Christmas Traditions

[Kennywood]

Does your family have any Christmas traditions?

One of ours is that there is always a large apple and a large orange found in every stocking. Also, we put out luminaries on Christmas Eve.

 

[mjkacmom]

I get my kids matching Christmas pajamas every year, handed out on Christmas Eve., (lands end, they have pockets)and they put them on immediately and wear them all day on Christmas. At some point the 5 of them go up to the attic to play games (bedrooms up there) while Santa brings down the gifts and fills the stockings. This has been a tradition since #2 was born, they are now 20, 20, 22, 25 and 27. The two oldest don’t live here, and two have apartments at college, but they all sleep here on Christmas Eve. and come down together in the morning to see presents. On Christmas Day they get together with a couple of local friends and hike in their jammies.

 

[easyas123]

We have what we call 'Lock Down'. where we are home by noon or a bit after (we might go out for late breakfast or a early movie on Christmas Eve morning) on Christmas Eve and we don't leave the house again until the 26th at a minimum. We did have some traditional foods we always ate on the 24th & 25th but this year we are shaking things up I think. I do think my BIL, SIL & niece will be over Christmas Eve.

The weekend before Christmas Day is when we put up our tree and we always play White Christmas then.

Bloody Mary's & champagne in the hot tub Christmas morning is our current tradition

Both kids out of the house, one with a wife and one with a fiancé - so they have other families and schedules to contend with so we try not to put any pressures on anyone to be at our house at any particular time or at all. We want them to feel free to do what they want to do and what works best for them. It changes the landscape of the holidays, but that is okay.

We usually stay in our pajamas all Christmas Day, but I think a lot of folks do that.

 

[LuvOrlando]

Mostly food related, with a family movie of some kind. Fine China and Feast of Fishes Christmas Eve and some sort of breakfast extravaganza Christmas Day (hoping Tonga Toast attempt will work out) with Lasagne or Manicotti with meatballs and maybe braciole for dinner served late afternoon. There will definitely be some Knorr Vegetable mix spinach dip with Pepperidge Farms Pumpernickel swirl bread, which I have had on the table for every holiday my entire life, I try to keep things shmancy that way.

 

[PollyannaMom]

Sharing memories associated with various Christmas tree ornaments (trips, etc.) as we unpack them

Driving around before Christmas to see the lights

Special foods from our own childhood holidays

 

[NYCgrrl]

Does your family have any Christmas traditions?

One of ours is that there is always a large apple and a large orange found in every stocking. Also, we put out luminaries on Christmas Eve.

We had that tradition but uhm it was because Mom had no money to put anything else in the stocking besides a walnut, LOL. Money went for the present under the tree.

We also seemed to have a tradition of not getting or decorating the tree until the Eve only to find out that it was because the tree was cheaper at the end of the buying season.

I guess the only traditions that wasn’t from necessity was singing Christmas carols with neighborhood kiddos, collecting UNICEF funds for foreign poor children and the holiday meal.

ETA thanks for the reminder @PollyannaMom ! We also took an annual walk down Fifth Avenue to view the decorations and buy hot chestnuts

 

[#1hoosierfan]

The boys always get new pjs for Christmas, and they open them on Christmas Eve.

DH and I have a lot of Christmas movies that we make our way thru during the month of December.

There is a small town about 20 minutes away that goes all out with decorations on the square. There is also a pizza place there. We go every year to eat and see the lights.

I make sugar cookie dough and the boys help roll, cut out the cookies and decorate.

My sister and I take turns hosting Christmas Eve dinner and Christmas day dinner. This year I have Christmas day.

 

[mjkacmom]

Mostly food related, with a family movie of some kind. Fine China and Feast of Fishes Christmas Eve and some sort of breakfast extravaganza Christmas Day (hoping Tonga Toast attempt will work out) with Lasagne or Manicotti with meatballs and maybe braciole for dinner served late afternoon. There will definitely be some Knorr Vegetable mix spinach dip with Pepperidge Farms Pumpernickel swirl bread, which I have had on the table for every holiday my entire life, I try to keep things shmancy that way.

