Christmas eve traditions?

[gertdog]

One of the posts on the "Thanksgiving vs. Christmas" thread got me thinking about Christmas Eve. Do you all have food traditions for that day/night?

I grew up in central California, and a neighbor gave us big bags of wonderful homemade tamales around Christmas time. So our Christmas Eve tradition has been to have a tamale dinner. When I became a vegetarian, I learned how to make vegetarian tamales so I could still participate in the meal (the neighbors' tamales were made with lard). Beans, rice, and a green vegetable round out the meal. I think I look forward to this more than Christmas dinner!

My DF's family does fondue on Christmas eve... a delicious Gruyere-Fontina fondue served with potatoes, bread and apples, plus a green salad. I really enjoyed that... it was simple and cozy.

[sneezles]

We also have tamales on Christmas Eve but usually in the afternoon. Dinner is the Turkey dinner because my MIL comes for breakfast on Christmas morning. I make a big meal for breakfast and then the rest of the day is very relaxed with everyone eating leftovers.

[beejayw1]

We always have stuffed dates (you stuff the date cavity with walnut pieces and then roll in sugar). Sometimes champagne. Otherwise, we just relax and go to the Christmas Eve church service.

[sassafras]

My Grandfather was a salmon fisherman so we always had salmon chowder growing up. I always looked forward to Christmas Eve Salmon Chowder made by Grandma! We haven't done that in years (Grandpa passed away), I think I'll rejuvinate our forgotten tradition this year and pair the salmon chowder with crusty baguette and a fresh salad......Now to find Grandmas recipe?!?!?!?:confused:

[luvtocook]

We always have oyster stew and champagne! Yummy!!!

[Lynno1975]

I can't remember a food tradition off the top of my head. We always celebrate Christmas Eve on my mom's side of the family and on Christmas day with Dad's. The food is always pretty much the same every year, but nothing too exciting (I think that's why I think so far outside the box now in my own kitchen, Dad's a "meat and potatoes" man, and I would always get bored with that). I tend to fix hot chocolate with Bailey's or peppermint schnappes and my brother and I watch as many runs of "A Christmas Story" with Peter Billingsly, the kid that wants the Red Rider BB gun. It drives Dad nuts, but what else is on TV, especially when he doesn't watch sports?

Lynn :-)

[Jewel]

Originally posted by gertdog
I grew up in central California, and a neighbor gave us big bags of wonderful homemade tamales around Christmas time.

Gertdog, I can't remember if I asked you this before :o but where are you from? The neighbors with tamales brought up all kinds of memories!! I was born and raised in Visalia, 35 miles south of Fresno, 70 miles north of Bakersfield! :D

[JennieL]

We always go out for Chineese food and go to church.

[Laura]

These are not traditions that I had as child, but traditions I started with my children.

1) Every Christmas my kids get an ornament with their name on it and the year, and that is the only present they open Christmas Eve.

2) After the Christmas Eve candelight service, we come home and turn off all the lights except the lights on the tree. We light lots and lots of candles and take turns reading Luke 2:1-20, Isahiah 9:6-7 and Twas the Night before Christmas.

3) All though we don't do it every year, often our big meal is Christmas Eve, I usually do a standing rib roast or tamales.

[SueK]

My MIL has always had their big meal on Christmas Eve, so we go there and eat and open gifts before the church service.

I'm like a little kid at Christmas, in that I cannot wait for gifts---but giving them, not getting them. When my DH and I first married, we always exchanged on Christmas Eve. Now that we have DD, we still do it, and just let her open hers on Christmas morning. He's been weaning me off that, though---only a few on Christmas Eve, and then the rest the next morning. :mad:

Laura- I also get my daughter an ornament with her name and year on it every year. She gets a kick out of hanging the previous ones each year.

[moonnstarsfan]

Our Christmas Eve tradition is to go around the nieghbor hood at look at all of the lights and decorations. It's a good way to get out and see your neighborhood in a whole new light, pun intended.
Melinda

[MKSquared]

Christmas Eve is my favorite night of the year. (I'm a little bummed because I have to sing at midnight Mass at a cathedral 2 1/2 hours away, so I'm leaving at 9 pm, and I'll get back home at 4 am ... :rolleyes:

