Poll: Favorite Holiday traditions?

[Laura]

This may have already been done, if so I apologize, but I was wondering what your favorite holiday traditions are. When I was first married with my kids, there were some traditions that I wanted to start with my family.

Here are some that are special to us.
Every year I buy my children an ornament with their name and the year on it. It is the one gift they open Christmas Eve. Each year they love looking at the past ornaments they have received. When they get ready to leave the nest, I will give them all their ornaments to take with them for their new family tree.

We also read Luke 2:1-20 and Twas the Night before Christmas on Christmas Eve. Now that my kids are older we take turns reading.

What about anyone else?

[darthchrista]

We also open one gift on Christmas Eve. My husband and I have combined some of our traditions. We read the birth of Jesus out of the Bible, then sing Happy Birthday to Jesus. From there we either open our stockings or eat coffee cake, and proceed on with the morning. Another tradition we have is to not rush through presents. We have been known to be opening presents well into the afternoon because we are taking things out, using them, calling or receiving calls, and of course eating. This is a tradition both of our families had even when we were little.

[lorilei]

My mother has maintained a tradition of keeping baby Jesus OUT of the manger until Christmas morning. Mary, Joseph and the shepherds just stand there for weeks on end, looking confused. THEN - Christmas morning, the baby arrives.

Similarly, the wise men do not arrive until Epiphany... two weeks later. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif As children, we hated this tradition, and always managed to abduct the baby Jesus and take him to his mother early. But as an adult, I can appreciate the thoughtfulness something like this evokes -- and might think about continuing the tradition when I have children.

[sneezles]

My kids also get a new ornament every year but they receive it the day we are decorating the tree. We go to Midnight Mass and then they are allowed to open one gift. My 13 yr old has finally made it-staying awake through Mass and then getting to open the gift. In the morning (daylight), they are free to open their stockings but the gifts wait until everyone is up. My MIL and her SO arrive for breakfast(egg casserole made ahead, honey-baked ham, fruit salad, biscuits) about 8:00 and stay until 11:00, then they're off to visit my SIL's at their houses. We have our turkey dinner on Christmas Eve so I don't cook the rest of the day, it's fend for yourself!

[KristaMB]

We have so many traditions in my family, but one of my favorites is what we do on Christmas Eve. We usually go to evening Mass, then head out for Chinese food. I know it sounds so funny! We started it because my mom is a nurse, and she used to always work on Christmas Eve. She didn't really have time to cook dinner on Christmas Eve, and then try to pull it all together again if we were having Christams dinner at our house. After we have Chinese food, we go home and open all of our gifts. We do this so that we don't have to rush on Christmas if we are traveling or if family is coming over.

A few years ago, my mom and I started volunteering at a soup kitchen on Christmas Day. It is such a great way to celebrate the season. (Plus, all the men love it because they are allowed to go golfing while we're gone!) I can't wait to go "home" for Christmas!

[HARRYET]

KristaMB - I think it's funny that your family does chinese food on xmas eve, we do as well. It started when we (my husband, 2 kids, SIL, her husband and 2 kids and my in-laws) all moved to AZ 9 yrs ago. We used to go to my husbands grandparents house were all the relatives on his mothers side would get together, and santa would bring all the kids a gift. Great fun, great memories! Anyway after our chinese food feast my immediate family comes home and we open all the gifts that have been shipped to us. This works out really well, so now my children actually know who sends what to them and can thank them all appropiately, instead of trying to remember during the mass confusion of christmas morning. Holidays are especially hard for me since all my family is on the east coast, and most of my husbands also, we do have my in-laws here and that helps but it's not my family. oh well enough whinning! Ann

[sk8grl]

Laura,

Neat idea for a topic post! I just got married last year, so we're looking for "new" traditions to establish for our own family (which will hopefully include kids soon!). But for now, as we live in the same town as my parents, we'll celebrate the holidays with them. It's amazing--after almost 30 years, we still keep a lot of the same traditions every year! I thought I'd throw out a couple ideas my parents did with me and my siblings growing up. There are some I wouldn't be able to go without, no matter what age I am...

* On Christmas Eve, when we were younger, we used to read the entire book "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever." It's such a great story, and easy for even little kids to get into.

* My mom always makes a big Swedish dinner the night before Christmas. Then after dinner we all go to the midnight service at our church together. (That's where my hubby asked my dad for permission to marry me! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif)

* On Christmas day, we're allowed to open our stockings before breakfast, but not the "tree" presents--they have to wait till after we all eat!

* In our stockings, for some reason, my mom always puts an orange in at the very bottom. This has always cracked us up because no one ever really eats them! Lately she's gotten more practical--we get Droste's CHOCOLATE oranges. (YUM!)

* One tradition my dad started (on accident, really) is including at least one really cheesy gag gift in each stocking--with the price tag left on. They often end up being the items we get the most entertainment out of, especially for my younger sister who is mentally retarded. Some past examples include: a rubber snake, a pair of "geek" glasses with eyeballs popping out, a fake arm with a creepy rubber hand attached to it, a plastic tiara, and a pair of pink plastic lips that fit over your mouth with a whistle on the inside you can blow. (This last one was my sister's favorite 2 years ago--they entertained her literally for hours!)

* Once we get to the real presents, we too open them up one by one, with usually my dad or someone handing them out from under the tree as we go. It's fun to delay the gratification and enjoy everyone else's response to the gifts.

* And my favorite tradition is more of a saying we have. Even though we're all grown up now (my "baby" brother is 22), Mom still puts on some of the presents, "From Santa." Now, any time we get a gift from "Santa" (usually something really big that we have been hoping for), everyone says all together, "How did Santa know!"

Can't wait to see more fun ideas on this post... TIA! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[This message has been edited by sk8grl (edited 11-17-2000).]

[ML]

I love the holidays!! Our traditions start the weekend after thanksgiving. We get our tree and put up all the decorations the first weekend in December. This year we are going to a tree farm to cut down our own tree. This will be the first Christmas for me and my husband in our first house!! ( we just moved in last weekend!!) We always make a big deal out of decorating the tree. My parents also gave us at least one ornament a year- since birth. Usually we received two-three. I took my ornaments when I got married. Now my husband and I buy one every year for ourselves- we also buy an ornament whenever we travel.

Other traditions include- eating Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve, presents can only be opened Christmas morning, a big brunch Christmas morning, midnight service at Church on Christmas Eve, homemade fudge and bourban balls, etc.....

One tradition that I would like to start once we have children- Our children will receive only three gifts from us- symbolizing the three gifts brought to Jesus. All other presents would be from Santa and other family/friends.

Have a wonderful holiday season!!!!!!