The 7 fishes is very popular here (baccala season), I might want to do it since we all eat seafood, and H makes good crepe style manicotti and can make some gf.

 

[soccerdad72]

During the Christmas season:

• We always go to a local historical house that decorates for Christmas with another family and their kids. It's getting harder to do now that all the "kids" are either in college or graduated, but we keep trying to do it.
• Christmas cookie baking - the last four or five years, my wife has invited the next door neighbors kids to join in. They're her adopted daughters, since we only have boys and the girls next door love getting together with her.
• One night of driving around and looking for neighborhood light displays. There's usually three or four neighborhoods relatively near us that go all out.
• Holiday progressive dinner with all the couples in our neighborhood. Usually, we get 6 or 7 couples to join in and choose 3 or 4 houses to go to for different courses.

Christmas Eve / Day:

• Christmas Eve morning, the next door neighbors host a brunch for the neighborhood and other friends of theirs
• Christmas Eve night - I always cook prime rib (and same next door neighbors are invited to join us, as their family is all from out of town). MIL stays the night so she can be with us on Christmas morning.
• Christmas morning - my wife gets the boys new PJs and we always do a picture at the top of the stairs (with the dog, of course ) before opening presents. Now that they're older, it's just the dog who gets excited about presents, but it's still fun.
• After opening some presents, we eat brunch, consisting of my overnight caramel french toast bake and an egg and sausage casserole.
• Christmas night dinner is usually just the four of us, my MIL and sometimes one or two more people. We always do a turkey dinner for Christmas as well as Thanksgiving.

After Christmas:

• My side of the family always gets together the weekend after Christmas at my parents' house in PA.

 

[tvguy]

It isn't a gift, but the box it is in. My wife and her best friend take turns giving a gift on the same box, one year my wife gets the gift, the next year, she gives it to her friend.
Now, the history of that box, and what ORIGINALLY was in it are what makes it special.
Back in 1981, the first Christmas after my wife and I got engaged, the very first gift she got from my mom.......her future mother in law.....came in this box. I should mention my mom was a Surgical Nurse and used to bring home boxes from work. My wife opens this gift, and like most folks reads what it says on the box. The label says "Mammary Implant, Size xxx". My wife gets a funny look on her face, and mom says...."it was such a nice box, I didn't pay attention to what the label said". 42 years later, my mom's memory lives on with that box holding a gift being exchanged between her best friend and her.

 

[Kennywood]

It would have been funny if your wife told your mom, "Gee....thanks for the mammaries."

 

[Lord Manhammer]

We get matching pajama's, even the dogs match us. We also buy an ornament that represents our travels from that year. We hide a pickle ornament in the Xmas tree keeping with the German tradition.

 

[john7994]

We had that tradition but uhm it was because Mom had no money to put anything else in the stocking besides a walnut, LOL. Money went for the present under the tree.

We also seemed to have a tradition of not getting or decorating the tree until the Eve only to find out that it was because the tree was cheaper at the end of the buying season.

I guess the only traditions that wasn’t from necessity was singing Christmas carols with neighborhood kiddos, collecting UNICEF funds for foreign poor children and the holiday meal.

ETA thanks for the reminder @PollyannaMom ! We also took an annual walk down Fifth Avenue to view the decorations and buy hot chestnuts

Sounds very familiar to my grandparents - apples, oranges and walnuts in the stockings - our only twist was which parent would actually visit us on Christmas Day …

 

[mjkacmom]

We get matching pajama's, even the dogs match us. We also buy an ornament that represents our travels from that year. We hide a pickle ornament in the Xmas tree keeping with the German tradition.