Our family celebrates a traditional Slovak Christmas Eve. First, we all go to an early evening Christmas Mass. Then, in our very small ranch house, about 30 people (granparents, cousins, aunts, uncles, babies - everyone!) crowd around a huge table. We have a meatless dinner that includes the following:
*Oplatky. Oplatky is a wafer bread, much like Communion bread, but it's the size of a postcard and stamped with a Nativity scene on it. (We've been known to trade the wafers like baseball cards!) You eat the oplatky with honey. At this time, my Grandmother makes the sign of the cross on everyone's forehead, to make sure they're sweet the following year.
*Garlic and Paska. We cut up a whole head of garlic into teeny bits. Everyone takes a piece of garlic and hides it in a piece of paska, which is a sweet bread with raisins in it. It represents taking the bitter with the sweet.
*Apple Slices. We cut up a whole apple, and everyone takes a piece, but doesn't take the last piece, saving it for an unknown visitor/Christ child.
*Mashed potatoes and soup. The potatoes are mashed without any dairy. On top of that, we have one of two kinds of soup: seafood chowder or my favorite: mushroom-sauerkraut soup. Once again, the sauerkraut represents the bitterness in life. (The seafood represents the family members who will NOT eat mushrooms!)
*Bobalky. These are dough balls. I've never tried them -- too many horror stories.
*Pirohy (pirogies, but the Slovak spelling). Fillings include potato, potato/onion, sauerkraut, and lekvar - a prune filling. (Lekvar is the BEST.)
*Prunes. Let's face it - you'll need them.
*With all of this, we have a selection of winethat we use to toast throughout the meal. We also toss some nuts throughout the house yelling to the mice in Slovak. (Something like "Mice, come and eat!") Last year, we tried to "toast" in Slovak, just saying whatever words we might happen to know in Slovak. Some toasts included, "Dishrags!" and "Go to bed!"

Then, (yes, there's more!), we all retire downstairs to coffee and desserts. Dessert mostly consists of cookies, but there are also kolache, nutrolls, and poppyseed rolls that my grandmother makes. We eat dessert as we sing Christmas carols that we play on our piano. We end the night singing "The Twelve Days of Christmas," with each number being assigned to certain people.

I can't WAIT for Christmas Eve.

[clarksmom]

Ok I am so amazed at all of these beautiful traditions. Especially MKSquared. Al of you have such a lovely way to really personalize and keep tradition in the holiday. I am so touched and so impressed.

My father was Italiano every year we didn't get our tree and decorate it until Christmas Eve. It drove me nuts but then I loved how unique my father made it. Growing up we moved a lot, but we spent my later teen years in a house with a high ceiling. Every year my father would buy about a 17 foot tree. When it was done it looked like we should all be standing in line to open checking accounts at Bank of America.

We also had egg nog and he sang to alot of old Perry Como records. I can still hear him sing.

When DH and I married (9 years ago today) his folks are from SF, CA. We'd go up there often for the holidays sincemy folks had retired to North Carolina. Every year their family goes to a 49'er game, or has little smokies and cheese balls then we go to brunch on Christmas day. Very different from my extremely Catholic mass in Latin kind of deal growingup.

We struggle to decide who to be with each year, his folks usually win out. Bu t home, I decorate the hell out of my house, DH always implies that we won't be here so why do it, then of course like any god hub he caves in and admits that he loves it when I go overboard. Of course overboard to him simply means decorating the tree and having red candles.

I hope to have children someday. I hope to create traditions for them. I think there is no magic in the world like Xmas eve and nothing but the tree lighting up a room. People together. It's like magic.

Finally, it's all about Charlie Brown. No christmas would be thesame without a round of Charlie Brown Xmas at about midnight. Any big meals (I've only had one Christmas with DH at our home) are filet mignon, champagne and Martha's Devil's Food Cake. On Xmas Day, it's a fun Italian Fritatta burnch, scaled down for the 2 of us.

ho ho hope you enjoyed this.

[Jennett]

I adore Christmas eve. Now that I'm an adult and not present-obsessed, I like it more than Christmas, and almost as much as Thanksgiving. I love how it feels so festive, yet hushed and peaceful too. You can tell I don't have any little kids in my immediate family, otherwise the peaceful aspect would be mute. Anyhow, my family usually does an appetizer meal. Regulars are stuffed clams, baked brie en croute, mushroom puffs (mushroom filling in puff pastry or phyllo), shrimp cocktail (which is usually for the cat, who eats shrimp like nobody's business). After writing this, I realize we need to inject some veggies into this menu! This year, I'm rallying to add the endive stuffed with chevre and walnuts. Our other tradition is to open our stocking stuffers!

