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Here in the Great White North, Thanksgiving is in October - so we're way ahead of many of you when it comes to thinking about Christmas.
With the holidays only a month away, I got to thinking about Christmas traditions.

At our house, dinner on Christmas Eve is usually a tourtiere (a French-Canadian meat pie with a pork, beef, onion and spice filling). Our kids and some of their friends often go caroling, with any proceeds going to a local organization dedicated to saving stray and abandoned cats and dogs. We usually watch a Christmas movie (Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer has long been a favorite) and read Clement Clarke Moore's 'Twas the Night before Christmas before putting out milk and cookies for Santa (and a carrot or two for his reindeer to fight over). Lately we've been letting the kids open one present, with us approving their choices: after all, it's no good opening the headphones for the MP3 player they haven't got yet!

On Christmas morning, the kids are usually up between 6 and 7 and raring to go. Breakfast is almost always Pillsbury Crescent Rolls or Cinnamon Rolls, and we rotate dinners (turkey with all the trimmings) each year: last year it was at my in-laws' house, this year it's at my folks' place, and next year it's our turn. We're truly lucky that both sides of the family not only get along, but genuinely like each other.

Music is a big part of the holidays for us. Anyone remember those old Firestone Christmas records? I'm sure I hated them as a kid, but I remember them fondly now. We usually listen to Christmas carols or solo piano (something like George Winston's December) on Christmas Eve and a mix of the vintage (Bing Crosby, Dean Martin, etc) and the contemporary (Christmas Island, anyone?) on Christmas Day.

So, what are some of your Christmas traditions?

Demerara wrote:Here in the Great White North, Thanksgiving is in October - so we're way ahead of many of you when it comes to thinking about Christmas.
With the holidays only a month away, I got to thinking about Christmas traditions.

At our house, dinner on Christmas Eve is usually a tourtiere (a French-Canadian meat pie with a pork, beef, onion and spice filling). Our kids and some of their friends often go caroling, with any proceeds going to a local organization dedicated to saving stray and abandoned cats and dogs. We usually watch a Christmas movie (Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer has long been a favorite) and read Clement Clarke Moore's 'Twas the Night before Christmas before putting out milk and cookies for Santa (and a carrot or two for his reindeer to fight over). Lately we've been letting the kids open one present, with us approving their choices: after all, it's no good opening the headphones for the MP3 player they haven't got yet!

On Christmas morning, the kids are usually up between 6 and 7 and raring to go. Breakfast is almost always Pillsbury Crescent Rolls or Cinnamon Rolls, and we rotate dinners (turkey with all the trimmings) each year: last year it was at my in-laws' house, this year it's at my folks' place, and next year it's our turn. We're truly lucky that both sides of the family not only get along, but genuinely like each other.

Music is a big part of the holidays for us. Anyone remember those old Firestone Christmas records? I'm sure I hated them as a kid, but I remember them fondly now. We usually listen to Christmas carols or solo piano (something like George Winston's December) on Christmas Eve and a mix of the vintage (Bing Crosby, Dean Martin, etc) and the contemporary (Christmas Island, anyone?) on Christmas Day.

So, what are some of your Christmas traditions?

Isn't it strange how that happens; my grown children so hated some our traditions that we, just us 4 as a family, practiced. Now that they are grown they fondly remember them and mention them often.

I'm not sure how fondly, though, they remember my classical XMAS music, as well as XMAS Island, on XMAS morning, .

Their father is gone now 5 yrs. and I'm 1,007 miles east of them so my daughter with 2 young boys and her husband are trying to establish some traditions all their own; I guess, also, that their sons can fondly remember when they are adults.

I will be there for XMAS....

This year will be different.

We usually trek north to the In-Laws, like we did yesterday for Thanksgiving.
This year, Peggy will be 8 1/2 months preggo, so we aren't going. Not even putting up a tree this year.

But the in-laws are threatening to bring the whole family to us....

Well the Saturday after Thanksgiving, we always go Christmas tree cutting and its a big extended family get together (we end up with 50 people easy, maybe more).

On christmas eve, grandparents come over our house and we go to christmas eve mass. Afterwards, my mom always makes spaghetti and seafood surprise sauce with lobster, crab, shrimp, and assorted veggies.

On christmas, all the gifts are opened up in the morning before breakfast, then breakfast, then stockings, then off to Grandmas for dinner.

