Christmas Traditions

adoptivemommy · 10-31-2007, 01:55 PM

OK, let's start another thread!

How about this: What are your Christmas family traditions?

I'm talking about things like who gives the Christmas dinner, when you open gifts, stuff like that! Also, are there any unusual traditions you have? Personally, those are the ones I'd like to hear about the most!

I'll start:

My personal family is in Romania, so I'm not part of their thing anymore. Here, I have my husband's family which consists of his dad, his step-mother, step-brother and his wife and step-sister and her husband. Then it's us, my husband and I, our 2 little girls and the step-brother's 2 girls. We usually stay home alone or with friends on the night of the 24th and that is when we open our gifts. Then the family takes turns for the Christmas dinner on the 25th. That is when and where the entire family opens gifts. We draw names for buying gifts, which I hate because these days you don't really have to brake the bank to get something for everybody in the family. To me it's the thought not the gift that counts most. So, that's us in a nut shell! How about you?

Laura

violet · 10-31-2007, 02:34 PM

I hope this thread can be a friendly conversation for those who do celebrate~

I suggest if someone wants to debate Christmas, they open a new thread.
Does that sound fair?
Thank you, all!

Well, Laura, we have no relatives anywhere nearby.
Unless one or more of my grown children come it is the 7 of us right now. One of those 7 is grown but moved back home.
To me, Christmas is all the weeks before, getting ready and preparing.
The preparing is most of the fun.
We bake, my daughter loves to make a manger with baby Jesus.
We like to put our tree up right after Thanksgiving.
All through December we play Christmas music!
We teach our children throughout the year about the gift and personal joy of giving but this is when we make the most of it~
I don't watch TV or movies but I would love to have some Christian Christmas videos this year~
I make Christmas dinner myself~
A turkey, a ham, mashed potatoes and gravy, homemade stuffing, yams, corn, whole cranberries, pies, bread, apple rolls and whatever else we feel like having.

KitsapGirl · 10-31-2007, 04:06 PM

Okay, I'll try to explain my holiday mess.....

My family: Mom, Dad, 2 Sisters, (their DH's and children), my Hubby, children, my brother MIA

My hubbies family: His Mom, His Dad, His Brother lives far away (I'll have to tell you guys the story sometime...it should have been on Oprah) His sister (Her DH & Children & Grandchild), His Grandpa, His Aunt & Uncle (her children & grandchildren)

Okay you know the players....

Now the craziness....

My sisters DH has a B-day on 12/23. We celebrate it by going out to eat and give gifts at dinner.

My M-I-L's B-day is 12/24. We celebrate it at lunchtime with an actual B-day party at his grandfathers house, complete with cake, ice cream...everything is pastel in color.

My family opens gifts & has a family dinner together at my mom & dads on 12/24.

Okay, we go home & put the kids to bed, then my DH & I set out the gifts from Jesus to our kids. Then at midnight, weopen OUR stockings. This is our only rule for giving gifts to each other...it MUST fit in the stocking. So we open together, and have a moment to ourselves.

Jesus' Birthday morning...

We get up around 6am...the kids open their gifts, we stay in our pj's. When the gifts are done, we pile into the car & go to his parents house. There we have breakfast, and open our stocking from them. they open their gifts from us. Breakfast done, we head to his sisters house, we exchange gifts there, and head out to his aunt/uncles house for lunch & more gifts. When we are done at his aunts house, we go back to my parents house for a B-day party for Jesus. We live in a navy town, so there are usually in attendance a few single sailors who couldn't get home for the holidays. Around 9PM we finally head home...exhausted.

Really, I wouldn't change any of it, if I could.

adoptivemommy · 10-31-2007, 04:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KitsapGirl

Okay, I'll try to explain my holiday mess.....

My family: Mom, Dad, 2 Sisters, (their DH's and children), my Hubby, children, my brother MIA

My hubbies family: His Mom, His Dad, His Brother lives far away (I'll have to tell you guys the story sometime...it should have been on Oprah) His sister (Her DH & Children & Grandchild), His Grandpa, His Aunt & Uncle (her children & grandchildren)

Okay you know the players....

Now the craziness....

My sisters DH has a B-day on 12/23. We celebrate it by going out to eat and give gifts at dinner.

My M-I-L's B-day is 12/24. We celebrate it at lunchtime with an actual B-day party at his grandfathers house, complete with cake, ice cream...everything is pastel in color.

My family opens gifts & has a family dinner together at my mom & dads on 12/24.

Okay, we go home & put the kids to bed, then my DH & I set out the gifts from Jesus to our kids. Then at midnight, weopen OUR stockings. This is our only rule for giving gifts to each other...it MUST fit in the stocking. So we open together, and have a moment to ourselves.

Jesus' Birthday morning...

