Non eating holiday customs

[Billie]

We started talking about this in another thread and I thought I would pop it up here so we could look at and share some of the things that make holidays special for us, non food related, well lets try!

When the kids were little there was always the children's mass at church with the nativity seen, I think I had a king and a lamb one year! Our neighborhood would go out caroling as families, seems like the children and wives enjoyed that more than the dads, but hey good for them. We always had a Christmas puzzle for visitors to put pieces in and the goal was to get it done by New Year's. We just left it out on the table for the month of December.

Gabe and I started a pretty strange tradition a few years ago, and that was to have fondue on Christmas Day. Just something relaxing to sit down and talk and remember, we seemed to have been able to keep that in tact so far. We also write a Christmas letter to each other each year and read it. We talk about being grateful and what we accomplished and what we want to do. Since we read it to each other, it is very meaningful for us.

In the stockings I always wrap everything that goes inside them, I know what a pain! When the kids were little Pez' were traditional. So now they are old and one of them married and they still look for the Pez container. And it doesn't matter if it is a package of gum or lump of coal everything always gets wrapped in the stockings.

Since we have moved and one son is married and the other son is in Colorado I am sure our traditions will be changing. I think that can be hard on people, at least on one of my very traditional children, but it also can be exciting and fun.

What about some of yours? What can we steal away from each of you to make our holidays based on family and friends rather than on food?

[Rhyme'n Reason]

Great thread, Billie--what fun it is to remember. We always have such a good time Christmas Eve doing gifts. Our tradition is to read the Christmas story before opening gifts. And then when we open gifts, we go around the circle so that everyone can see what the others are getting instead of everyone just ripping their presents open. Then we go to church later in the evening. Stockings are Christmas morning (and we wrap everything in them, too). The rest of Christmas Day involves the big dinner and visiting all of the relatives. But Christmas Eve with just the immediate family...that's always the most special to me.

[Ammy]

My family all brings games to play. Some board/card games, but mostly we must bring a holiday game that we make up, or "steal" from the internet.
Ever tried to play charades and your word is "Christmas Tree" or fig??:eek::o

[LisaS]

For gifting, Christmas morning is the big extended family gift opening, after breakfast, which used to be after Julotta (ask Gabe). Anyway, first round, we open one at a time, oldest to youngest (18-20 people most years) - then free for all for the rest of the presents. Stockings were generally at home before church/leaving for the morning.

Christmas eve - no presents - except in the years when that night was for "the other side of the family" in which case it was one name-draw present.

For decorating, growing up, we always put out the Julbok (or Julbokken), some Jultomta (or Jultomten) and the angel chimes, and usually a creche near the front door or on the mantle.

We generally play games after presents, depending on who is there, who is staying for dinner and what time others leave to go to other houses for Christmas dinner (marriages in my generation make these afternoons more complicated then when we were little). Cranium was a good bet for several recent years. Other years we'd start the Christmas puzzle (usually a gift from the extended family not making the trip that year). We (Californians) sent them one each year as well - so we'd compete in parallel puzzle solving. One year the evil doers sent a devilish 2 sided puzzle - oneside black & white, oneside sepia and cream as I recall.

[Bonnie]

Christmas traditions. Well, when I was growing up, Christmas Eve meant going to bed early so that Santa Claus could come. Santa decorated the tree so it meant a very long night for my parents. On Christmas morning whichever child was awake first would wake the other and then we would both go in to wake our parents. We could not get them up before 7. What we did not know was that my parents set the clock forward by a couple of hours so that they could get some sleep.

When my own kids were growing up, we celebrated Christmas Eve with my husband's family. Generally the one with the youngest child got to host the party because the party lasted quite late. At some point in the evening we would all leave and go to church, coming back to eat some more and to exchange gifts. Christmas Day was reserved my side of the family. Everyone came to our house for another round of family and gift giving. (And my mother worked for a major toy store, need I say more?) As years went by, my inlaws joined us for Christmas Day. By the time only my mother in law was left, we took Christmas to her.

Now we're the old timers and times have changed again. Christmas Eve is mostly church. My husband and daughter both sing in the choir and our church has a couple of services, plus in the afternoon is a children's service and my granddaughter takes part in that. We will probably try to fit in gift exchange though my daughter and I are considering doing that on the 23rd this year if my son-in-law has to work on the 24th. We will spend Christmas Day with my son-in-law's family.

Regardless of the configuration, Christmas has always meant family.

[Billie]

I love cranium Lisa we have laughed so much with that game. We have also done charades which can be pretty funny.

Family is important but also friends for me and also neighbors and work colleagues.

Your traditions are so fun to read, and it is not about food! Good for us!

[Songwriter]

Yep, it's fun to read.

Current Christmases are... I won't go there. Times have changed, that's all I'll say.

When I was young, my brothers and I would wake very early, just whenever we woke up but we'd be so excited, it was WAY before normal wake up time. We'd run into the living room where the tree was and go nuts with what was under the tree... wake our parents up. Those gifts from Santa would not be wrapped, just under the tree or in the room if big.

We have never opened a present on Eve. Always Christmas morning. We'd play with our stuff that morning. Dinner, Ma would cook a great meal, traditional turkey and dressing meal. Play that afternoon, leftovers that night.

We were raised Baptist. In those days anyway, Baptists around here did not have Christmas services. I don't know about modern day.

When my Grandmas were alive, we'd go to one of their houses on Christmas afternoon.

It 'tis a special season. I think I'll do some charity work this year somehow. Seems the right thing to do.

