christmas traditions??

[jessica31876]

Just sitting wondering what everyone elses christmas traditions are. We usually go drive around looking at christmas lights on christmas eve then come home and let the kids open one present then it is off to bed for them. When we first got married my husbands family all gathered at his mother's house at midnight on Christmas eve going into Christmas day and exchange gifts. I thought that was the stupidest tradition ever especially when I had kids because then they are all excited and dont want to go to bed for the rest of the night. Im kinda glad they stopped doing that now.

[pbumbaca]

Let's see

There is
-the big Italian Fish Feast at my Godmother's house every Christmas Eve.
-opening 1 present on Xmas eve, I always got to when I was a kid and now my boys do and they always get Xmas pjs.
-decorate the house the day after Thanksgiving
-getting the tree the first Saturday in December (didn't happen this year)
-baking 15 different kinds of cookies to give out as gifts (also broke that tradition this year!)
-Cinnamon rolls and coffee for xmas breakfast
-open stockings first then presents. Dad plays santa and everyone always has one gift to open at the same time.

[Leila]

We're creating our traditions now. This is the first year in which all four of us have been together for Christmas in our own home. We usually travel to either one of our family's home states for the holidays, and JP would only be with us every other year.

The kids suggested that we make hanging the stockings a Christmas Eve tradition, so they'll go up tomorrow night right before the boys go to bed. We'll also be watching The Polar Express tomorrow night.

We also decided to go to the Hallmark Store each December 1 and choose ornaments for the tree. This year JP got a skateboards, D got some penguins, Andrew got a Star Trek communicator, and I got an oven mitt filled with kitchen tools. :D

[lizzyfizzy]

christmas eve we go to the Christmas Eve candlelight service at church.

then, we hang at my moms, eat yummy finger foods, go out to look at christmas lights, play board games, maybe watch a christmas movie.

the kids get to open one gift from us, their christmas p.j.'s and usually my sister (who spoils them to death) has something else small for them to open up.

christmas morning we are at home as our own little family. it's when it all goes down for us. :D the kids wake up around 6:30, we read the christmas story and say a prayer and talk about our love for Jesus and all He's done for us.

then the kids go crazy and open everything up.

then we head to my moms, she and i cook up breakfast, we eat, chat and then open up the gifts at her house. then we (my mom and dad, me, dennis, the kids, my sister, her hubby, my niece and my sister sarah) just hang out, play games and act crazy.

[kscwgirl]

Tomorrow we go to my MIL's for a late lunch and gifts. When we get home from that, the kids open their new pajamas. Christmas morning the kids get their gifts and stockings, and then we head to my mom's for breakfast. Gifts/stockings there, and then we hang out for a while and then go to my aunt's for dinner and gifts.

[maryinaz]

We'll go to an early 4pm Children's Mass on Christmas Eve, then maybe out to eat. The kids get to open one gift if they wish - the older boys now decline, wanting to save them all for Christmas Day. DH and I always watch It's a Wonderful Life after the kids have gone to bed. Then Christmas morning we tear into the gifts!

We are alone this year, no extra family...but we are fine with that. It won't be the first time.

[ColleenSwerb]

I LOVE Christmas traditions :)

As a kid, we were all part of the children's mass on christmas eve at church. When we were little it was just in the choir, but as we got older and could play instruments we did that (I played the trumpet for like 4 years at that mass, and my sister played the clarinet, or since she's so insanely musical, another woodwind they might need). After that we used to get together with family friends and do a traveling christmas kinda thing. One house did hors d'ouerves, another did dinner, another did desserts. By the end of the night all of us kids (there were....like.....15 or 16 between all the familes) were so tired from having fun with each, that we had no trouble passing out that night (our parents were geniuses). We went home and read the Polar Express, and then went to bed. In the morning we all had to report straight to my parents room. We couldn't wake each other up (not that it was a problem), we had to just sit quietly in my parents room while they tried to sleep until we were all up, lol. My mom would then go down the hall to start a pot of coffee, and would bring back our stockings which were hung on the banister. Once my Dad had a cup of coffee, we were allowed to open our stockings. Then, we went down the hall to open presents. The wrapping paper that our stocking presents were wrapped in matched the pile of presents under the tree. That way my mom didn't have to write out gift tags (she figured out there was no santa cuz she recognized her mom's handwriting on her gift tags as a kid). After presents, Dad made scrambled eggs and bacon. Then we either stayed at our house and had family over, or we went to an aunts or uncles to do.

As we got older, and friendships changed, so did traditions. For the past 8 years or so, we've gone to our family friends house on Christmas Eve. We do the big 7 fish dinner (Pam, I'm so glad you said you do that, most people look at me like I have 3 heads when I said that, lol) and have tons of food and drinks. Now we go to midnight mass after that. We still open our stockings first in the morning, and then presents. We still either go to a family members house, or they come to us. This year we're having my dad's crazy mother over for dinner, and then going to my mom's parents house for dessert and to see the rest of the family.

[jessica31876]

what is the fish dinner thing about? I have never heard of it before (although I wouldnt look at you like you had three heads LOL)

[ColleenSwerb]

I always thought it was a traditional italian thing, but a LOT of italians have no idea what I'm talking about, LOL. So who knows.

It's just a big feast with lots of fish. We do mussels, clams, salmon, crab cakes, a white fish or two. There's more food than we know what to do with, lol.