[sapphirestar]

MKSquared-- my family is Polish, and we have oplatky too. However, we have it on Christmas Day before the big meal. We don't eat it with honey, but everyone takes a piece and then we go around to each member of the family and break off a piece of theirs while offering your own oplatky to them, saying "Merry Christmas" or "Peace" as you do so. A very nice tradition.

For Christmas Eve, I usually make an easy but deliscious soup, like "Potato Cheese Soup" from Laurel's Kitchen. That's for the nutritional part of the meal. Then we have assorted snacks-- cheese and crackers and sausage, chex mix, cranberry bread, a variety of Christmas cookies. And "puppy chow." My kids beg for this. These are the Crispix cereal covered in chocolate and then covered in powdered sugar. It looks funny but is irresistible.

[KelLeg]

My family's tradition growing up was pretty lame! As my mom calls it, my grandmother threw a "cold cut Christmas." We had ham and other cold cuts and canned green beans and other yucky stuff! So, our family tradition (now that we have kids and have Xmas here), is to have our big meal on Xmas Eve. I guess I had ham last year, but not from the deli, like my grandmother did! And, we have other yummy sides and Xmas cookies and pies for desserts. Our real tradition is Xmas morning--Monkey Bread. My brother-in-law looks forward to this all year long! Then, on Xmas day, we go to the movies!!!! Not quite as wonderful as all of your traditions, but we are working on it! The monkey bread is the one thing everyone thinks is a must!

[donleyk]

While DH's grandma was alive we went there for Xmas eve. I have some of my fondess memories from that. Funny, the part I remember the best isn't the food, it was her Tom & Jerry mix! Everyone came and it was wonderful to see everyone.

Since she passed on all we make sure we do is go to Xmas eve service in the church we were married in (we are no longer in the area).

We are half way to our 5th granbaby, the first four are ages 6, 5, 4 and 2, so we haven't been able to be consistent with anything other than church!

I really enjoyed reading the other posts. Thanks for sharing!

[lhall]

Growing up we used to drive around town looking at Christmas lights. There was one house not too far away that just was amazing. They had things in the windows (front and back) and all over the yard. At least 3 huge Santa's. One in the back window that waved, one in the yard with the whole sleigh. These were the life size type decorations you see at the stores and they had a LARGE backyard FULL of these things. There was always a huge line. Then we'd go home for eggnog and each get to open one present.

For a while when my parents were divorced we'd have our own Christmas Dinner on Christmas Eve then do the lights and eggnog.

DH comes from a family that does not open presents before Christmas Day so we've don't do the one present. We have a simple dinner, look at lights, and have eggnog and listen to Christmas music or watch Christmas movies.

Leigh

[laurenc]

SueK and Laura - you both mentioned that you get your children ornaments each year. Being a daughter who has received an ornament every year for 26 years I just wanted to let you know what a special thing you are doing. This is my first christmas with my DH and I can't wait to decorate my chrsitmas tree with all of the wonderful ornaments that I have received over the years from my mother. I love taking my time and hanging each one. My mother always tried to get an ornament that had something to do with that year of my life. I have ornaments that are ballet slippers and a violin and a tricycle, a tennis raquet, piano, and on and on. So many wonderful things that remind me of special times in my life.

[laurenc]

sapphirestar my family is polish also and we do the oplatky on chirstmas day as well. Before we all sit down to eat we each take a piece and go around to each memebr of the family and say peace be with you and break off a peice of theirs. We have quite a large family gathering for christmas dinner and it takes a while and everyone is bumping into everyone else while we do it but we all laugh and have a wonderufl moment together.

[Chris415]

MKSquared,

My family is also Slovak, and I have so many fond memories of the baked goods around Christmas. My great grandmother baked for the whole family up until she was about 90. Kolaches and my favorite, buchta. I'm going to try making it again this year, but my first attempt certainly didn't taste like hers. My mom has made it several times, and the dough is never as flaky as Grandma's.

Christmas Eve in my family is our celebration. We usually open our presents and have our big, special meal that night by candlelight. Christmas Day we'll get up late, and our meal is usually a "buffet," lots of finger foods, maybe a turkey, but lots of little things, about mid-afternoon. Last year was the first time I actually had Christmas Eve at my home, with DB and two friends, then met my family for Christmas Day. It wasn't the same, so we've decided never again, Christmas Eve it is!
Chris

[brendat4]

When I was growing up, I remember our Christmas Eve family tradition was to go to church then come home for dinner which was usually baked spaghetti--my mom only makes it for special occasions it seems!

