Do you have a favorite holiday tradition?
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TV ClubHouse: Archives: Do you have a favorite holiday tradition?

Wargod

Sunday, December 22, 2002 - 12:34 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
I know we have members from many different places and religions and was curious what your favorite holiday traditions were.

When I was a kid, a biker friend of my parents hosted a Christmas eve party for everyone he knew. The den and living room was set up for the adults with music and a fully stocked wet bar and people would talk and dance and have a good time. He had a playroom for his kids, and that was set up for all his friends children. We had all kinds of food and soft drinks, got to play games, watch Christmas movies, and exchange gifts with each other. As I got older, I always looked forward to that more than Christmas morning. I had grown up with these kids, and as we got older we developed different interest and started to find new friends, so we didn't spend much time together. The Christmas eve party was always the chance to connect with our old friends.

As an adult with kids of my own, we've developed our own traditions. We take the kids and go to visit a friend of ours who doesn't have any family here (the one with the bracelet in the facts thread.) We spend a couple hours with her, the kids give her presents which they make, open the ones she gives them. We listen to Christmas carols, the kids help to decorate her tree, and have a good time. After that, we take the kids to my sisters house, where a friend plays Santa (complete with passing out a present for each kid,) play games, listen to Christmas carols, and decide when people will start showing up at my house the next morning. When we're done there, we take the long way home and go looking at Christmas lights. On one street, we park and the kids run up and drop canned goods in the collection bin. At the end of the street, a family passes out candy canes, and we thank them for setting up the neighborhood so nicely and bringing joy to so many people. Then we come home, the kids have hot chocolate and listen to "Twas the night before Christmas," and get to open one gift (which is usually pajamas or a new robe and slippers,) then we tuck them in bed and get to work on our jobs for the night.

So, what traditions do you have? And what were the ones you enjoyed as a child?

Kristylovesbb

Sunday, December 22, 2002 - 08:51 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
My family was poor, 4 adults and 5 children living in 800sq. feet. We didn't get much during the year but Christmas my mom and dad went all out. We got lots of presents because my mother saved the entire year. Every year my mother would find a family that had less than us, she always told us that no matter how poor you are there is always someone with less than you and it is your place to help them, and we would give to that family our hand downs. We gave them food for Christmas dinner, mom always made sure they got a turkey.
To this day I find someone in need and do what I can to help them. My Christmas is more meaningful for it because I could not enjoy it if I knew someone was in need.

Meggieprice

Sunday, December 22, 2002 - 09:24 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
There were so many traditions that I was imprinted by as a child...

My maternal Grandmother, Nana, came from New York to Colorado every year for Christmas. She always did the stockings, which were long support hose, LOL, with Christmas corsages and ribbons at the top.She had part ownership in a pharmacy in Atlanta and would get lots of their stuff, perfume, candy, and such and keep it in her dresser to bring for the stockings. She also had mothballs in another drawer of that dresser- for years I hated coconut because she would give us Mounds bars (her favorite) and I thought coconut tasted like camphor! My sister Abby, ten years older, made spritz butter cookies and we delivered them to friends as gifts. We left some of those same cookies for Santa- with Coke, not milk. I never knew until some years later that it was because my Nana , who loved Coke, had the job of
eating the cookies and drinking the coke.

Our living room was shaped like a barn, with a very tall ceiling. The most magical part of Christmas for me was that we read the Night Before Christmas with Nana, hung our stockings, and went to bed- and in that one night a miracle happened and we woke the next morning to a tall beautiful tree fully decorated. It proved that Santa was real for me for many years because I simply could not fathom how a tall tree could have appeared and been decorated in that time- not to mention all the gifts underneath. Of course it was my parents, Nana, and older siblings who suffered through that to make that magic for my younger brother and me. We sat in a circle opening our stockings,taking turns youngest to oldest, and enjoying each others things. No mad tearing of wrappings and such. Then we had breakfast and we all had to get dressed before we could open the presents- of course us kids would go crazy waiting for my parents and my Dad in particular would take ages and ages to get ready.We almost always got matching pajamas and my Dad would take a picture of us all with the self timer on his camera. He was and in an avid photographer (now my avocation) so these events were well documented.

When my parents split up later in my life I lost those Christmases, and it was a while before I made my way to the point where I had my own sense of family within myself and could start to make Christmas for me. Finding a spiritual home in my wonderful church was a big part of it. We go there on Christmas Eve for a candle lighting. Then it has become our tradition to go out for Chinese food- they dont close for holidays! Then we drive around and look at Christmas Lights, singing carols in the car. Home we head, to read the Night Before Christmas...We leave coke for Santa too, along with the cookies I now bake (just finished tonight- five kinds, including the exact same spritz sugar cookies my sister always made).

