What Christmas traditions do you...

**Jessesbride** · 10-28-2009, 01:51 AM

celebrate in your family?

My DS & I (as I was a single mom for 9 1/2 yrs ~ from pregnancy til I got married to my now DH) have always bought a new Christmas ornament each year (1 for him & 1 for me) to put on our Christmas tree. & when I got married, my DH thought it was fun & fantastic & couldn't wait to get in on the tradition w/us. We also put on Christmas music (& sing along with it) & have hot apple cider or hot chocolate while decorating the Christmas tree & the house! We always have such a blast! Sometimes it's just our little family of 3 & sometimes we have friends over to help. We always open 1 Christmas present on Christmas before going to the midnight Christmas service in our PJ's & then open the rest on Christmas morning, then we get to go to my dh's Mom & Dad's to have breakfast ~ Waffles, eggs, bacon, sausage, etc made special my Grandma of course! & open presents over there... & later go to Great Grandma's to finish the day off for more presents ~ did I mention how HUGE dh's side of the family is?

So what do you all do that is a "tradition" in your household to celebrate Christmas

Kim

**mauimagic** · 10-28-2009, 01:57 AM

We celebrate Christmas with my DH's family and they are not big into traditions. The one that I have been successful in implementing is that everyone gets a stocking to open on Christmas morning!! It's always my favorite part of the present opening process - even if I do have to buy my own stocking presents!!

**pollypurebred39** · 10-28-2009, 02:45 AM

When I was a kid we went to candle light midnight service. The church was old and beautiful with it's wood carvings, stained glass, decked out in holly and greenery, the church organ and steeple bells. There was something so wonderful and spiritual that reached deep into your soul. Even as a small child I was moved by the depth. We would light candles and attempt to keep them lit all the way home, even my mother while driving! lol. I was totally shocked and dismayed when I attended Christmas Eve service at other churches in my adult life, for some reason I thought they all had these spectacular services. I miss those services, we attend Christmas Eve services now, but it's nothing like my youth.

We also would see a live nativity every year. It was magical almost It was as if we were there at Jesus's birth, and we never missed a single Christmas special, The Little Drummer Boy was my favorite, still makes me cry to this day.

Of course we always had a trip to Gaudios where they had a fabulous Christmas display, a Winter Wonderland!

We, my family and all my cousins and some friends would practice Christmas carols and would go caroling, making sure we stopped at homes of those who had no one to share the holiday with, often times we'd be invited in for cocoa. I loved that we helped to brighten the holidays for the lonely.

We ALWAYS had a Happy Birthday Jesus birthday cake and sang Happy Birthday. There was always a little baby Jesus on top that us kids took turns in keeping.

I loved, loved, LOVED Christmas as a kid and it had not a single thing to do with gifts. Except maybe the handmade nightgown and slippers we got from my Grandmother every Christmas Eve so we had nice PJ's on for Christmas morning pictures!

**WV_mom_of2** · 10-28-2009, 07:09 AM

Before my grandma passed away we always went to her house on Christmas morning and had dinner there.

Here are our traditions......

The kids each get a new ornament every year.

We decorate our tree with only special ornaments. Ornaments that say "our first Christmas together", Baby's 1st Christmas", ones the kids made in school, ones that my MIL made for us, etc.

We ALWAYS put candy canes on our tree. My grandma started this when her kids were little and they didn't have a lot of money for decorations. She would get a box of cheap candy canes and use them as decorations. Then the kids got a special treat when they were taken off the tree. When I was a kid she would let us take them off them tree and eat them. A Christmas tree just does NOT look right to me without candy canes!

We always spend Christmas Eve with my parents. When they lived closer we all went to their house. Then as more and more grandkids came along they started coming to our houses to spend a little time with each family. My dad likes to watch each set of grandkids open their gifts. He says it's too much to try to watch 12 kids opening them all at once! I always make food and they spend a couple of hours here, then go to my brother's house, then on to my sister's.

