Our Christmas/Traditions

[Amanda Elf]

I don't know if I'll remember everything for one post or not..lol.
We get our tree the weekend after the US Thanksgiving.
Besides the regular going shopping, wrapping gifts, listening to Christmas songs etc.
We take a drive to see lights sometime in the week prior to Christmas.
Each of the kids have a Christmas elf. About a week before Christmas they leave them a little reminder note (to be good, comments on what they've done) and on Christmas eve leaves them a new pair of pj's for them to wear to bed.

On Christmas eve, we go to dh's Mom's. She opens her gifts on Christmas eve. Then we go to my Mom's. In Christmas' past, Santa stopped in to give a chocolate bar and list to the kids' wish list. Last year my husband bought a Santa suit and "signed up" as one of Santa's helpers.

We come home and the kids race into the house to find their pj's.
They put out reindeer food on the lawn, put cookies and milk out for Santa, carrots out for rudolph. They get to open a pre-picked present. We watch a movie til bedtime.

Santa comes, we open gifts. Grandma calls to see when we are going out.
Mid morning we head for my parents house and pretty much spend the day there. Families take turns dropping in and exchanging gifts. We have supper mid afternoon.

We then head for home to finish cleaning up the boxes and paper, let the kids check out the toys while we try to figure out how to get them out of the boxes!

I also write letters from Santa, so they get those about the second week of Dec.

[JOHNOR]

thanks for sharing. i love to hear all about other people's traditions!

i have 1 question, whatdoes dh stand for, i see it posted everywhere and i don't know what it is, i am assuming it is something to do with your husband?

[Chillywilly]

Yes I enjoyed your post as well. But like JOHNOR I am interested in what dh means as well? :tree:

[Holiday]

Wow! What great traditions! It sounds like so much fun! I love the Christmas pj's idea! Reading that made me feel all cozy & really put me in the Christmas spirit!! :)

dh = dear husband (or dumb husband, dorky husband, d*mn husband, dirty husband, depending on how the word is used :lol:)

[Billy Battles]

I also love to hear about other peoples traditions.


I also wasn't sure what dh meant,however I did correctly guess dear husband.

[Chillywilly]

Thanks for clearing that up in my mind. (dh)cheesy

[JollySteve]

Our tradition is that the Friday after Thanksgiving, all the Christmas stuff comes out, and we decorate. This year, my Aunt gave us pretty much all of her Christmas decor, so now I may have to be selective as to what I will be able to put out, or I can put it all out, and have wall to wall Christmas decorations. Anywho, after we put up all the decor, we will order a pizza, and sit down as a family and watch A Christmas Story, or The Santa Claus.

On Christmas Eve, my mother, and father-in-law come over for dinner, and we keep our kids informed as to where Santa is. Once the wife, and kids are asleep, I pull out all of the presents that I have hidden around our condo, and place them under the tree. Since I can never fall asleep on Christmas Eve, I get a full dose of Christmas television, and eventually dose off on the couch.

On Christmas morning, the first kid that wakes up, usually my daughter, runs into our room screaming that Santa was here. I turn on some Christmas music, and watch as the kids rip through their presents. We eat breakfast, and then get ready to go see the in-laws again for a full blown Christmas. That night, as depression starts to settle in knowing that Christmas is just about over, I start putting together toys.

[Minta]

By the end of Thanksgiving weekend all the trees are up and decorated and the house is fully decorated inside and out.

Within the last week before Christmas I do a 2 day bakefest. My mom and daughter will pitch in a bit during these two days. My daughter will select the cookie cutter to be used for Santa's cookies for Christmas Eve. She and my DH will sneak a cookie here and there.

Christmas Eve morning I wil get up early and bake the pies for christmas. Once eveyone is up and dressed we will go out to breakfest. Anyone in the family is welcome to join us. After breakfest we will to go my mom's apartment so each kid can open one of their presents from her. Then it's off to visit family and friends that we will not see on Christmas day. By mid afternoon we will stop by the local grocery store and buy an assortment of seafood for our dinner. Our son is still a little to young to enjoy this so we will get him something else. Then it's off to home for dinner for our little family. The kids will open their gift from each other which will be a toy. I will be doing final prep work for Christmas breakfest and dinner (we are hosting both) and the kids will be playing with their new toys. Santa makes his rounds on the local fire truck. He usually gets to our neighborhood around 6 ish. He hands out candy canes to all the kids who come out to greet him.
It's then bath time for the kids. Afterwards we will watch a christmas show/movie with the kids. Right before bed time the kids will put out milk and cookies for Santa and leave Santa's magic key on the front door. DH tucks the kids into bed and read them twas the night before christmas. Once the kids are tucked away in bed dh and I will sit down, relax, enjoy a drink and watch more christmas shows and movies. Once we know the kids are sound asleep, all the presents are placed under the tree and the stockings are stuffed. Santa also places a present for each child under the christmas tree in their bedroom. We don't get to bed until after midnight and are always up before the kids. We wait in bed until our daughter comes running into our room with the gift Santa left under her tree. We go down, get coffee for me and DH and start opening presents.
My dad and his wife will come over for breakfest and gifts exchanges. Through out the rest of the day other family members and friends will come over for gift exchanges and dinner. The day after Christmas we will celebrate with my DH's father and his new family.

Editing - looks like some of our traditions are changing this year. Due to my mom's health issue we have decided to move her in with us so it will be interesting to see how turn out this year.

[Amanda Elf]

I can't believe I forgot the key! We have a magic key, we hang it outside the back door which is in the livingroom next to where the tree is.

We usually order a pizza on the 20th, the pizza place in town has a 2 day discount.

We also track Santa on the computer while we watch the movie.

I'd like to start the storybook tradition but never seem to remember. I did buy the book, Listen said the Donkey..we like that one.

