What is your Christmas tradition?? :)

[carole]

This year will be quiet, my sister and family are going to Hahei, to their beach house and spend xmas there, just her family, we will go and see my mum and dad or they will come over here, but we are not having a huge feast on xmas day, as we are going to Valentines buffet restaurant for our feast on boxing day, so we all love going there so should be great., always such yummy food, so no stress , no work this year cooking over a hot stove, YEAH!!!!!!, its been a stressful year for my family, so it will be nice to sit back and chill out this xmas.

Alot of families in NZ spend xmas at the beach, or have a barbie, as its hot here, I really do want to experience a WHITE XMAS one of these days. I guess i will have to go back to the homeland for that.

[RICHARD]

One tradition that I miss is gathering food toys and clothes to take across the border into Tijuana, Mexico..

My dad was a president of a Ham radio club that would throw a huge party in a dance hall and pass out treats, gifts and food.

After a few times doing something like that the luster and the commercialism takes the edge off the holidays for me.

Some things I remember the most were watching children going thru piles of clothes, holding a shirt up to see if it fit and going over to a sibling or parent for their approval.

Or handing a woman a bag or basket of food and watching the tears well up in her eyes while she
thanks you over and over and over again.

But even more special is watching a kid take a candy filled stocking to their brothers and sisters to share..

But my favorite of all time is the time we took boxes of oranges to hand out to the childern..

After you see a three year old kid doing the "orange dance" laughing and smiling, holding their
gift over their heads with two hands - you really see what is important and what a fun Christmas tradition it was.

[micki76]

Well dangit, Richard. I'm sick and teary already and what do you do?

Yeah, you made me cry. Silly, ill woman.

[slick]

Shhhh, don't tell anyone but Richard made me cry too......

Micki: hope you feel better tomorrow because the bar will be open early, I'm sure.

[RICHARD]

oh my,

sorry about that.

It wasn't supposed to be sad...

Actually, doing something like that fuels you for a while afterwards.

[slick]

Don't worry Richard, I'm a sap at the best of times.

great thing to do Richard.

my family tradition...
well first of all i don't have much of a family to have a tradition... we don't even act like a family...

so therefore, we do nothing on christmas. no lights/decorations are allowed. no gift exchanges. i guess the tradition is to, "better not be happy."

[Russian Blue]

Originally posted by cali
dont worry not many people have ever heard of it lol, its a finnish sweet bread, its breaded, and the top is coverd with egg and then sprinkled with these finnish suger crumble things, its really really good!

Here's a link to a pic for people who are not familiar with what pulla looks like:

Pulla Recipe & Pic

Actually, I'm making some pulla this weekend! This will be my first attempt, since my mother usually makes it for Christmas.

Wish me luck!

[MammaMangorin]

Here in Sweden and the rest of the scandinavia we have a tradition the 13th dec. It is verry often children who made it.. They are sining christmas songs in white dresses... I can't explain it in a good way but show some pics.. The traditons name is Lucia.. (Dont know it the pics working )

http://www.aftonbladet.se/noje/famef...a_12_liten.jpg
http://www.vasteras.se/carlfors/hbild/lucia8.jpg
http://www.uta.fi/laitokset/fil2/poh...tnet/lucia.jpg
http://www.ystad.se/ystadweb.nsf/pic...56c630047f15c/$file/lucia.jpg

[slick]

This is my tradition. Always keep the Christ in Christmas. I've noticed that some of you call it Xmas and I totally respect that. I'm just saying that to me it's Christmas.

And that all I got to say about that.

Now for my other tradition. Home-made Baileys and I just might bring a bottle or two to the CA BBQ next year.

[CathyBogart]

Brian's family celebrates on Xmas eve, they have a fairly early dinner and this year they're doing a gift exchange rather than everyone getting everyone else gifts. Much less confusion.

I'm glad of that, because I hate trying to open gifts in an "orderly" fashion, especially when they have the five year old hand out all the presents. The gift exchange will be fun and short, then we can EAT! *drools* Both of our families are full of good cooks!

Thursday we're going to my aunt's house. Muahahaha! My family is a buch of LOONIES! Almost all of the adults drink a little bit too much wine, and then we play pictionary, or charades, or something that's more fun when everyone around you is a little tipsy.

Gift opening is done in a half-arsed orderly-ish way...meaning there are usually onle two or three gifts being opened at a time, and the floor is covered in wrapping stuff. The dog will inevitably be wreaking havoc and generally just making things more fun!

Oh yeah, my family each opens ONE gift Xmas eve.

Edit: I would like to add that to me the TRUE holiday is the Solstice, which I celebrated in my own way, alone.

[cloverfdx]

Richard that is wonderful what you do for all those people, i got all teary eyed as well

As for Christmas tradition it has all been changed this year (minus a few people ) but we had dinner at our house with my Pop, Aunt, Cousin, Bro's & their Fiancee's and Girlfriends and the Mutts. Mum opened all her pressies when she came home from work and we pretty much sat around eating and drinking (Softdrink) for the rest of the day.

But i did con one of my Brothers to come and walk Clover and Elvis with me ,well he said he wanted to walk Elvis i did not mind and my lil cousin came along to the park with us.

Mums still not home 12:25 on Boxing day she went to drop one of her friends home.


all of your traditions sound wonderfull.