Christmas traditions
We started planning our Christmas today and realized that we have many traditions that have just seem to stick without any real effort to have them. My family exchanges gifts on Christmas Eve night. We all take Christmas Eve off from work and start around lunchtime kicking things off with hot cider and usually some type of dip.
While we are drinking our cider we all have things we do. My three nephews are in charge of getting all the gifts out of everyone’s car and get them under the tree. They arrange them by person though so we know exactly where everyone’s gifts are located. My sister and I start making all types of finger foods as she usually does some kind of Chex mix type thing and I make sausage balls. As we nibble on these once they are done mom is usually making potato soup while my sister and I make a veggie dish. We usually eat light meals because we have nibbled all afternoon.
After we eat we gather for the gift opening. The camcorder is set-up on a tripod and we have hand held cameras for quick snaps when needed. We take rotate turns opening one gift at a time until everyone has finished. The mess is cleaned up and then we all start assembling/playing with all the new gadgets we received.
The day usually finishes up around 9-10pm and I come home.
What kind of traditions do you have?
posted by volsfan at 8:38 PM
10 Comments:
I remember you started a thread like this last year. Don't you do a present hunt? That's one of our traditions on Christtmas Eve - the kids get one stuffed toy, which we hide somewhere in their rooms. I just got the ones for this year. There's a kids' show called "Max and Ruby", which is based on a book series. Ruby is the big sister bunny and Max is the little brother bunny. I got stuffed ones. Hee hee.
We still have to go see the lights at Niagara Falls. There's also a house in a neighbouring town that is absolutely covered in lights. In the back yard, there are dozens of inflatable decorations. You can also see their Hydro box, and watch how much electricity they're using. :D
Sorry for going on. I haven't cared at all until just this week, since DD's B-day.
9:46 PM
Yes, we do have the gift hunt! I can't believe you remember that thread. I have started working on it already.
9:55 PM
We usually go look at Christmas lights about the week before. We always put up our tree the day after Thanksgiving and take it down New Years Day. Other than that we just do one family's on Christmas Eve and the other on Christmas Day. Usually alternate each year.
9:39 AM
We only have a tradition with my Dad's side of the family. On my Mom's side, 3 kids and the Mom lived here a couple of year's ago but now it just my Mom.
We go to a Christmas Eve party with my Dad's second cousin's and we do a Chinese Gift Exchange. the limit is 20 bucks and its really fun, last year I ended up witha DVD Player. on christamas, we do Christamas at on my Dad Parent's house or one of the siblings. This year is at our house.
12:39 PM
Doc! You said "sausage balls"!
Such nice traditions. That is what makes any holiday special. We are still trying to form our own traditions here. I can't think of any that we have come up with but I bet they are there and one day the kids will remember. Does that manke any sense?
I guess it is just generally doing stuff together that makes a tradition. We do have cinnamon rolls every Christmas morning!
1:41 PM
When we're with my mom, we have a quiet Christmas Eve, eat tourtière, and go to church. The next morning, we get up, do our stockings, have breakfast, and, if we bought other gifts, we do those. At noon, Eric and I take the ferry to my dad's, where we eat a turkey dinner and open more presents. Boxing Day at Dad's involves scrabble, alcoholic beverages and the annual Bird Count (slogging around in the woods counting birds).
When it's our year to go to Eric's family, there are no traditions and it drives me friggin' nuts.
2:29 PM
UK, sounds like you got a good gift last year.
Zombs, yes I said sausage balls! What you say makes total sense to me because until like last year I didn't think we had that many traditions.
Coco, I wish I had thought of the bird counting when my nephews were smaller. They loved watching birds out the windows and they would have enjoyed doing that on Christmas.
3:16 PM
As a kid, we would open gifts on Xmas eve then go to midnight mass.
Now that everyone is grown up, traditions are out the door. The family does try to get together on Xmas eve.
Me living in Atlanta, we only go home every 2nd year so we won't be there this year.
We are going to Calgary to be with DH's sons. It'll be our first Xmas celebrated there with his ex and her DH. They usually start late Xmas eve, go to midnight mass, then party until the wee morning hours.
The one tradition from my childhood that I've continued with DH's sons are the Xmas stockings. Even though they are 18 & 19 yrs old, they still like getting my stockings. I also include a comic book each year. One year I didn't put one in thinking they were too old for it and they complained saying they liked getting the comic books. I think it's one thing they'll look back on fondly.
10:48 AM
We have some pretty steadfast traditions. One is to spend Christmas Eve at my SIL's house, exchanging presents, eating food, and topped off by a "show" the kids make up. This year, SIL is going through some turmoil, so for the first time in ages, Christmas Eve is at our house. My older DD is crushed. She is very tied to traditions and hates it when they are not followed.
On Christmas Day, it's my two DD's, DW and me at home in the morning and early afternoon. We open gifts slowly, make breakfast, drink coffee and just basically sit around in our jammies. Traditionally, I am the last to wake and they all have to come wake me up. It's usually because I've been up until 4am wrapping gifts and watching Its' a Wonderful Life.
We really tend to go overboard on the gifts. Mainly, this is because we don't buy much stuff during the year and use Christmas to stock up on necessities more than luxuries and call them gifts. Sometimes it feels embarrassingly decadent.
In the afternoon, we go to my Dad's house and spend the afternoon and evening with him and my stepmom (I have the best stepmom ever) and my sister and her kid.
This will be the last Christmas season before things really change - DD is going away to college next fall. :-(
12:38 PM
Will your DD going away to college actually change how you celebrate the holidays?
6:07 PM
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