Even though I'm Jewish, I grew up celebrating Christmas. Every year, we have the immediate family over to my parents' house, and the seven of us listen to Christmas music while opening gifts (stockings first, of course) by the fireplace. We toast champagne and then sit down to brunch. The older we get, the later and later our Christmas festivities begin, even though I still have a hard time sleeping in on Christmas day!
I love hearing about other people's traditions so ladies, do tell: What's your Christmas tradition?
IRO
Episode
Casa
making christmas cake
1The real Jewish tradition -- Chinese food and a movie!
2We always do the stockings last in my family! I thought that was the normal order, haha.
3We always did stockings first, too.
4Real Jews go for Chinese food... I've never missed one Chinese food Christmas.
5Gifts at midnight.
When I was a kid, we used to nap b/c we couldn't keep our eyes open. These past few years we haven't had gifts at midnight. 12/23/05 my cousin had her daughter. 12/24/06 my other cousin (previously mentioned's brother) had his daughter. Last night we had a family member working.
6We get up around 8, eat cinnamon rolls, my dad starts acting like Scrooge (because he totally is, haha!), present/stocking opening, and then time killing until dinner, where a small verbal fight inevitably breaks out. And then we all just sort of lie around in a gift-and-food-induced stupor.
My family puts the fun in dysfunctional. I love them.
7Christmas eve is one of my favorite traditions - we go out to dinner for a really nice end of the year celebration. Then on christmas, we have a nice brunch, and then open gifts! Stockings first!
8We have to sing Christmas carols together as a family after we each Oyster Stew and chili and before we open presents. The last Christmas Carol we always sing is Silent night. Then we open presents youngest to oldest.
9My immediate family & I always spend Christmas together. Even if we're celebrating at someone else's house on Christmas Eve, we make sure to be at home by the time it's 12 am, Christmas Day. It's something my mom is pretty strict about. I guess she likes having us all together, no distractions! Same goes for New Year's. We've only spend New Year's at someone else's house a few times.
10since my mom passed away 11 years ago, i started a tradition myself... her bday is on the 22nd, 3 days before christmas... so i usually spend my day at michael's picking up the perfect christmas and bday bouquets for her and spend the rest of the day at her grave site until the sun goes down just telling her all the things that happened during the year
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11There's a house in my parents' neighborhood that is over the top decorated. Every Christmas Eve, after dinner and gifts, we take a family walk to see the decorations. This year was a no-go on account of my sprained ankle =[
12Cocca, your post made me cry (at work no less!). that's such a beautiful thing to do and i'm sure your mother looks down at you always and is thankful for such a wonderful daughter.
my Christmas tradition is opening gifts at midnight on Christmas Eve once it goes into Christmas Day. We have a formal dinner at my mother's house around 9 pm and then start gathering the gifts at 11:50 while "A Christmas Story" or Catholic mass is on tv. Then at midnight, we tear into the gifts!
Sigh...it hasn't happened like that in a couple of years but we still spend Christmas Eve and Christmas Day together as a family, even though the order of events pans out differently.
13Board games and making Lithuanian bread together...
14In Croatia we buy the tree a couple days before Christmas day, and then on Christmas eve it is decorated with family or significant others. The presents are not placed underneath until after midnight, when there is a big supper (feast around here). The more religious/Catholic types go to the cathedral at midnight for mass. The young kids also set off fireworks to get ready for 3 kings and new years eve. The food is usually roast veal or lamb, home baked bread, preserved red peppers, Grenadir potatoes, nut filled cookies, and hot spiced wine. Christmas day nothing is open, so we lay around being lazy. This year I broke in my new camera since we got a beautiful snowfall on both days
15On Christmas day we wake up and open presents, stockings first! Then we (my parents, sister and doggies) usually have a nice breakfast, then start getting dinner ready b/c we always have everyone over to our house. Then we open the presents from grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins, then EAT! Then lie around in a food coma til everyone goes home.
16The weekend before Christmas, my parents have their holiday open house/party...been doing it for years.
Christmas Eve changes by the year, but Christmas morning is always spent at my parents' house, opening gifts and my dad makes a big brunch.
Later on Christmas day, we go to my aunt's house and have a Christmas dinner and some drinks...it's relaxing.
17My dad's side of the family celebrates the Italian Seven Fish Dinner. I love seeing all of my family from all over the country and eating tons of great food like Seafood lasagna, white fish, clams, shrimp, calamari, eel, etc. Seven Fish is always celebrated on Christmas Eve so its an even bigger day for us than Christmas Day.
18We all get together early (not as early as we used to, but at least by 9:30) and everyone opens their stockings. Then we pass out all the presents, and open them one at a time. We go around in a circle, so it lasts longer and you can see what everyone got.
19And we all have a huge breakfast, play with our new gifts, lounge around, play games, and then have prime rib for dinner! yummy!
We do fondue on Chrsitmas Eve and open presents which are ALWAYS PJ's. Then Christmas day we open all the presents and start making dinner while listenign to Christmas songs
20A formal Christmas Eve dinner at my grandparents house. All the men own their own tuxes for various reasons and never get to wear them anymore, so they wear those and the girls dress up and we have a fabulous dinner and open presents.
My other favorite tradition is that my mom makes a big breakfast on Christmas morning after we open presents. The only day she ever does that.
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