Dh and I haul out the gifts after the kids are to sleep, before we go to bed.

My parents usually bring their extra gifts for the kids back a day or two before (so others don't get jealous) and they open them with them here, usually smaller toys.

Santa used to come around when I was little followed by carollers on a horse drawn wagon, we got candycanes and oranges. I wish they still did that.

I've never been much of a baker but a bakefest sounds like so much fun.

[joyful]

When my children were growing up, I always had Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve. My parents would attend and my brother and his family if they were in town. I would make the dinner very special with candles and etc. It gave the kids something to look forward too on Christmas Eve and it helped make the evening go by quicker for them.
The plus for me was that I got to spend Christmas Day enjoying my kids and not in the kitchen. If anyone got hungry, leftovers were heated up with very little fuss and bother.

Today I still do it for it makes it easier for my married children to be fair and spread their time between two sets of in laws.

Hubby and I have spent many Christmas mornings alone since the kids have grown but we still play the Christmas music and open our gifts to each other. It's a very special season in our lives now and we enjoy it being just the two of us now. And eventually the phone starts ringing, our children calling to wish us Merry Christmas.

[Minta]

I've never been much of a baker but a bakefest sounds like so much fun.

It is fun and I have a blast every year.
By the beginning of December I will have my recipes selected and my grocery list for any items that I need for my bakefest including foil, saran wrap, extra container, gift bags, etc.

Either the night before or first in the morning I will make any cookie dough that needs to be chilled so while they are chilling in the frig I can make other cookies. All cookies that need cookies cutters (sugar, gingerbread, etc) are done at the same time. This saves time from having to clean up the cookie cutters and flour once instaed of twice. All varieties of chocolate chips cookies are done at the same time. I will do double batches at a time. They all use the same basic ingredients except for the different chips so I will already have everything out. No searching for a misplaced ingredient or two.

I have the dinning room table covered with cooling racks and hot pads for the cookie sheets. I have a card table set up with the containers to store the cookies and another one as the cookie decorating station.

Once the cookies are all done then I do the cakes, muffins and brownies which is usually the second day.
:merry:

[Annette1990]

I love to get with family on Christmas Eve. And spend Christmas Morning and day with my family. I have a 6 yr. old little girl. I always let her pick one gift to open on Christmas Eve. On Christmas morning I am usually the one getting her up and moving. I usually make coffee and some rolls. And then kick back and watch the little one unwrap gifts. I usually make a nice dinner as well. So yes, I guess my tradition(s) would be the 1 gift on Christmas Eve (my parents did that with me) and I also get my daughter a Christmas Ornament that has something to do that pertained to her that year. Such as...she loved Dora the Explorer one yr. so I got her a Dora ornament, one year we got her a horse and so I got a horse ornament, one yr we went to Mt. Rushmore etc etc etc...I always mark her name and the year on the back. Something I think she will always treasure and have fond memories of when looking back. Something I hope she shares with her kids someday.

[Merry Chrissa]

Up until I moved to the states in Japan we treated Christmas more like a birthday. We had fried chicken, birthday hats, we had a Christmas tree but present was not under them they were handed to us birthday style. But when I turned ten we moved to the states and we were invited to dad's boss party that's when we learn the real way to celebrate Christmas. Come to think of it it was also because of dad boss that momand dad became Christians.
:snowball:

[ChristmasSpirit76]

Hey everyone, I love reading about all these traditions. I am back living at home with my parents and sister so the same traditions follow since i was a kid for the most point. Most of the decorating of tree,outside, and inside is done by Thanksgiving. We have a tradition of watching Charlie Brown Christmas on my birthday (Dec 9) and On my dad's birthday(Dec 21) We watch a Muppet's Christma Carol. Those are 2 specific movies we have to watch as a family. (Seeing neither i nor my sister are married or have kids its pretty easy getting us together) On Christmas eve day we usually go to my aunts house and spend a few hours with my mom's whole extended family (40-50 people) everyone brings some finger foods, snacks, desserts, and salads to eat and we basically just visit sing then we do a christmas auction and then after that we head home. Once we get home my sister and i go put on xmas music and head to the tree. My mom has us open one present each, which is always new PJ's (yep still get them even at 30) Most of my aunts follow this tradition as well... My nana did the same to them and she sometimes still gets them pj's for xmas(I will explain later in the post) So after that we chang into our new pjs and either watch a movie or read from a book, or play a christmas board game. Then its off to bed. My sister sleps in my bedrm christmas eve. While my mom finishes up with the gifts or stockings we are doin the same for her and dad in our bedrm. Come morning (we tend to sleep a little later than when we were younger, It must be age) We go out and open our stockings and then we bring in mom and dad's stockings whic they open while we get coffee and our special christmas casserole breakfast heated up. Every year we change the breakfast but it is always something special that we have on christmas day only. So as we wait for the breakfast to cook we start opening gifts and take a breakfast time during that and after all the gifts are open we generally stay occupied with our gifts untill later on when we have company. We generally don't do anything with my dad's side of the family but may this year. So thats the basic outline but things do change. My Nana and my mom and her 5 sisters do whats called a sister's get together which i am included in because i am more like a sister to my aunts than a niece. So what we do is the first saturday in Dec we meet at one of our houses bring some great food and basically sit around in our pj's and play games all day and just get a good visit in. We also by a little somthing for each other and thats when my nana gives them all their pj's. Sorry this was so long. :rudolph:

[MerrySouthernChristmas]

Wow! What great traditions! It sounds like so much fun! I love the Christmas pj's idea! Reading that made me feel all cozy & really put me in the Christmas spirit!! :)

dh = dear husband (or dumb husband, dorky husband, d*mn husband, dirty husband, depending on how the word is used :lol:)

Oh! I thought it meant 'Da Husband