**2ndGenGranola** · 10-28-2009, 07:30 AM

DH's family didn't have many traditions and my family traditions went down the toilet after grandmother died and Mom wanted to forget December. We started our own traditions.

I was doing home sales parties when I met DH. We just had our Christmas kick off at my house and I had it all decorated for the event. I didn't want to take everything down so I left it up. We met mid October by blind date. He walked in to a Christmas wonderland (and stayed). Our first year of marriage I put everything up early as a joke. It just kind of stuck as a tradition.

We go to church early on Christmas eve then come home and open presents. We don't have too much family so we sit back and relax. I'll cook something but not quite the event as Thanksgiving.

**Laurie in Bradenton** · 10-28-2009, 07:50 AM

Our traditions start Thanksgiving morning. We (my 2 sisters and our families) gather at mom and dads and put up the tree. Since we live in South Florida it has always been a fake tree. We put the Macy's day parade on and decorate. Lots of laughing and reminencing as we place the ornaments which have been collected over the generations on the tree. Each has a story and we tell them over and over. Then we go out for lunch! No home cooked meal we have them all year long its a special day so we go out. Then we go home and do our hoilday cards.
The first Saturday in December is girls day. We go to the local Jr. League tour of homes. We drive around to each house on the tour with Mom reading off the discriptions before we arrive. Mom gets this job because all of our lives she has read to us about the places we would be visiting on family summer vacations another story. we walk throught the decorated homes and compare notes, point out things and call out to each other, Oh, look at this. Its a fun girls day as its Mom 3 daughters and 3 granddaughters. We're quite a bunch.
The next Saturaday is the annual Christmas party at my home. Here we have family, neighbors and friends in for the annual White Elephant Ornament Exchange. This exchange has gotten so popular that I get calls all year when someone has found the perfect ornament (are you still having the party?)
Baking is another huge undertaking in our home. All year I coolect bananas, nuts, citrus fruits and other items in the deep freezer for bread, cake and cookie baking. My daughter and her girlfriends show up one day and we bake all day and watch Christmas videos. With so many hands we keep things going at a good pace. everyone goes home with a pile plus I have a pile left to share Christmas Day.
Christmas Eve is a total family night. At 5pm we gather at a local resturant mom, dad, grandparents(when they were alive), in-laws, outlaws, cousins, old boyfriends, anyone wh has ever touched our family is welcome. Most years we have between 25 and 30 folks. All dressed in our finery we eat, laugh, take pictures and have a great time. Then home to mom and dads and open presents til 11pm. At this time the Weltman side of the family all head out for Midnight Mass and the rest head to their homes.
When we arrive home an hour later we open stockings. Then head off to bed. In the am we all rise open gifts and have a big breakfast. Then head out with assorted baked goods to visit friends.

Laurie in Bradenton

**Trishagirl** · 10-28-2009, 08:03 AM

Our tradition now is that dh's family gets together on Christmas eve and the families exchange a christmas ornament. We enjoy each other and sing and play games & watch christmas movies (It's a wonderful life) and eat lots of homemade food.

**Judi Dial** · 10-28-2009, 08:47 AM

My mom was a single mom for a long time and I think this was done orinally to save $...however, our family tradition was that we bought our tree on Christmas Eve. (They're usually 1/2 off!)

When I was a kid (in SoCal) we'd take down the tree and burn it on New Year's Eve.

As an adult, what DH and I have done with this tradition is that we take down the tree on New Year's Eve and cut a log-size portion of the trunk off. We burn that the NEXT Christmas Eve when we are decorating the tree. We have a wood stove and use it a lot so burning a lot of pine is a bad idea, it makes more creosote and that adds to danger for chimney fires...so we do it this way!