Then we would put on the Christmas music and have some hot cocoa or eggnogg and Christmas cookies that we had made the couple of days before with my grandmother after she had come to visit. We always save the frosting/decorating of the cookies until she & my grandpa came. We then got to open only one present that night (but sometimes we'd talk my parents into two!)

Nowadays the tradition with my family is pretty much the same. If we are in town with my family, we will often go over to my sister's husband's family (they live 5 min. from my parents) and his mom always has a big spread. Their tradition (which we've easily adopted) is to have "shooters" (shots of liquer-sp?). We try all the unusual kinds-I really like the butterrum!

When we are with my DH's family, I can't think of a real tradition. He has such a big family I think most of the time it is all about hanging out and catching up, last minute wrapping of presents and general, low-key chaos. It's fun, but very different from my family!

Laurenc, I'm glad to hear what you said about the ornaments. I am making (cross-stitching) ornaments for my dd starting this year. She was born 4 days before Christmas so am making hers from last year, this year too, since we were't sure if she would come before or after Christmas! Last's year's is "Baby's First Christmas" and this year's is "Santa". I hope she will come to love them as much as you have. What a great idea to make them go with what she is interested in that year. My sister & I also got to go pick out one new ornament a year when we were growing up. It is so fun to look at them now and we can really tell how our tastes changed over the years. BTW, my dd's name is Lauren too! I can't wait to start other traditions with her as she grows up.

[KathrynY]

Originally posted by luvtocook
We always have oyster stew and champagne! Yummy!!!

luvtocook - My family always had oyster stew too! Oysters are my Dad's big thing - it's not Christmas eve without oysters. I'm not sure where he got the tradition, since he grew up in rural WV where I'm sure they didn't eat oysters when he was growning up. One year Mom decided she'd try a new bean soup recipe instead, and you should have seen Dad's face when he got to the table - "Where are the oysters?". Mom never tried that again! Of course my brother and I hated oysters (still do) so we had Campbell's chicken noodle soup instead. Christmas morning the leftover oysters get breaded and fried for breakfast, along with biscuits and gravy :).

We also went to church on Christmas eve, which I miss now that I've moved away from the area. DH and I are usually visiting one family or the other for Christmas, in which case we follow their traditions. If we're at home by ourselves for Christmas, we have a quiet simple meal and walk or drive around looking at the lights.

[Little Bit]

We don't have any Christmas Eve traditions, though we used to go to the midnight services at the Cathedral once in a while. These days, I'm more likely just to spend a leisurely evening getting the house and kitchen ready for Christmas Day, playing some holiday music, enjoying the decorations in the house, the nativity scenes, etc. .
I enjoy the day more if I can manage to get some things prepared in advance AND clean up behind the mess, so I'm not as weary by the end of the day.
We don't really have any set routines, but I like to make blueberry muffins (with a bit of butter to melt in each one while it's hot) and bacon for breakfast on Christmas morning.

[HDgirl]

Growing up until early teens, Xmas eve was spent at my grandparents (dad's side). My grandparents ended up wintering in Florida so my mom would have it. We would go to church then have dinner.

Sapphirestar/laurenc we do that too.

Now it depends on who is hosting. If I have it, I do an "open house" and have friends and family in and out all night long. I do a buffet of apps and some heartier fare. It works out quite well. This year (new decision to have the family at my sisters every other year so they can spent Xmas day with BIL family, need to share) sis is having it. It will be church, dinner and we will be opening presents. It's going to feel alot like when we were younger. I am very much looking forward to it.

Glad to hear about the ornament thing. SO and I are doing that for his two nieces but we are staying with a certain thing...like angels, etc.

[laurenc]

HDgirl - I think that is so sweet that you are SO are doing that for his neices.
Years ago I started a similar thing for my mom. Since I always loved getting the ornmanets from her every year I wanted to start getting her something every year. Since we already have a ton of ornaments I decided to go a slightly different route. She loves santas - so now every year I get her some type of wooden santa. She has a beautiful mantel above the fireplace in her living room and she displays her santa collection there every year.

[Melman]

We have so many traditions in our family. Some are pretty funny like KNOWING I have to go to my mom's house on the day of Christmas Eve so I can finish wrapping the rest of HER presents! She's actually surprised me the past couple of years and finished them before I'd get to her house! :-)

That means there's more time for my mom's last minute baking. I usually am in charge of dipping peanut butter balls, slicing the already rolled cheese biscuits, and making a particular cookie. (At my own house, I'm baking, decorating, wrapping ALL through the month of December....my mom usually is still doing all of the above on the 24th).

