[PaulaSB12]

Christmas used to be my sisters family came down one year my mother and I the next. Now I go up its easier for me to go up. If I can get the time off next year I want to do a cruise for pchristmas, 2012 I was in Disney for christmas

 

[aprilgail2]

From the time I was a little kid we had big Christmas eve's - people over, fun...and it continued with friends and their kids up until 2002 when my godson died-after that the Christmas eve's just faded off and since that time I have been working with a charity so up until Christmas eve now we are busy handing out toys to sick and needy children so to us that is now Christmas. Christmas day we either go out to dinner or just have appetizers at home. We used to open gifts when I was a kid on Christmas Eve, my daughter will have none of that-she wants a Christmas morning!

 

[DisneyMommyMichelle]

Love the idea of volunteering. I cannot wait until my children are old enough to help us donate our time.

 

[Arielle22]

Most of our traditions have remained the same over the years. Some I carried over from my childhood.

2 years ago we had to change our tradition of picking out our Christmas tree. DD1 went off to college so we skyped with her on the IPhone while picking out the tree. Last year we picked the tree out early during Thanksgiving break so they were both with us.

This year DD2 is at college and DD1 is at Disney in the college program. So we will skype with both to pick out the tree. I plan on sending DD1 her stocking so she can open it Christmas morning while we skype.

She comes home the first week of January and will open her other presents then.

 

[cybrkitn]

It took me awhile thinking about our traditions before I remembered one. When I was younger, my father would make a huge Christmas countdown calendar on poster board. On the bottom would be a spot for each of our Christmas lists. He would hang that up on the kitchen wall. I've tried doing that with my own family, but unfortunately, there is no wall space for me to put it. I really miss that little tradition my father started. He passed away in 2008.

OTOH, one tradition my brother still likes to keep are the stockings. When we were kids, we would always open up the gifts under the tree first, have a big breakfast (homemade pancakes and bacon) then afterwards, go through the stockings. After I got married, he wanted to wait until DH and I got to my parent's house to open the stockings (my brother stills lives at home). He couldn't do it without me there. It just felt too weird.

 

[mousefanmichelle]

Not a lot has changed except the feeling of Christmas from when I was a kid is gone. It was excitement and wonder and aww and now it's just - I got work to do feeling lol!

Christmas eve is at my in-laws. Snacks and opening presents. I always have to bring the same food - gets old but that's what my MIL requests. Makes her happy.

When we get home on Christmas Eve, even though my kids are 16, 18, and 20 I still have to put out cookies for Santa lol!! Every year I have to put them out with milk, have them go to bed, take a bite and a drink and leave the rest. It kills me but my DD loves it.

Christmas morning - up when the teens roll outta bed. We've always had a rule you can't wake mom and dad up before 8am and now they sleep well past that and I wake them up. Open presents, breakfast and then my family comes over for dinner. We eat, play games and relax.

Looking forward to it