[KirstieGai]

nothing out of the ordinary
- tree goes up the first weekend in December and the whole family decorates it
- each child gets to pick out a musical christmas toy each year
- baking of a gingerbread house and the kids decorate it. Then there's tradition to how we actually eat it! It gets passed around the table twice. First time you pull a small piece off and second time you have to take a big bite somewhere.
- Advent calendar
- leaving out snacks for Santa and the reindeer on christmas eve
- Santa always leaves the kids Santa sacks of presents in the centre of a Polar Express train set (set up in a circle that runs around the sacks)
- Open house BIG breakfast for any friend or family that wants to come followed by a swim in the pool (I'm in Australia so it's hot)
- Laze the rest of the day away eating plenty of seafood and salad
- finish it off with my tradition Ice Cream Christmas Cake

[jessica31876]

sounds yummy!! Living in Florida Im really big on seafood so I would love to have something like this but I had never heard of it before. Ill have to ask my husband and see if they have ever had it because he comes from up by you I think (lived in Baltimore nearly all his life <up to mid teen yers that is LOL>and I recall you saying you live near there??)

I always thought it was a traditional italian thing, but a LOT of italians have no idea what I'm talking about, LOL. So who knows.

It's just a big feast with lots of fish. We do mussels, clams, salmon, crab cakes, a white fish or two. There's more food than we know what to do with, lol.

[ColleenSwerb]

Yea I live North of Baltimore, but it's not a regional tradition thing. Jordan's family is REALLY italian, and they'd never heard of it. And the family we do it with the wife is slightly italian, but that's up in NY where I'm from.

And Pam is in NH, so who knows, LOL!

[MelissaL88]

Is it a fish stew, like cioppino? Or is it just a bunch of different seafood? I love me a good cioppino :thumbup:

I like to cook a fancy dinner for Christmas Eve. That's usually just the 4 of us. this year, we're doing a seafood medley. I'm not sure what yet. Whatever is fresh and looks good at the market tomorrow morning. Christmas Day we go to my MIL's and meet up with all of Dan's sibs (there are 6 kids total) and their spouses and children. This year, there are 11 grandkids LOL! It's usually a madhouse over there, but it's always a lot of fun - especially if the weather is nice enough for us to all go outside.

[rachelv]

I make a nice dinner - filet mignon with mushrooms, red potatoes, salad. I usually bake up a batch of homemade rolls, but can't bring myself to do them this year.

We start out eating by candlelight til the complaining that no one can see what they are eating drives me crazy enough to turn the lights back on. They the kids open up their pj present and they exchange their gifts to each other.

We all settle down and watch Mr. Krugers Christmas, I cry during the nativity part, the kids ask why, then it's off to bed after the show.

Santa leaves my kids a letter each year and the reindeer poop chocolate whoppers on the back patio each year.

[nesser1981]

Let's see,

-Tree goes up the day after Christmas
-The kids both have their own little Christmas Trees
-Everyone gets a new ornament
-Gingerbread house we decorate, also sugar cookies a little closer to Christmas
-Drive around and look at Christmas lights on Christmas Eve
-One gift on Christmas eve (always pjs, but this year the kids will get their gifts to each other)
-Watch How the Grinch Stole Christmas (cartoon) and Mickey's Christmas Carol and probably other Christmas Cartoons on Christmas Eve
-Read the Night Before Christmas and any other Christmas books they'll sit through
-Dinner on Christmas eve, rather than Christmas day
-Christmas morning, stocking first, then presents
-Gingerbread Waffles for breakfast Christmas Morning
-Christmas Movie Marathon all day on Christmas Day

I'm sure our traditions will change a little next year because we'll be close to family, since I've been in the Air Force we've only spent one Christmas with family and it was before the kids were born.

[Sari]

Growing up, we used to go to Midnight Mass on Chrismas Eve and then came home to open one gift before going to bed. I think that's nice to do but only if you don't have very young kids. We were all teenagers when we had that tradition though.

Now that I have a family of my own we go to Mass much earlier. :p We go to the Children's Mass around 6pm. Come home and DD gets one gift which is Christmas PJ's and a Christmas book. Then we get the cookies/milk ready for Santa and go outside to sprinkle magic reindeer food. We read 'Twas the Night Before Christmas to DD and she goes to bed. Then Santa gets to work. ;)

Oh and we do a Christmas dinner usually on Christmas Day when everyone comes over to exchange gifts.

[Jennifer]

I love reading about all the traditions. I'm all warm and fuzzy now. :wub:

Some of ours:
-decorate the day after Thanksgiving
-everyone gets a new ornament each year
-all the normal Christmas cartoons (Grinch is our fave)
-lots of Polar Express
-driving around looking at lights several times during the weeks before Christmas
eading the Christmas story repeatedly

On Christmas Eve:
-the "Christmas Elf" delivers new PJs
-kids open one smallish gift
-my parents and grandparents come over for some finger foods
-candlelight service at church
-drive home looking at lights

On Christmas Day:
-coffee...lots b/c we're up around 6ish
-my fam comes over for Santa time
-stockings first, then Santa gifts, then family gifts
-light breakfast
-big dinner around 2pm (exact same as Thanksgiving)
-cozy rest of the day...movies and games

I love Christmas.