Christmas Eve is always spent at a candlelight service. At my church, the service is usually early in the evening so there's lots of time afterward for family get togethers. We go back to my parent's house where we have a "combination" dinner...might be honey-baked ham, might be anything that anyone has made, and especially the baking that was done that day.

When I head home, I usually drive through a couple of neighborhoods looking at decorations and will always have Christmas music playing. That's *MY* time. It's almost the only peaceful time I'll have during the whole month.

My son always visits with his dad and their family on Christmas Eve evening. When he gets home, he opens ONE present...his annual ornament. I started getting him an annual ornament when he was a baby like many of you have done. He's 18 this year!! He'll definitely have a good start whenever he has his first Christmas tree of his own. In my family, we never opened more than just ONE present on Christmas Eve and I've carried on the tradition. HA! I don't even know if he ever asked to open more than that because "that's the way we do it!!" :-)

[Vanessa]

Xmas eve was always special at home. Mom was early in the kitchen making dinner. We had Xmas dinner on Xmas eve with friends then go to midnight mass. The next morning guess who was the first up? (me)...We would open gifts, call family and have breakfast. At times we would go and take gifts to others and people would offer coquito (eggnog made with coconut milk), goodies...At night we would have a light meal or a second Xmas dinner (from Xmas eve)...To me it always tasted better the next day....
Our Xmas dinner more or less was & I have continued the tradition...salad, fresh ham seasoned or marinated beforehand and cooked in the oven (oh the aroma...), rice with pigeon peas, pasteles which would be something like tamales but filled with chicken or pork and wrapped in plantain leaves (they are boiled)
Mom would make cazuela which is a dessert with pumpkin, sweet potatoes and white sweet potatoes, coconut milk...Also tembleque a pure white jello like dessert made with freshly squuezed coconut milk, coffee, candies.
For New Yrs mom would make turkey, meat stuffing, cranberries (fresh), sweet potato casserole, salad, wild rice, desserts (either pumpkin cheesecake, cazuela, tembleque or flan). wines
At midnight everyone has in front 12 grapes you must eat one for each month a glass of champagne and we go out and thow water at midnight over our head without looking back. Kind of throwing bad luck. We all hug and listen to the Bohemiam toast on tv Its a tradition.
I have pretty much kept the tradition even though my parents live far and sometimes we have guests and even if we ddon't we pretty much keep N Years Eve tradition...

[gertdog]

Originally posted by Jewel


Gertdog, I can't remember if I asked you this before :o but where are you from? The neighbors with tamales brought up all kinds of memories!! I was born and raised in Visalia, 35 miles south of Fresno, 70 miles north of Bakersfield! :D

I'm from Fresno! Good old San Joaquin Valley...

Everyone's traditions sound so wonderful. I will be away from my family at Christmas this year but still plan to have the tamale dinner with my DF. It will be nice, knowing that my family is doing the same thing on the other side of the country. :)

[jphilg]

We actually have Christmas Eve with some close family friends who live across the street from my parents' home. We get together about 5 for one of the most lawvish cocktail spreads ever, and have a nice candlelit evening of conversation and wine and small gifts.

Then my family goes to church, and before bed we read/recite from memory The Night Before Christmas and The Grich who stole Chrismas (even though all the "kids" are in their late twenties/ early thirties) and set out a Dewars and water for Santa (doesn't Santa drink Dewars at *your* house, too?)

Christmas day is full of traditions, too, but that is for another post.

Jen

[laurenc]

jphilg - while santa hasn't drank dewar's in the past at our house you gave me something new to think about. We celebrate christmas eve and christmas day at my parent's house and to this day we still set out cookies and milk for santa. Last year my mom requested that we not leave out "so many" cookies for santa (aka dad) becuase his belly is getting a bit big. Maybe this year a nice cocktail would do the trick instead of the cookies!

[JanetJ]

I love Christmas Eve!!

For dinner we always have clam chowder and cornbread. This is the same meal my Grandma made for my Mom and her brothers and sisters. For dessert we have Grandma's "World Famous Cranberry Pudding." I look forward to that every year. Gram lives in Phoenix and flys up here for the holidays and every year she sits on that plane with the cranberry pudding on her lap, just for me. :) After dinner and dessert, we sit around the tree and visit and watch Christmas movies. Usually it is just my Mom, my Gram and me, but this year there will be aunts and uncles, my BF, and probably others since my Mom just moved and is hosting everything this Christmas. We drink Bailey's and coffee and just relax. Before bed we get the stockings ready (though I'm the youngest person there at 27 years old we will always have stockings) and get things ready for Santa. Christmas Eve is the only night Mom lets the tree lights stay on overnight. I'm so excited for this Christmas since my BF will be there as well and can be a part of our traditions. My grandfather passed away 4 years ago and his Christmas stocking has been unused. This year my Mom told me that my Gram wanted my BF to have it so he could celebrate with us. If that's not telling him he is officially part of the family, I don't know what is. It may sound silly, but when my Mom told me that I cried. :) I also get to open one gift that is always Christmas themed pajamas to wear to bed that night.