I'm sure there are more, though.

well we start with a christmas caroling party at my grammas the weekend before christmas....friends and family come together for a night of singing and gramma's cooking....(dad's side)

christmas eve we go to 4:30 mass and then to my grammi's house for dinner (mom's side) then we travel back into town where we go to a friend of the family's for cocktails and more food...(dad's side) we are usually the last ones at that party...

christmas morning presents at our house....then we go to my grammi's (moms) for polish sausage and homemade sweetbread....then we go to my grammas(dads) for prime rib....so we are travelling gypsies around the holidays....

jonesbeach10 wrote:Well the Saturday after Thanksgiving, we always go Christmas tree cutting and its a big extended family get together (we end up with 50 people easy, maybe more).

We usually just put up an artificial tree (just seems so much easier, safer, cleaner), but I do prefer a real tree. Maybe this year...

Well my recent (ten years) are going by the wayside this year..
the Christmas run (Formerly known as the Santa fun run)
is off my list this year.. I feel the current focus is on the speed not the fun and that is why I signed on.. for the fun
kind of sad.. that is where whole Santa thing for me started..

Also I have been going to 10:30 services on christmas eve
and I have to be up and at them at 4:30 this year..
so, not sure if I can make that.
but for every door that closes there is one that opens
my parents and I are going to Salt Lake City
to see the lights and to see the Choir.

As a child, we'd open our presents on Christmas Eve with all the family present, and on Christmas Day we'd have Christmas dinner at my grandmother's house (which was NOT over the river and through the woods). She and I shared also shared a birthday on Christmas Day, so, to me, it was extra special.
Since my grandparents have departed, and my brother and a couple of cousins have moved out of state, what's left of the family gathers at my parents house on Christmas Day, and we just open our presents and have our Christmas dinner all in one gathering.

When we were kids, the whole street would gather at the top of the street in the summer heat, and Santa would arrive, along with the Salvation Army Choir on Christmas Eve and we would sing carols and get to put in a last minute order to Santa!

Christmas day - always hot - so we would sometimes head to the beach, or hang out in the pool.

These days - Christmas Eve sees my sister drink to excess while watching Christmas Carols by Candlelight on TV - so I watch that with family if I am with them for Christmas Eve or on my own.

Christmas Day go to my sisters for a BBQ breakfast of bacon, eggs, sausages etc. We then have Christmas Lunch - either full on roast dinner (melting in the heat cooking that included ) or a seafood and ham salad buffet. We always finish off with plum pudding and custard ... that;s the main tradition.

Boxing Day (dec 26) is also a big tradition day - we all lay on the couches all day and watch the start of the Boxing Day Cricket Test Match - this year is Aust V England.

And for 20 of the 26 years of working for the Government - I would meet workmates in the park opposite at 7.00am for a Champagne breakfast - and "stumble" in to work at 9.30am - but the Govt no longer lets you go to work drunk - I dont understand why

Funny little food things ...

We HAVE to have a tangerine in the bottom of our stockings. If my Mom forgets, my brother and I (at 37 and 34) start yelling at her for forgetting. Usually the atngerines are sitting on the kitchen counter and she just forgot to drop them in.

We always have an egg dish that my great Aunt Sug made (she passed away from breast cancer almost 18 years ago). My Mom has continued the tradition of serving it on Christmas morning.

We always have "bullfrogs" on Christmas morning. Limeaide, vodka, a little sugar and milk, with ice in a blender.

This year is going to be really special!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

1) Maria will be home!!!!!!!!!!!

"Cause nothing really matters, after all it's Christmas day"

Everthing else will just come together

creeky wrote:Boxing Day (dec 26) is also a big tradition day - we all lay on the couches all day and watch the start of the Boxing Day Cricket Test Match - this year is Aust V England.

Boxing Day is great. It used to be another day off, kind of a "recover from yesterday" day, a day to visit the friends and family you didn't get to see yet. Only a few stores would risk heavy fines in order to open and rack up huge Boxing Day sales; in recent years, though, those laws have relaxed and the marjority of retailers are open, so Boxing Day is pretty much our equivalent of our southern neighbours' Black Friday.

My family's Christmas tradition is a bit odd. Everyone puts a dollar in a pot and makes a guess on the number of presents under the tree. The person coming the closest to the correct number without going over wins the pot. We have two people keeping a tally while my sister gives out the presents. We usually have between 200-300 presents under the tree (can you guess I'm from a large family?). I have no idea how this tradition got started, but its been going on for several generations.

