What are your favorite family Christmas traditions?

[thistlebloom]

Have you kept some going from when you were a kid?
Open gifts Christmas Eve, or Christmas morning?
Any traditional foods you make every year?

 

[ninnymary]

I make tamales every year around Chirstmas time which are very time consuming. I give most of them away. This year my husband said not to do them so I didn't. I guess he didn't want to see me working so hard.

Growing up we always had gift opening early on Christmas morning. Now due to my daughter working nights on Christmas eve. we have to do it around 5pm. It doesn't feel the same. Feels sort of anti-climatic. Oh well, I don't know if we will open gifts first or have dinner first.

Mary

 

[Rhodie Ranch]

Growing up we always opened gifts on Xmas morning. One at a time in order of age, so we all could see what each got. Then we did that with our kids and they do that with theirs.

 

[so lucky]

You know, a lot of the traditions we had in our family were mostly my mom's doing. She always made a particular apple sauce cake, lots of them. She always made "roll-ups" from thinly sliced ham, cream cheese and dill pickle slices. She had the same ridiculous bright green fake tree for 50 years, probably.
I just don't have the drive to do those things in her place....Not this year... Not yet.

We will be having a rather calm holiday. Not much company. DH still can't tolerate change. Boring! Glad I have the computer and kindle to entertain me. At least my son and two of the grandkids will come over.

 

[thistlebloom]

I liked my moms tradition of hiding our gifts and hunting for the clues.
I didn't do it every year with my kids, but they had fun the times I did.
I'm thinking it's not too late to keep it up, I'm sure they'd indulge me if they pulled a clue out of their stocking....

That's one I've kept going, I still hang stockings for everyone, and the guys all get some goofy toy in theirs. This year it's a stuffed catapult monkey that screams when it's launched. It's wearing a mask and a cape....I may be the only one Christmas morning that thinks it's funny.

 

[Nyboy]

Christmas eve dinner 7 fishes. I think it goes back to not eating anything that witness the birth of Christ. We openned gifts then too.

 

[canesisters]

There is an egg casserole that my Mom used to make for breakfast on Christmas morning - I still make that.. but now it's more like brunch.
And the stockings HAVE to be dug into first! No exceptions! And every little thing in there is wrapped. (when a tube of chapstick is giftwrapped, there is more tape than paper....... HARD to open..).
We always used to look all over to find a hippo to stick out of the top of Mom's stocking. I might go looking for a hippo orniment this year, just to make me smile.
Then, all the presents (that weren't toys) were arrainged back under the tree so that it still looked pretty when all the aunts, cousins, neighbors, etc came over.
But my fav has always been the nativity scene. Mary & Joseph would travel to a different location around the living room each night to arrive at the stable on Christmas Eve. Sometimes, the wise men would travel too.

 

[Carol Dee]

There is an egg casserole that my Mom used to make for breakfast on Christmas morning - I still make that.. but now it's more like brunch.
And the stockings HAVE to be dug into first! No exceptions! And every little thing in there is wrapped. (when a tube of chapstick is giftwrapped, there is more tape than paper....... HARD to open..).
We always used to look all over to find a hippo to stick out of the top of Mom's stocking. I might go looking for a hippo orniment this year, just to make me smile.
Then, all the presents (that weren't toys) were arrainged back under the tree so that it still looked pretty when all the aunts, cousins, neighbors, etc came over.
But my fav has always been the nativity scene. Mary & Joseph would travel to a different location around the living room each night to arrive at the stable on Christmas Eve. Sometimes, the wise men would travel too.

For You Cane <iframe width="420" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/2Dec9Jb_Ac4" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
(click on youtube)

 

[Carol Dee]

Look what I have @canesisters ... it is actually a keychain, not an ornament. It is yours if you want it. PM your address and I will send it to you. Merry Christmas.

 

[canesisters]

I can't open the link on this computer.
Will have to wait till I can get to the one at church.
Is it a hippo for Christmas? (love that song)