Also, sometime after my mom died, most of the Christmas ornaments had slowly but surely gotten broken. My brother carved a snowflake from styrofoam and that was our tree topper for years. We cut shining paper into snowflakes and that was our primary decoration for a long time. I still make snowflakes every year, but I have many ornaments that DH an I use too!

I had a science fiction tree at my science fiction bookstore for years and we still use many of those ornaments. My tree topper these days is a hand puppet of an alien in a flying saucer!

Judi

**McD** · 10-28-2009, 09:42 AM

We buy new Hallmark ornaments every year for all of us. They are something representative of what's going on in our life at that time.

Wesley has had a baby's first Christmas ornaments, a Little Einsteins ornament, a Cars ornament. Zac and I have gotten a parents-to be and 'our first Christmas'. The year Zac was in Iraq, he got the ornament that is a clear globe and in the middle has all the flags of the branch of the military. The year Zac was in Iraq, I got the Wonderwoman ornament. This year, Maggie Moo will be getting a baby's first Christmas ornament, Zac is getting the police station ornament, I am gettign the Where the Wild Things Are ornament (Wesley and I's favorite book!), and Wesley is getting a Wolverine ornament. Because he thinks he is Wolverine.

Wesley loves putting the 'special ornaments' on the tree and he talks about each and every one and asks who it is and wants to hear the story of why we picked those ones out. I like knowing that his first Christmas on his own when he gets to decorate his own tree, he'll have a tree full of ornaments that mean something to him.

Wesley (and now Maggie) get new jammies on Christmas Eve. Zac and I each pick out a present for them to open (nothing big or extravagant) on Christmas Eve. Then we watch Christmas movies til bedtime.

I usually stay up until the buttcrack of dawn wrapping presents. This year, things may be a bit different, depends on Zac's work schedule. I don't want him to be on patrol, but somebody's got to.

**imagine** · 10-28-2009, 10:01 AM

Santa fills the children's stockings with three things (in remembrance of the three gift the wise men brought) Santa fills the stockings with 1)a candy bar ( or the equivalent)2) a tooth brush 3 and a small surprise ( like lip gloss, a necklace, markers, a small stuffed toy) Santa also bring them a present (which he doesn't wrap)
Santa is a practice in anonymous giving from the parents. the children get to experience the receiving side of anonymous giving.

The children each buy a present for the Salvation Army Angel tree. They use to pick out someone their age and buy for them but now that they are older they just check out the tree and pick one that feels right to them. This is where they get to practice anonymous giving.

My mom comes and spends Christmas with us so she takes my daughter's room. So Hubby and I have a sleepover with the children in our room. It is great fun waking up with them in the same room on Christmas morning. So far Hubby and I have always awaken first LOL We tend to watch the children sleeping until they wake up.

We decorate the house the day after Thanksgiving with Christmas music. Then work on arts and crafts Christmas presents.

We dress up and go to early Christmas eve service as a family.

**WV_mom_of2** · 10-28-2009, 10:25 AM

Originally Posted by imagine

Santa fills the children's stockings with three things (in remembrance of the three gift the wise men brought) Santa fills the stockings with 1)a candy bar ( or the equivalent)2) a tooth brush 3 and a small surprise ( like lip gloss, a necklace, markers, a small stuffed toy) Santa also bring them a present (which he doesn't wrap)
Santa is a practice in anonymous giving from the parents. the children get to experience the receiving side of anonymous giving.

The children each buy a present for the Salvation Army Angel tree. They use to pick out someone their age and buy for them but now that they are older they just check out the tree and pick one that feels right to them. This is where they get to practice anonymous giving.

My mom comes and spends Christmas with us so she takes my daughter's room. So Hubby and I have a sleepover with the children in our room. It is great fun waking up with them in the same room on Christmas morning. So far Hubby and I have always awaken first LOL We tend to watch the children sleeping until they wake up.

We decorate the house the day after Thanksgiving with Christmas music. Then work on arts and crafts Christmas presents.

We dress up and go to early Christmas eve service as a family.