Sorry this got long...can you tell I love this holiday?

[AndreaU]

Growing up, we always did the following:

Traditional Polish Christmas Eve dinner- Nana's homemade pierogi, fish, potatoes, mushroom soup, sauerkraut nooodles, etc. and WAY too many desserts. Of course, we also started the meal with Oplatky- "Health, Happiness, and Good Luck" was always my blessing.

Open one gift from Nana & Poppa (because we were so bad at having to wait!)

Pile into the car (1/2 asleep, under many blankets) for Midnight Mass.

Sister and I would take turns every year "sleeping over" in each other's room, waiting for Santa. When we got too old for the big guy, we'd still bunk together and stay up really late trying to peek at our presents! :o

Christmas Day was spent with the whole extended family- other grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins.

Now that I'm all grown up & married & all the way across the state, Christmas Eve dinner is still the same. DH LOVES it because his family (European Mutts, as he so dearly calls his kin) didn't really have any special cultural traditions except for walnuts & oranges in their stockings. Then he regrets it all after having stuffed himself silly! On Christmas Day, we still gather with the whole clan for a nice dinner at my parents' house.

[vbak]

Our celebration has always been on Christmas Eve. Our Slovak Dinner is like MKSQUARED's. We have oplatky with honey, sourkraut soup with smoked fish, our version of pirohy. We used to have a meatless dinner, but we changed with the dietary laws and have prime rib. We go to early Mass[4] and then begin our celebration. My mom's pirohy would not stick together too well, so we make a pirohy casserole: homemade pasta sheets layered with cheddar cheese potatoes and sauteed onions. Yummy. I also make nut roll and poppy seed roll, apricot roll for my polish husband, yeast dough cookies that are filled with prune or cheese. we also used to make bobalki with milk,honey and poppy seed sauce, Hubby and I are the old people now{53 and 57] and the kids just don't eat that much dessert so I have had to make some adjustments. We used to throw peas around the house for Santa's reindeer. There was an incantation while doing this , but it escapes me right now. What a wonderful night that brings back so many memories of growing up and having parents and grandparents around. Vicky spohome[sp?] :)

[AndreaU]

vbak- I forgot about the nut roll & poppy seed roll! My grandmother makes these every year. God bless her- at 82 she's still making her own pierogi and the rest of the dinner as well as these desserts!

[JulieAnn]

Like someone else mentioned (maybe Kathleen) we always had oysters. Except that we had fried oysters, along with French Fries, fried shrimp, hushpuppies and coleslaw. Can you get any more heart-clogging than that? A tradition I've begun with my children is related to Christmas Day. I heard Kathy Lee Gifford does this. The children receive three gifts from Santa - as the Christ child received three gifts(And of course that religious aspect could be altered according to your religion). They then get something from us and of course grandparents. I love this because I remember my mother always saying she felt like whatever she bought for presents wasn't enough. This way of limiting it helps the child have a reason the entire ToysRUs wasn't delivered down the chimney. BTW, I have to admit that I'm carrying on the heart-clogging tradition every year with gusto!

[elnant]

My family does most of the celebrating on Christmas eve. We go to midnight mass (which oddly enough, starts at 10pm) When we come home, my dad boils some shrimp, and my mom heats up a fabulous goat-cheese dip that she made earlier in the day, and arranges a cheese and meat tray.
We open bottles of champagne, and have shrimp cocktail, pickled mushrooms, meat and cheese, and crackers with goat cheese dip while we open our presents! Then we sleep in on Christmas morning, and have a late breakfast! It's a lot different from the way we did things when I was a kid -- but it's always a lot of fun!!!

[Lynne1975]

Every year since my sister and I were small children, my Mom has made a Sweedish tea ring for Christmas morning. She would prepare it the night before and stick it in the oven before we opened presents. By the time we were done ripping through the gifts, the cinnamon smell would lure us to breakfast. Today, my sister is married so it's just me around the house on Christmas morning, but she still makes it for Dad and me.