We get up around 6am...the kids open their gifts, we stay in our pj's. When the gifts are done, we pile into the car & go to his parents house. There we have breakfast, and open our stocking from them. they open their gifts from us. Breakfast done, we head to his sisters house, we exchange gifts there, and head out to his aunt/uncles house for lunch & more gifts. When we are done at his aunts house, we go back to my parents house for a B-day party for Jesus. We live in a navy town, so there are usually in attendance a few single sailors who couldn't get home for the holidays. Around 9PM we finally head home...exhausted.

Really, I wouldn't change any of it, if I could.

Wow! That sounds exhausting, but fun! By the way, what is DH?

Laura

violet · 10-31-2007, 04:13 PM

DH is Dear Husband, Dear Laura!!!

adoptivemommy · 10-31-2007, 04:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by violet

I hope this thread can be a friendly conversation for those who do celebrate~

I suggest if someone wants to debate Christmas, they open a new thread.
Does that sound fair?
Thank you, all!

Well, Laura, we have no relatives anywhere nearby.
Unless one or more of my grown children come it is the 7 of us right now. One of those 7 is grown but moved back home.
To me, Christmas is all the weeks before, getting ready and preparing.
The preparing is most of the fun.
We bake, my daughter loves to make a manger with baby Jesus.
We like to put our tree up right after Thanksgiving.
All through December we play Christmas music!
We teach our children throughout the year about the gift and personal joy of giving but this is when we make the most of it~
I don't watch TV or movies but I would love to have some Christian Christmas videos this year~
I make Christmas dinner myself~
A turkey, a ham, mashed potatoes and gravy, homemade stuffing, yams, corn, whole cranberries, pies, bread, apple rolls and whatever else we feel like having.

You know what's really spooky Violet, I do a LOT of the same stuff as you! Like play Christmas music the whole month of December, decorate after Thanksgiving, etc. I also cook stuff from scratch as well! It sounds like you and I would get along so well! Too bad we are so far apart! I wish we were neighbors. The only thing about that would be that we probably wouldn't get any work done. We'd just have coffee and talk and then we would look at the clock and realize it's time for hubby's to come home and we have no dinner!

Laura

Whirlwind · 10-31-2007, 04:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by violet

I hope this thread can be a friendly conversation for those who do celebrate~

I suggest if someone wants to debate Christmas, they open a new thread.
Does that sound fair?

Amen, Violet! Amen!

Me and my mom exchange holidays every year. One year we'll have Thanksgiving at her house and Christmas at my house. Next year, it's Vice-Versa.

We start out Christmas morning...the kids usually spend the night (if it's at my place) at my house. We stay up late and watch still-TV specials and eat.

Christmas morning, we have breakfast and then wait for the rest of the family to show up. This just kills the kids, but it stretches out that Christmas feeling.

Before they open the presents, the kids do The Lord's Prayer in Native American sign-language. Mom says a blessing, and then the wrapping is shredded!

While we examine our new toys, the turkey slowly cooks in the oven. The smell is heavenly and fills the house to the point where nobody can handle it anymore. We eat "supper" around 1 or so in the afternoon.

Then everybody finds a warm, cozy spot with a mug of hot chocolate, and we all lose consciousness like a bunch of bloated ticks.

If theres snow, there's sledding later on. We eat leftovers at the table for dinner and talk about the birth of our Saviour.

adoptivemommy · 10-31-2007, 04:28 PM

How beautiful Whirlwind! Thank you all! Please, keep writing!

Laura

violet · 10-31-2007, 04:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by adoptivemommy

You know what's really spooky Violet, I do a LOT of the same stuff as you! Like play Christmas music the whole month of December, decorate after Thanksgiving, etc. I also cook stuff from scratch as well! It sounds like you and I would get along so well! Too bad we are so far apart! I wish we were neighbors. The only thing about that would be that we probably wouldn't get any work done. We'd just have coffee and talk and then we would look at the clock and realize it's time for hubby's to come home and we have no dinner!

Laura

Laura, you are funny and you are right!!!!!

Wouldn't it be great?

violet · 10-31-2007, 04:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Whirlwind

Amen, Violet! Amen!

Me and my mom exchange holidays every year. One year we'll have Thanksgiving at her house and Christmas at my house. Next year, it's Vice-Versa.

We start out Christmas morning...the kids usually spend the night (if it's at my place) at my house. We stay up late and watch still-TV specials and eat.

Christmas morning, we have breakfast and then wait for the rest of the family to show up. This just kills the kids, but it stretches out that Christmas feeling.

Before they open the presents, the kids do The Lord's Prayer in Native American sign-language. Mom says a blessing, and then the wrapping is shredded!

While we examine our new toys, the turkey slowly cooks in the oven. The smell is heavenly and fills the house to the point where nobody can handle it anymore. We eat "supper" around 1 or so in the afternoon.

Then everybody finds a warm, cozy spot with a mug of hot chocolate, and we all lose consciousness like a bunch of bloated ticks.

If theres snow, there's sledding later on. We eat leftovers at the table for dinner and talk about the birth of our Saviour.

Oooh! Isn't this so exciting?!

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