Irish coffee and carols with a brass ensemble that sets up on our front lawn on Christmas Eve to play for half an hour before they move on to their next few homes . . . all of our closest friends and family come over. It is magical and sooooooo peaceful . . .

Since my mom raised my sister and I on a VERY TIGHT budget, she began traditions I didn't know were due to no money. We always make a gingerbread house. I LOVED this as a child and now Jim and Mollie love it. Even when we have enough money to BUY anything, we choose to make this. Did you know, lifesavers make stained glass windows when they are cooked??? That is Christmas morning's breakfast.
Each child gets to open one gift under the tree on Christmas Eve. The rest are for Christmas morning.
I make shrimp chowder on Christmas Eve. Kind of odd but it's hot and we love it and we eat early, before church.
We go caroling every year. All the churches downtown, ours (Presbyterian), the Episcopal, the Baptist, Methodist, AME and Lutheran all get together. It's really a nice time and all the kids from the different churches get the "THIS is MY church" thing.
We always leave Santa milk and cookies. And carrots for the reindeer. And a jinglebell on the sidewalk (where the reindeer left one as they left the roof!)

I also love the walk down memory lane as I unpacked the decorations and holiday clothes this year. Looking at the little Jon-jon Jimmy wore his first Christmas 16 years ago. All the smocked dresses Mollie has had. Her first year, she was 7 months old and about 15 pounds. Such tiny little dresses. Jim's first, he was 11 weeks. He fell asleep staring at all those lights...Now he helps make "Santa" as magical as possible for his baby sister. I hate to think but I believe this our last year of "Believers".

We always make a tour around town to see all the lights too. Our neighbors ALWAYS win the Board of Public Utilities contest...until last year. Well, this year...IT'S ON...they lit up the block!

I also got to the nitty-gritty about the real meaning of Christmas this year with Mollie. It's sounds really nice to say Jesus was wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger. The cold truth is he was wrapped in old rags and put in the feeding bowl. Poor little baby. But that's all they had. Mollie said "Wow Mommy, they didn't know how important that baby was! He was a SPECIAL baby"...she sure is right!

I'll be making a trip to Nashville for shopping in a week or 2. With no malls here, it's nice to shop on the Court Square but I miss the mall. I'll take my Mom and we will spend the day, just us, from early, thru lunch and home late with it all done.


Wow, I'm glad I posted. This season is so totally magical.

jimolliemom wrote:Wow, I'm glad I posted. This season is so totally magical.

I'm glad you posted, too! I love reading about everyone else's traditions. Christmas has always been one of my absolute favorite times of year, but I don't usually get into the spirit this early. Something magical must be afoot!

Who knows, maybe we'll all pick up some new traditions from each other?

My favorite of all our traditons is watching 'A Charlie Brown Christmas'. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE watching that over and over year after year!

Through age 13 we lived in Dad's hometown. Grandma, Uncle Gene & his family would come over for dinner on Christmas Eve and we would open our gifts from each other.

On Christmas morning my parents, brother and I would exchange gifts after we saw what Santa Claus brought us.

Then we would pack up and go 20 miles to Mom's hometown for dinner and exchange gifts with her side of the family.


Since then it hasn't been much of a tradition, just getting together with whoever - whenever possible.

Mrs.Inked and I have a good one on X-MAS eve when the kids are asleep and all the Santa work is done we have a Happy Birthday,Jesus and Jimmy margarita,just the two of us its usually very late and quiet at this time,helps with all the Stress of the holidays.

Mrs. TR and I really wanted to build traditions for our boys. One of my youngest son's favorite movies is Christams Vacation. He and I usually put up the lights every year. I hand him the wad of wires and bulbs and say, "Here you go Russ." He cracks up every year, even though he knows it's coming. When they were little and we finished with the lights, always by design right around dark, I'd make them a cup of hot chocolate and read the Christams story to them from the Bible. Mrs. TR has bought them ornaments since thier first Christams, so every year when we decorate the tree we all end up talking about what happened that year and if they can remember anything. One of the family decorations is four seperate little house shaped blocks that spell out NOEL. Usually it gets changed to LEON when the family gathers. Now we put it up spelling LEON and frinds that visit think we're nuts. After tree is decorated we sit down and watch Muppets Christmas and The Muppets Christmas Special. We open our family presents on Christams Eve and our Santa presents on Christmas morning. And for most of the entire day, thanks to TBS or TNT, Ralphie and his Red Ryder BB gun run as long as they play it. We adore that movie. It WAS a better time. Our family loves the holidays.