Let's talk traditions part 1

[binny]

Tell me about some traditions your family has during the Holidays.

One of ours growing up was my mom would stay home and cook and my daddy and I ( and my brothers when they were younger) would go and hunt ALL day for the perfect tree. Usually it was the fiirst one at the first lot that we stopped at but it didnt stop us from hunting all day though

then we would return victorius from our crusade and after dinner we would make hot cider and decorate the tree together. We would go through all of the ornaments and hear the same story year after year about who made it where we were living and how we came to have it.

What I wouldnt give to hear him telling those stories all over again this year

So tell me about some of your traditions.

When I get back on awhile Ill post my second question about traditions.

 

[ead79]

We have a tradition of having a delicious Christmas brunch. My mom makes great stickey bread, sausage/cheese/grits casserole, ham and biscuits, fruit salad, etc. It's delicious! We really look forward to it every year.

 

[snoopy]

We have carried over numerous traditions that my parents started.

The first being my mother always had an open house at Christmastime. Back then, she would have it all week long, people would just drop over between 7 and 9 on weeknights, and then all day Saturday and Sunday. My mother was an amazing party planner, so people would come from all over to come to her Open Houses. When she died, I carried on the tradition of having an Open House, but I only do it on one Saturday. This year's is planned for the weekend after I get home from DIS Con. Martha Stewart I'm not, so I will have my plate full.

Another tradition that has gone back to I don't know when is an Italian custom on Christmas Eve. Its called the feast of the seven fishes, and basically its a big party where no meat is served, just fish. Old Italians have crazy things like a whole fish just lying there, but we've sort of moderanized it by having crab legs and shrimp and stuff. My grandmother still has this at her house every X-mas eve, even though she is 84. She expects close to 100 people this year. Its always a huge amount of fun, getting to see not only my own immediate family but all my cousins and aunts and uncles.

We always go to Midnight Mass on Christmas eve. Could never go the day off, have to go to Midnight Mass, even when my kids were tiny babies.

Always put the tree up the day after Thanskgiving. Another tradition my mother passed down.

I could proably write a novel on this, so I'll stop now.

Who's next?

 

[Kitty 34]

We have several traditions:

The children open one gift on Christmas Eve.
The ENTIRE family always meets on Christmas Eve, usually at my one sister's house 'cause it's the biggest.
We have turkey for dinner.
I make tons of sugar cookies to pass out to the neighbors.

A newer tradition, this will be our third year......a majority of the family all goes up to a resort in northern Michigan the day after Christmas. It's actually a casino/resort with a beautiful pool and arcade to keep the teens occupied.

 

[Goofyposter]

Groosch! Mrs. G...was brought up in a large household...of limited means...her Mom tried her best...but never seemed to 'hit' the family holiday gathering thing jurst 'right'....sew...after we were married...Mrs. G and I started hav'in her entire family up ter the farm on Chirstmas Eve...for a bash!...we have a variety of games..with prizes...and everyone leaves with a gift!..then Mrs. G, myself and My Mom...go to 'midnight' services! ...it's one of the highlights in my 'yearly' life!

 

[CamColt]

Thanksgiving_DH & I meet up with some friends of mine for drinks at a local restaurant. Then we go to my parents house for munchies & dinner.

Christmas Eve is at my house for Chinese food. Before our guests arrive I videotape the kids in front of the tree with Charlie Brown Christmas playing in the backround. Its a sentimental thing that started when DS#1 was a week old and Ive done it every year since(this will be year 6).

Christmas morning is at my parents house, and my Father cooks breakfast. After we do Grandma & Pops presents which are usually more than Santas , we go home and chill for a while before getting ready to go to my sisters house for an Italian feast.

 

[Rajah]

We typically also open either one or two gifts on Christmas Eve, usually with the lights dimmed so that only the kitchen light and the tree lights and a fire in the fireplace illuminate what we're doing. Usually (but not always) one of those gifts to *someone* was a puzzle, and after opening our one or two packages, we'd sit together with the TV on Christmas specials or the CD player playing Christmas music and we'd put together the puzzle. It would usually take all Christmas day to finish it as a family.

That's a tradition that I miss -- the puzzles. DH doesn't like doing puzzles at all, and I don't want to leave him out, so we don't do the puzzle part any more. But since we got married, we've been spending Christmas Eve with my family, and Christmas Day with his. Eve was always more special to me anyway since it was family time. Day was spent resting, playing with the new toys, calling family, and bustling around being busy. Eve was the cozy family time.

 

[TimeforMe]

We take our dog, the van, some hot cocoa in a thermos and off we go to this great farm we found to cut down our tree. We usually decorate it later in the week while watching Christmas shows.