We have a silver pickle hanging on our dining room light fixture. Last year we put everything away, took the tree to the curb. About a week later H found it near the driveway, apparently it was still hidden in the tree when we took it out of the house, fell off, and was rained on. Now it’s just waiting for this years tree.

 

[loves to dive]

We had them when I was a kid but as we grew up and went away from home, most of us kids didn't carry them on. We always go an orange, some nuts and a big jumbo peppermint stick in our stocking. I didn't do it for my son, not sure why. Mama and I would always watch White Christmas every Christmas day. Even after I moved out if I was in the same area I would go over to her house to watch it. She died about 10 years ago so that one went away. I was a single mom so my son and I would always go to a movie on Christmas day. That even carried through after he grew up and even after he got married, I flew to El Paso when he was in Corpsman School in the Navy and to Chicago where he was stationed. Then the trying times hit and movie theaters weren't open that year. Then he and his SO (he got divorced) had a baby and the our movie Christmas day went away for them. I get it, but it is a little sad. So, no, no more Christmas traditions.

 

[slo]

Now that my girls are adults, all the old Christmas traditions aren't happening anymore. We just recently started a new tradition last year, that we said we'll keep doing. On Christmas Eve it's just my DH, DD20 and I and last year we went to 5:00pm Mass, picked up a big stuffed Giordano's pizza after and then went home and watched Christmas With the Kranks and The Polar Express. It was a nice, enjoyable and relaxing evening. I know this probably sounds very boring for most people, but when your family is tiny as mine, there's nothing else to do.

Another tradition is my DD20 gets a new snowman from Santa every year - she has a small army of them around her Christmas tree in her bedroom - LOL!! I'll miss them when she has her own place and takes them with her.

 

[Lord Manhammer]

We also watch White Xmas every Xmas Eve with the tipple of choice.

 

[DisneyHardin]

We have quite a few traditions.

On Dec. 23, we get together with my Mom, sister, a couple cousins and aunts to order pizza and sing Christmas songs.

On Christmas Eve my Mom's entire family gets together at my aunts house for lunch (we used to do presents, but that part of the tradition has been dropped). Christmas Eve evening, my DH and I go to church and then out to dinner.

On Christmas Day I cook a big breakfast at home and DH and I do presents and just hang at home. At dinnertime we go to a different aunt's house, where my cousin who lives in NYC, but comes home to visit for Christmas, cooks a big homemade pasta dinner.

On Dec. 26, we go to my Dad and Stepmoms house for dinner and presents.

 

[Meriweather]

New pajamas on Eve, open one present on Eve.
Cinnamon rolls and hot chocolate for breakfast.
This is when I host which is every 3 years now. But that was always the way it was when the kids were young too.
Sandwiches and cookies for dinner.
Chocolate "oranges" in the bottom of the stockings.
Also the everyone got a new ornament that is something to do with them....a popular character or treat, etc

 

[leebee]

I try to do Seven Fishes on Christmas Eve. When I was a kid my dad would have open house for his family and the neighbors on Christmas Eve afternoon, just so he could cook every kind of seafood imaginable. I usually make a seafood chowder or seafood casserole and call it good.

Every year we give DD an ornament to commemorate something "special" from that year of her life. As @slo has alluded to regarding her DD's snowman collection, I missed those ornaments on the tree when DD moved out. However... she, her husband, and his 7year old live with us now, so the ornaments are all back!

When my dad was alive (our last Christmas together was when I was 13), we had a family tradition of bringing Christmas to every room of the house. There were 6 of us (my parents and we 4 kids) and we'd start in the kitchen. Everyone carried their stockings and followed dad through the house, singing Christmas carols (the hymn-kind) as we toured every single room of the house. We'd loop thru each room, which had a humor of its own (like squeezing in and out of the half-bath, or walking into my parents' room but exiting by crawling across the bed). We'd end up in the living room, hang our stockings, sing Silent Night together, and go to bed. Last time I did this was Christmas Eve of 1969.