For years after I was on my own I insisted on decorating my own tree Christmas Eve, until I finally had to agree it was insanity! I love enjoying it for a while before Christmas.Now that I have my own child I have my ways of making magic too- there is a set of lights that magically appears around our picture windows- inside-during the night- and it plays music and wakes my Zachy Christmas morning. We take turns opening our stockings and our presents, youngest to oldest...and Michael and I can't help but torture Zach by taking ages and ages to get ready before opening the presents.

This year it is full circle- my Mother is here to enjoy my traditions.

Wargod

Sunday, December 22, 2002 - 11:13 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Hehe wish I could convince the kids to leave out soda and cookies! Darren's job is to drink the milk and if he doesn't want it it goes down the sink since I'm lactose intolerant.


The only Christmas present I can remember getting (besides roller skates which became a tradition in itself) was a second hand bike the first Christmas after we moved to California. I loved that bike though. For the most part, I couldn't tell anyone what presents I got, but could remember who spent each and every Christmas with us or what we did as a family.

It's always been more important what we do together as a family..and as a parent, its fun to do the stuff like baking cookies or doing arts and crafts. It's always been such a magical time of the year....I love it, LOL. And it never fails to interest me to hear how others celebrate it.

Twinkie

Monday, December 23, 2002 - 01:43 am EditMoveDeleteIP
I can't sleep so I figured I'd post a funny Christmas tradition. When my daughter and my sister's daugthers were all little we celebrated on Christmas eve night when we could all be together. In order for "Santa" to come someone had to get the kids outa the house. That chore went to my sister's foster daughter's hubby. It was several years before we found out where he had been taking the kids every year. He was taking them to a cemetary and scaring the cr@p out of them. We still laugh about it to this day. He always told the kids if they told where they'd been Santa wouldn't come. They didn't tell us til they were older and no longer believed in Santa. The funny thing was they loved him! It was a good kind of scared. He was as big a kid as they were!

Twinkie

Monday, December 23, 2002 - 08:59 am EditMoveDeleteIP
I should really use spell check. LOL

Marysafan

Monday, December 23, 2002 - 09:19 am EditMoveDeleteIP
We live in a big farmhouse. Christmas means my girls coming home. The oldest will bring her three children ages 11, 7, and 4 and the youngest will bring her enthusiasm, joy, and her awesome cooking skills. This year neither will bring a hubby.

We will eat, play games, read stories, and work the traditional "The Christmas House" jigsaw puzzle.

We will open presents on Christmas Eve...and watch the little ones on Christmas morning. We will make and receive several long distance phone calls to friends and relatives far away.

We will dirty dishes, make a mess, and somehow find a way to manage with one bathroom. Love will bounce off the walls. Laughter will fill the air, and chaos will reign...that is our tradition.

Heyltslori

Monday, December 23, 2002 - 09:23 am EditMoveDeleteIP
{{{{{Mary}}}}} You are amazing.

Wargod

Monday, December 23, 2002 - 10:45 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Twink, that's hysterical. I have an aunt whose five years older than I and was always a little bit jealous to have us around since it meant she wasn't the baby. She used to scare us every chance she got, and I remembr thos times with a laugh.

Kristy, I agree about giving to others. The kids pick out toys they want and dontate them to Toys for Tots. They also donnate things like clothes and food to my daughter's school and also money so the parents can buy gifts. We've been doing this since Caleb was old enough to pick things out for themelves....my hope being that by learning early this is something they just do they will continue it.

Mary, Chirstmas is so much fun just by being with the people you love. Its the little things that are important..playing with new toys with the kids, eating,and talking..enjoying music or a favorite Christmas music. OK, I also enjoy watching the kids rip into gifts, but thats the fun part, LOL.

Myjohnhenry

Monday, December 23, 2002 - 10:51 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Mary...will you adopt me? :)

When I was a kid we would beg my Dad for what seemed like weeks to get our tree. Usually about the second weekend of December we had a family outing to go cut down our tree, complete with thermos' of hot chocolate and a packed lunch. When we got home, Dad would put the lights on and then sit back and watch all of us decorate the tree while listening and singing to Christmas music. After we finished, house lights would be turned off and tree lights turned on and we would sing more songs and eat goodies.
Christmas Eve day usually meant going shopping with Dad (stereotypical male!) and gifts FINALLY going under the tree. Christmas Eve meant Crab accompanied by salad, cheese and crackers. (Which was said to be an easy, light meal but of course took forever because you had to pick the crab out..LOL) We opened gifts on Christmas Eve, one at a time so we could all ooooh and ahhhh over each one and lists were kept of each gift. One gift was always a new game for the family, which was played for the first time that night after a little time was spent with the other new gifts.
Naturally, we were typical kids and checked out our stockings in the middle of the night and pretended to be surprised as we emptied them as a family. :)
While a big dinner was cooking, there was a new jigsaw puzzle out for the holiday season, cinnamon rolls to eat, and new things to check out.
Over the next week, the new game was played with, the puzzle (or two) completed, snow played in, ski trips taken and we enjoyed having my Dad home on his use it or lose it vacation.
The season culminated on New Years Day with watching the Rose Parade, writing thank you cards, more games and jig saw puzzles and taking down the tree.