[LisaS]

our nextdoor neighbors growing up were Italian/Croatian Catholics and the patriarch's name was John for St. John the Evangelist, and so his nameday was Dec 27th - and they always had a big open house on his nameday and the neighbors were invited - so there's a Christmas season memory that involved the neighbors.

[Anniesnan]

it's fun reading about the different traditions! I never heard of the Christmas puzzle - I wish I had room, I'd definitely do it. Although I have trouble keeping my hands off a puzzle:razz:

Growing up, our family's preparation during Advent was to scrub the house. I loved polishing the silver, nobody could figure out why. My mother would wax the wood floors on her hands and knees with paste wax and an old towel wrapped around a brick. My brother and I would "buff" the floors by running and sliding in our socks:D.

We didn't do ANY decorating until Christmas Eve. Lights went up outside, the tree went up, the nativity was set up (I still have my mother's nativity - her best friend and maid of honor hand painted most of the figures and my grandfather made the stable - and I set it up every year). We had some lights, but not mroe than 2 or 3 strands. Then came the tinsel. There could NEVER be enough tinsel. And it had to go on ONE strand at a time. If you got more than one, my mother would take it off and separate it. We'd use maybe 6 or more of those boxes.
Then the ornaments. Almost all glass, many from Germany. We'd sing Christmas songs while we were decorating.
My older brother's Lionel RR would be set up, either near the tree or around the dining room floor.

Then we'd all get cleaned up, dressed to the nines to go to Midnight Mass. That was always my favorite service - I loved the songs, Gloria in Excelsis Deo, Silent Night. After that, my younger brother would go to sleep, I'd pretend to. I could never sleep on Christmas Eve. I'd wait until my mother and sister were in bed, after they were done wrapping, and sneak downstairs and open some of my presents VERY carefully. Then, after peeking at them, I'd tape them back up and go back to bed until my younger brother came to wake me:D

My in-laws went to 7PM Mass on Christmas Eve, which loses some of the magic. Now they go to the 5. They have a buffet meal that my m-i-l caters and almost the whole family is there every year. We're usually back home between 10 PM and midnight, although when my kids were small we'd actually put them to sleep and then wake them after Santa came.

I'll have to think on my children's Christmas traditions. Although wrapping each stocking stuffer is one my kids look forward to. And one gift each from Rudolph.

[Claudette]

Great thread, Billie,

When I was growing up, my family always opened one Christmas gift on Christmas Eve, one from my parents. The rest we opened on Christmas morning. We always had Pez in our stockings, too.

Growing up Methodist, we had a Candlelight Christmas Eve service at our church which ended at 8ish. When I was older, I sang in the choir and played handbells. At midnight, we usually went to Midnight mass with some of our neighbor friends.

Now, hubby and I attend the Babtist church service of communion on Christmas Eve. We, with our only son, open Christmas gifts on Christmas morning, then it is to MIL/FIL to open more.

We make lots of photos, some candid, some posed as we are unwrapping our gifts.

I enjoyed reading all of the different traditions.

Claudette

[hawk]

When I was a child, our extended family went to Grandmas house and celebrated with a huge dinner on Christmas EVE. The uncles and aunts were pretty rowdy and alcahol flowed freely. My family was a little more conservative and to keep the spirit of Christmas at the forefront, our family of 5 kids would ask everyone to come prepared with a skit or song or christmas joke. Our kids, when they came along, played out the Christmas story in pantimime as the oldest grandchild read the narrative.

We always left the party to go to 11 o'clock church.

At our house the next day we opened gifts. As each of us became old enough not to belive in Santa, we were allowed to help load gifts under the tree.My youngest sister is 13 years younger of us 5 kids , and our quest was to see how long we could make her believe, which involved walking around on the roof with bells jingling after she was in bed and my brother yelling HO,HO,HO.
Which reminds me. A few years ago pastor we know had a Jr. High age daughter and she and two friends wanted to paint sweat shirts with the word HO on the shirt. When the three of them walked the halls at school they would walk arm in arm and be HO HO HO. Her father put the cabosh on it saying that when she went to class where her two friends were not, she would simply be a HO. Now Santa can't even say it!

Our current holiday plans, now are when ever everyone can work it out to be here. The grandchildren are the focus for us. But we do not leave our kids out. My husband has a crazy sense of humor and does a treasure hunt. He writes 6 ,4 lined rhyming clues that are crazy and personal, always teasing for each adult child and spouse and they search for their prize which is their favorite candy. Each one has their own prize.It is a race to see who can win.

One clue to our 8 month pregnant DIL said.."Hey butterball
.................................................. .........here's your first clue
.................................................. .........It's underneath
.................................................. .........a jar that is blue."
to which she in mock outrage yelled BUTTERBALL!!!??????(she was a cute butterball) they have to wear a santa hat and a blinking nose while they run around searching for clues.

We always dress up on Christmas morning (no jammas) and eat a breakfast of fresh fruit salad and homemade cardamon coffee cake(oops,talking about food) Everyone waits till we are all here. Ever since the kids were born, we have gotten dressed and then eaten breakfast just to make the anticipation worse. Stockings were allowed to be opened before breakfast.

We have alot of sweedish tradition. We make a poem or rhyme on each package discribing in some tricky way whats inside and the reciever must guess what it means.

Later in the afternoon we have a smorgasborg.While my grandparents were alive, since everyone was at thier home on Christmas eve and then spent Christmas day with their in-laws, Graqndma and grandpa were alone on Christmas day, so we would pack up and the boys took a couple toys and we would go spend the afternoon with them.

Now, we just build a fire and watch the grandkids play while we talk.My parents moved back a couple years ago and sometimes we visit in the afternoon.