DUH how could I forget about the Angel Tree? We have done this every year since dh and I married. Our small grocery store does one and every year we pick two names. Like you we would get a boy ds's age and a girl dd's age in past years. The last couple of years though the kids choose the ones they want. Last year I was in the store the day the gifts were due in and was dismayed to see that they still had about 10 names on it. I couldn't bear the thought of a child with no gift so I took two more and bought gifts.

We also donate to local food banks and pet food drives during the holidays!

**Daisygirl** · 10-28-2009, 10:53 AM

Our traditions were born from changes.

We live in Canada, but I am American. On the weekend that is Thanksgiving weekend in the US, we made our own holiday which we call Thanksmas. We make a traditiomal Thanksgiving dinner (on the Sunday) after church. While it is cooking we drag all the decorations up from the basement and decorate the whole house, inside and out, while Christmas music is blasting from the stereo. This is one of mu children's favorite traditions, because it encompasses their heritafe from both sides.

We always do a big day of cookie baking cause that is what we give everyone for gifts. We also always have a gingerbread party for the kids, where they get to have friendds over and decorate "gingerbread" (actually made from graham cracker sheets) houses.

Christmas Eve we go to church. Christmas morning is mine. We then have a big non-traditional feast - usually Mexican or Italian - and then around 3 the kids are off to celebrate with their Dad's side of the family.

I love this thread - kinda gets me in the spirit.

**Jessesbride** · 10-28-2009, 11:39 AM

Originally Posted by Jessesbride

celebrate in your family?

My DS & I (as I was a single mom for 9 1/2 yrs ~ from pregnancy til I got married to my now DH) have always bought a new Christmas ornament each year (1 for him & 1 for me) to put on our Christmas tree. & when I got married, my DH thought it was fun & fantastic & couldn't wait to get in on the tradition w/us. We also put on Christmas music (& sing along with it) & have hot apple cider or hot chocolate while decorating the Christmas tree & the house! We always have such a blast! Sometimes it's just our little family of 3 & sometimes we have friends over to help. We always open 1 Christmas present on Christmas before going to the midnight Christmas service in our PJ's & then open the rest on Christmas morning, then we get to go to my dh's Mom & Dad's to have breakfast ~ Waffles, eggs, bacon, sausage, etc made special my Grandma of course! & open presents over there... & later go to Great Grandma's to finish the day off for more presents ~ did I mention how HUGE dh's side of the family is?

So what do you all do that is a "tradition" in your household to celebrate Christmas

Kim

OH! Almost forgot to tell ya... we (our family) ALWAYS, EVERY Christmas season, go to the Festival of lights & other Christmas light displays AND!!! We go to Walmart or wherever & play with all the "toys" that light up & stuff that are there only during the Christmas season! My DH couldn't wait to get in on that tradition either! lol

**lovestoread** · 10-28-2009, 12:34 PM

My girls are 20 and soon to be 18 so we don't get to do all the fun little stuff anymore...but we do this:

*put the tree and decorations up starting on the Friday afternoon after Thanksgiving

*We too, pick out angel tree kids

*put Christmas music on all the time (one thing I really like about the satelitte, the all Christmas music channel....

*each girl gets a new ornament every year

*watch the Christmas movies and specials (ESPECIALLY the Rankin-Bass ones, my fave)

*baking cookies

*and since the girls are almost adults now, I am doing something special this year, I am going to take them to an IMAX theater to see The Christmas Carol (we NEVER go to the movies)

Thanks for all your ideas and memories....they sure are fun...Wonderful thread.....

**Daisygirl** · 10-28-2009, 12:54 PM

Oh - I forgot another one. Each of us has a Christmas "collection". DD14's is Santas, DD9's is angels and mine is snowmen. Every year we add things to each collection, sometimes it is plates or mugs, sometimes it is a wall decoration, sometimes a wreath. When the kids leave and begin their own households, their collection will go with them.