Myjohnhenry

Monday, December 23, 2002 - 11:15 am EditMoveDeleteIP
I loved thinking about those memories of childhood Christmases and am enjoying reading of others traditions. :)

We have kept some traditions and added some of our own, all focused on celebrating the birth of Jesus and on family. It has been difficult at times because of family responses to my choice of adoption (especially with me being single and my angels special needs) and because of the adaptations I have had to make because of my angels emotional issues.
We do stockings on St. Nicholas Day to separate the stocking thing from the true meaning of Christmas, plus it has turned out to be a wonderful thing for my angel because it is only associated with our family and not bad memories of the past. Prior to moving here, we always went to church on Christmas Eve and sometimes even the midnight service. After we got home we both got to open one gift (new pajamas) and the angel got a new ornament for her collection I started the first Christmas we were together. Since moving to our current home, we join my sister and her family on Christmas Eve for dinner and gift exchange and usually games. Then we come home for the one gift. Christmas morning, we read the Christmas story, open gifts and I start cooking dinner (including a birthday cake for Jesus). We play our new game (I have kept that tradition) and there is a puzzle out (although the angel isn't much into that).

We also do 2 or 3 giving trees, toys for tots, and the food bank. We get as much joy out of that, if not more, than the other gift buying we do.

THere are days I am sad because of the expectations and traditions I have had to let go because of circumstances, but those sad thoughts are quickly replaced by the joy of celebrating the wonderful gift that God has given each and every one of us in the form of His Son. :)

Northstar

Monday, December 23, 2002 - 11:19 am EditMoveDeleteIP
We did a puzzle too. Dad would always do the border and then we'd take turns filling it in. And every single year, he would hide the "last piece" and we'd have a treasure hunt. It was so exciting, yet so disappointing because I was never the one to find it.
We could open one gift on Christmas Eve AFTER the dinner dishes were done. That wait was the worst.
And my favorite tradition; the orange in the bottom of our stockings. There were five of us kids, so we put our orange in a special place so not to mix it up with someone elses. Then we'd all eat them after Christmas breakfast. I passed this on to my stepsons, who thought it was weird at first (but then everything a stepmom does is weird). Now, at 23 and 18, they dig to the bottom and peel it first thing. It makes my heart warm.

Meggieprice

Monday, December 23, 2002 - 06:56 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
I just love reading all of your stories- each and every one touched me. My mother is here, and I read my account of my own child memories to her and she had me print it for her. Then I read all of yours to the whole family and they LOVED hearing them. Hope to read more!

Mosessupposes

Tuesday, December 24, 2002 - 02:51 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
My favorite Christmas tradition involved Lionel Electric Trains. This is circa early 1950s. Every Christmas Eve my dad would take our Lionel Electric Train Set out of the hall closet and set it up in the living room.

Every year as part of the tradition, he would go to the local Radio-TV store (yes they existed way back then) and buy one new Lionel accessory for the train set. On Christmas morning, my brother and I would run out to open our presents. Then we would examine the train setup from one end to the other to find the new accessory.

Two weeks later my dad would pack each piece back in the original boxes and put the whole train set back in the hall closet.

As the years went by, I came to realize my dad was completely technologically inept. He couldn't even put together the easiest things. I always wondered how he managed to assemble and wire up that train set without shorting the whole thing out.

In the early 1960s Lionel Trains became passe when slot car racing came into vogue. Since we no longer used it, my dad gave the train set away.

Now thanks to Ebay, I have slowly managed to hunt down and buy a replacement for every single piece that we had managed to accumulate back in the 1950s.

The amazing thing is that some of these things on Ebay are 50 years old and in mint condition...never taken out of their boxes. The assembly screws are still in unopened faded yellow bags.

Every time I watch the 1980s movie "A Christmas Story", it reminds me of Christmas in my old childhood neighborhood. They are going to run a 24 hour marathon of it on TBS or TNT Christmas day.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you and yours out there in TV Clubhouse Land.

Ketchuplover

Tuesday, December 24, 2002 - 07:26 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
merry xmas everyone :)