Growing up in a very large Italian family, our Christmases were rich in tradition. We, too, like Snoopy have only different varieties of fish on Christmas Eve. When I was little our whole family (aunts, uncles, cousins, in-laws, friends, etc.) would gather in someone's basement, all my aunts would cook (stuff like bacala), one of the uncles would play Santa and we'd have a great time. Now that I have my own kids (although my mom's family still does this), we've got our own traditions in addition to some of "The Family's." I cook here (all kinds of seafood) Christmas Eve, then after everyone's left, my family exchanges our gifts to each other, kids go to bed and DH and I put on a little Kenny G, have a nice glass of red wine and open our presents to each other. Then on to bed.

Stockings are placed (by Santa) on the edge of the kids' beds. When they wake up, they come in our bed with their stockings (even though they are 12 and 14!) and open them. Then it's downstairs to see what Santa's brought. Later on we go to my brother's for a huge prime rib dinner with his family.

 

[LIDisneyFan]

We always went to my parent's house on Christmas Eve, and DW and the kids and I would exchange presents with Mom and Dad. We would go to church together (which Mom loved, since we never got to do that any more). Some of my cousins would stop by, and chat.

Mom and Dad died this year, so the Christas Eve tradition is gone. That's going be be a tough night

However, one of my cousins ivited us for Christmas Day, so we're staring new tradition as well. I am very happy about that - we'll do Christmas Eve at home with the kids, open our gifts Christmas morning, then share Christmas days with family.




Mom would be happy

 

[Planogirl]

When my family was still together. we always celebrated my Grandmother's birthday on Christmas Eve since she was born on that day. Then we drove down to Galveston to stay with my brother and sister in law. My husband's huge family would all come and it seemed that everyone went into a gift-giving frenzy. There was always a ham, lots of cakes and the spirits flowed freely. Then all or some of us went to midnight Mass.

The next day we always returned to my parent's home or mine (we alternated) and opened gifts with my family (they always waited for us). We could only open one gift at a time while my Dad made silly commentary the whole time. I would LOVE to hear him do this again. Then we would gather for a huge, traditional turkey dinner complete with Christmas music and wine.

We still pile into the car in the evening to drive around and see the Christmas lights one more time.

 

[MerryPoppins]

We always eat by the candlelight of our Advent wreath (and other candles) during Advent. At dinner, we open that days Christmas cards. That way we can share the letters and photos and remind the kids who the far-away friends and relatives are. It's fun, but sometimes it's hard for me to wait to open the letters.

Our family always signs up to ring Salvation Army bells. We sing while we ring. It's fun.

We always go to Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve and open our gifts when we get back home. After all, it is Christmas morning by then, and Santa has been there.

For breakfast on Christmas morning, we used to always have muffins with candles. The kids would sing Happy Birthday before they opened their gifts, to remind them why we were celebrating.

We usually go to our church's Christmas Community Dinner on Christmas Day, to work. Everyone in our town is invited to come eat and share fellowship. Many of the people are poor, but some are just alone. We have lots of older couples with no family in the area who come to see the children. We sing carols and have a good time.

We have many more, but I'd better let someone else have a turn.

 

[Dan Murphy]

Christmas Eve at one of Marie's cousins for dinner similar to Snoopy's, seafood..shrimp, lobster, and endless other things and desserts. Then home for presents in the morning, church and afternoon dinner at MIL's. When the kid's were younger, we did a few presents Christmas Eve, then out for Midnight Mass, back home to bed waiting for Santa, and a wonderful Christmas (though tired) morning after Santa's visit. Darn, I do miss those days.

 

[binny]

what great traditions

Dan you and Marie are welcome to come to Idaho and be Santa here

One can never have TOO many Santa's you know

 

[MerryPoppins]

I forgot a fun one. We used to celebrate the 12 days of Christmas, starting with Christmas Day. We would think of 12 family activities and each day we would choose one for that day. For example, one day might be game day (where we'd pull out the board games), movie day (watch Christmas movies and eat popcorn), baking day (bake and eat cookies), bird day (string popcorn and make pinecone birdfeeders for our feathered friends), etc. We never chose the day in advance, since sometimes weather would get in our way, but would just be prepared to do one of the choices.

As the kids got older and had other activities this became more difficult. It sure was fun when they were little. We still do some of the activities now, but not 12 days worth.

 

[RIDISNEYLOVERS]

Every year in October we all go and tag our Christmas trees. We pick a weekend and go - no matter what the weather is like out there - some times its frightful!! We each name our tree and then everyone gathers around it and we sing "Oh Christmas Tree" and take pictures of that family in front of their tree - a tone of fun and a lot of laughs!!

We usually go the day after Thanksgiving and have our tree cut down and put it up over the weekend. Sometime around early to mid December we visit each others houses over a weekend - one family will make breakfast, then lunch, then dinner and we will repeat it the next day with the rest of the houses. We get to enjoy the Christmas decorations that each family has up because we don't get a chance to see everyone on Christmas.

On Christmas Eve we also have the seafood spread!! Though the years I have grown to love seafood (just a few kinds - not all).

DH family does not have any christmas traditions so we usually visit them after my Aunt's house on Christmas Eve and after my other Aunt's house on Christmas Day (if we get a chance).

Anyone else??

This was a lot of fun!!
Lisa