Holiday Traditions
- Thread starter MisssAshby
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I don't know if these are "traditions", really, but we used to do the same thing every single year.
On Christmas eve night my family went out driving around to look at all people's decorations. When we got home my mom would read us The Night Before Christmas, and my brother and I would each get to open one present, which was always pajamas. The next morning we would gather around and open presents. Then we spent the rest of the day eating and playing with our new stuff.
Now my parents can't be bothered to go out to look at lights. And my mom doesn't read us that story anymore (lol I'm such a kid pouting about this). But we still get our PJ's and Christmas day is still the same, my parents still buy WAY too much stuff.
I will probably spend Christmas eve/Christmas morning at my parents house until I have my own kids and then we will do Christmas at our house and my parents will probably come there. Idk what they'll do when/if my brother and I both have kids! Probably they'll come to my house, my grandma always did because my brother and I were the oldest, but all my mom's siblings live all over the country so it's not like she can do Christmas morning somewhere and Christmas dinner somewhere.
We do Christmas pretty hardcore. My dad puts lights ALL over the roof and dormers and porch and everything, my mom brings out all 900 of her decorations and we put them all inside. I usually bake at least 10 batches of different cookies (we put the dough in the snow to chill it because it won't all fit in the fridge). I wrap everything really neatly with ribbons and bows and stuff. I love Christmas.
Zach is Jewish...at his house there's a "Hanukkah Bowl". Everyone writes something they want on a piece of paper, folds in half, and puts their name on the outside. Then when you go shopping, you just grab a paper or two for each person. That way, everyone gets something they want but it's still a surprise. We plan on doing this for our kids.
I get incredibly excited thinking about celebrating two holidays with our children, as if my parent's SuperChristmas isn't enough.
On Christmas eve night my family went out driving around to look at all people's decorations. When we got home my mom would read us The Night Before Christmas, and my brother and I would each get to open one present, which was always pajamas. The next morning we would gather around and open presents. Then we spent the rest of the day eating and playing with our new stuff.
Now my parents can't be bothered to go out to look at lights. And my mom doesn't read us that story anymore (lol I'm such a kid pouting about this). But we still get our PJ's and Christmas day is still the same, my parents still buy WAY too much stuff.
I will probably spend Christmas eve/Christmas morning at my parents house until I have my own kids and then we will do Christmas at our house and my parents will probably come there. Idk what they'll do when/if my brother and I both have kids! Probably they'll come to my house, my grandma always did because my brother and I were the oldest, but all my mom's siblings live all over the country so it's not like she can do Christmas morning somewhere and Christmas dinner somewhere.
We do Christmas pretty hardcore. My dad puts lights ALL over the roof and dormers and porch and everything, my mom brings out all 900 of her decorations and we put them all inside. I usually bake at least 10 batches of different cookies (we put the dough in the snow to chill it because it won't all fit in the fridge). I wrap everything really neatly with ribbons and bows and stuff. I love Christmas.
Zach is Jewish...at his house there's a "Hanukkah Bowl". Everyone writes something they want on a piece of paper, folds in half, and puts their name on the outside. Then when you go shopping, you just grab a paper or two for each person. That way, everyone gets something they want but it's still a surprise. We plan on doing this for our kids.
I get incredibly excited thinking about celebrating two holidays with our children, as if my parent's SuperChristmas isn't enough.
Next to Halloween (not a real holiday I know I know) Christmas is definitely my favorite. My family does their real Christmas stuff on Christmas Eve. My immediate family and as much of the extended as possible go to my parent's house and bake massive amounts of sugar cookies. Then we spend most of the afternoon frosting them and going on a huge sugar high. Usually all the extendeds leave about four and then we watch The Grinch Who Stole Christmas and any other Christmas movies we can find on TV. Then we all bug my mom to let us open one present (hasn't ever worked) and we all go to bed. Prior to last year (Mom made me get my own stocking when I got married 
) my sister, my brother and I would wait till Mom and Dad went to bed and then sneak out and paw through our stockings.
Getting married really changed my holiday schedule. And last year sucked because it was our first Christmas and his parents were in town and mine had to move Christmas to my sister's house so that we could all do Christmas Eve together. It was really hard because we've never had Christmas not at my parent's house. But I am looking forward to making our own traditions when we get a house of our own and start having kids.
) my sister, my brother and I would wait till Mom and Dad went to bed and then sneak out and paw through our stockings. Getting married really changed my holiday schedule. And last year sucked because it was our first Christmas and his parents were in town and mine had to move Christmas to my sister's house so that we could all do Christmas Eve together. It was really hard because we've never had Christmas not at my parent's house. But I am looking forward to making our own traditions when we get a house of our own and start having kids.
