On a happy note: What is your Christmas tradition?

[$$only4ever]

Oh great! I totally just re-read the posts and you guys have all these worthy traditions and mine consists of my husband and I getting busy under the tree. Geeez.... Now I feel like I hafta go play Santa at an orphanage or something for redemption. LOL!!

Nazstar,

lol lol

[jennordhavn]

You may be sorry you asked......lol

We have a LOT of traditions in our family.

The first and most memorable is how we spend Christmas Eve. We have done this since I was born and it has only altered since my Grandparents have passed away. We went to my paternal Grandparents' house on Christmas Eve. We ate pork roast, boiled potatos, gravy and mixed veggies. For dessert, we had rice pudding and whoever found the whole almond won a marzipan pig (YUCK!). After dinner, the men and the kids went for a walk to check out the Christmas lights while the women washed the dishes (how stereotypical.......lol). Then we opened presents. Now we go to my parents' house, eat the same meal, the prize is now chocolate (not marzipan, thank God), ALL of us go look at lights and we drive instead of walk, then we open gifts.

We also go to the Scandinavian Christmas party every year. As kids, we got to dance around the Christmas tree singing Danish songs and get bags from Santa with oranges and nuts and candy plus a present that varied on gender and age. They serve soda, alchohol (to the adults) and cookies. Now the Grandparents provide a present (although the kids think it's from Santa) and there are no oranges and nuts in the bags. My older daughter has done this every year (she's 8 and this will be the first year she can't attend) and my 17 month old is going this year with Grandma.

About 20 years ago my parents and their friends started a Progressive dinner. We start at one house and eat appetizers, then go to the next house for soup and salad, then to another for dinner and then finally to the last house for dessert and present opening (we draw names and have a $30 limit). This has become an all day event and now we "rotate" which area it will be in (since people have moved out of the area). We have to sign a book and tell what's happened during the past year and it's always fun to hear what has happened throughout the years. Families have come and gone and now it's mostly family (my Mom's side), but we still do it every year on the 2nd Saturday in December.

Let's see, another tradition is our Girls' Shopping Day in San Francisco. This was started about 10 years ago by my Mom's friend. We all take a weekday off from work and BART into San Francisco. We start at the Hyatt Hotel for breakfast (very overpriced, expensive breakfast.....lol). The we walk around and shop for awhile. We used to go to FAO Schwartz but that is closed now. We go to Macy's, the Disney Store, Williams Sonoma, and the San Francisco Centre (has Nordstroms and other nice stores). The we have lunch. We used to go to Planet Hollywood, but for the past 4 or 5 years, we go to Cheesecake Factory. YUM. During this trip, my kids get to pick out an ornament each (I try to remember to label the year). We usually get it at Macy's Christmas shop. After lunch, we do more shopping and sometimes end the day with a cocktail at a nice bar (I've never done this part because I'm always so exhausted). I've been doing this since I was pregnant with my first and she's 8 now. I allow her to miss school for it since it has become yet another "tradition."

Another tradition we have is my sister and I go shopping with my Dad every year to get all my Mom's gifts. He buys us breakfast and lunch and we help him pick out gifts. My DD wasn't going to go this year because she slept over her friend's house, but she decided at the last minute she didn't want to disappoint my Dad or "break" tradition so she went........lol. She has been going since she was born!

Christmas morning has changed throughout the years. It used to be just our immediate family at my parents' house. We'd open stockings and gifts and then have a big breakfast. My Mom always got the biggest pile of presents (she still does......lol). Then we moved it to my sister's house. Last year we lived about 2 hours from family so we skipped Christmas morning, but my older DD stayed with my Mom and Dad. This year, we decided to start our own Christmas morning tradition so we're going to have the kids get their Santa gift, open their stockings and presents and make breakfast.

Christmas Day we go to my Mom's family's celebration. We all bring something for dinner, eat, then open presents. We draw names with $50 limit. This has only altered in that we get there a bit later because now we go visit DF's family first. This year should be so much easier since we live close again.

I think that's about it..........LOL. Are you sorry you asked?

[genseeker]

In my family, on the first Saturday after Hanukkah, we got out to pick a live cedar tree to cut for Christmas. We spend the day decorating it and wrapping gifts. When the weather is right, we make pecan cookie balls. My fmaily has been making these for well over 100 yrs. Most my family can't get them right because the barometer HAS to be steady, not rising or falling, or the cookies don't turn out right. The cookies are best if they sit for at least a week. So after literally baking dozens of cookies, we roll them in powdered sugar and put them into cookie tins. At Christmas dinner, we stack the tins into a pyramid and every family gets a tin to take home, pluswe have a bowl full of cookies for dessert. The never seem to last till dessert though, everyone sneaks them as they fill their plates. Christmas Eve the kids get to open a gift, usually we have someting special picked out that they open. And we spend Christmas Day together with family.

[AMISLANDER]

Well, I actually cleaned out the Mennorah last night before sundown & lit my candles....a friend of mine, who we call "Don Quixote" for obvious reasons....seems to be keeping tabs on me, for why I don't know...dropped in without calling so I had him there for the prayer...and gave him a glass of wine...

I was a bit sad as my xboyfriend/boyfriend was not there, nor my sons, so I guess God planned it this way so I wouldn't cry when I lit my candle.

[JollyGG]

Let’s see. We always start putting up Christmas decorations the day after thanksgiving. Currently I live on one of the registered "Christmas lanes" in town so we like to have our outside decorations up as soon as possible. Right after thanksgiving our street turns into "Christmas Card Lane". This thankfully is easy to decorate in theme.

When I bring out the Christmas decorations I also bring out the christmas movies and books. So we watch those constantly and have read the "Grinch" every night since thanksgiving this year.

During the fall craft shows I usually pick up our ornaments. We get a family ornament and each kid get an ornament each year. I put the name and date on each ornament. When our kids leave home they will get their ornaments to start their own tree.

The weekend before Chrsitmas each child gets an afternoon with one parent where they get to pick a present out for their sibling. A tradition we would like to start would be our kids picking out a gift for another child their age and gender to give to charity while at the toy store. We will see where our budget is when we get to that point this year. Next year we will plan it into the budget.

Christmas Eve we cook chili (for hubby) and oyster stew (my family's tradition). The oyster stew is the first actual meal of the day. The rest of the day food is out all day for grazing. We have crackers and cheese, little smokies, cookies, candy, ect out all day. After dinner we open presents. If we are somewhere that has midnight mass the kids get special pajamas for Christmas because that is probably what they will be wearing for church. The kids are sent to be early and the adults sit around playing cards or watching Christmas movies. We get the kids up and go to midnight mass.

While at church Santa comes (If we don't go to midnight mass we go to the children’s mass - usually at 5:00 before dinner, and Santa comes while we sleep). Santa brings a gift for everyone including the adults and fills the kid’s stockings. He places them at your place at the kitchen table unwrapped and ready to go. He also leaves a really juicy thick skinned orange for each person and a bowl of peanuts in the middle of the table.

For christmas day we either have friends over or go to friends houses for Christmas dinner. My husband is allergic to poultry so we always have prime rib. We play with our new toys, watch Christmas movies and play cards.

Christmas decorations come down on January 5 for Epiphany.

[Bandit]

In my Christmas tradition my dad would get his laugh and always had this to say & wore a santa hat that reads...











































BA HUMBUG!

I think I followed his footsteps putting a 3x5 red flag on the pole that reads BA HUMBUG!