Drawing names from a hat we see which year which family/home will be hosting our big ole family for christmas eve, thanksgiving & christmas
We get together, music is played, lots of food and family fun
every year me and my cousins go shopping and buy pretty christmas dresses (that we donate after the party) but we also wear our most hideous christmas sweaters we can find! lol with antler ears!
We get together, music is played, lots of food and family fun
every year me and my cousins go shopping and buy pretty christmas dresses (that we donate after the party) but we also wear our most hideous christmas sweaters we can find! lol with antler ears!
T
I'm not a fan of the holidays. We don't really have any traditions. And I don't know if Dustin and I will make any. His family always gets together. Kids, parents, cousins, aunts, uncles, great uncles. It is just really weird to me, and I can't say that I enjoy them. It is all just one big chore. Last year at the christmas party, people all brought a present. We picked numbers from a hat. The person with the number one got to pick the present they wanted, open it. The person number two could choose to get a new present to open out of the pile, or steal the first person's present. That was actually kind of neat.
I cherish my childhood memories and the traditions we started with the kids .When Santa came , a ribbon was placed across the top of the stairs and no one could go down until all were ready . ( Well, Santa's helper was allowed to go down and turn on the lights and the coffee ! ) Ribbon broken, the dogs always made it to the tree first and each dog knew which package was theirs .... ( rubbing each toy on specific dog was the clue ! ) From then on , the fun began ! We loved to drag it out with a fruit , coffee cake , etc break , sigh ~~~ those days are gone , but memories still last .
For Christmas we have always gone to my Grandmother's in Colorado. Even though my sister and I have our own kids, we still continue that tradition because we feel it is important to spend time with our grandparents while they are still here. We are a very close family and I love family get togethers.
We will all open presents on Christmas Eve. Then we will probably have Christmas dinner at my great-aunts.
We will all open presents on Christmas Eve. Then we will probably have Christmas dinner at my great-aunts.
We don't really have any in my family. We always just stayed home as a family, opened presents on christmas morning, and then had ham dinner that afternoon.
my husband's family opens presents with the extended family at his uncles and has dinner on christmas eve
Now that we have the baby, we will start out own traditions. i'd like to stay just us on christmas to open presents. i will buy damien a christmas bear every year with the year on its foot. he will also get a pair of pajamas every christmas eve to wear. i already got him these things for this year and he even has his bear from last year, even though he wasn't born yet
my husband's family opens presents with the extended family at his uncles and has dinner on christmas eve
Now that we have the baby, we will start out own traditions. i'd like to stay just us on christmas to open presents. i will buy damien a christmas bear every year with the year on its foot. he will also get a pair of pajamas every christmas eve to wear. i already got him these things for this year and he even has his bear from last year, even though he wasn't born yet
Well we do.. "Réveillon" Which basically means we have christmas on the evening of the 24th, we all gather at someones house, last year everyone came here which entailed me cooking for 14 people.. But it's not my turn this year.. PHEW!
We start around 7 pm ish, getting together having an "Apéritif" and nibbles/appetizers and then comes the HUGE meal, starter, fish course, main course, cheeses, and then deserts.. By which time it's getting round to midnight or so when we open all the gifts or if it's our village churches turn we sometimes go to midnight mass, not because I am at all religious, it's just quaint and the choir is lovely, especially in the still of the night.. The party usually carrys on until about 3 am or 4 am, or sometimes it just doesn't stop.. LOL!
So Christmas day noone surfaces early, and we all recongregate the next lunchtime/afternoon to eat up the leftovers.
As far as decoration goes, we hold a village competition for the best decorated house, so every year we are trying to do one better than we did the previous year.. Talk about making a rod for your own back! I started making christmas decorations in October!
But it's not my turn this year.. PHEW!We start around 7 pm ish, getting together having an "Apéritif" and nibbles/appetizers and then comes the HUGE meal, starter, fish course, main course, cheeses, and then deserts.. By which time it's getting round to midnight or so when we open all the gifts or if it's our village churches turn we sometimes go to midnight mass, not because I am at all religious, it's just quaint and the choir is lovely, especially in the still of the night.. The party usually carrys on until about 3 am or 4 am, or sometimes it just doesn't stop.. LOL!
So Christmas day noone surfaces early, and we all recongregate the next lunchtime/afternoon to eat up the leftovers.
As far as decoration goes, we hold a village competition for the best decorated house, so every year we are trying to do one better than we did the previous year.. Talk about making a rod for your own back! I started making christmas decorations in October!