Holiday Traditions? New/Old

oh and I love the walking on xmas day, something my family never did and I love getting out for some fresh air on the day. This is a great thread, I was toying with what to do on xmas eve

When DSS was very young, we used to invite our neighbours round, particularly those with kids, as we couldn't go to the pub (babsitter on xmas eve? Oh hell no) and nor could other parents. When Ex and DSS moved out, I carried on with it and it's still lots of fun. We don't often get many people as most will have to be somewhere the next day, but you don't need many to make it fun

This is our first Christmas together (we were 'dating' last Christmas, but didn't spendthe day together), so I'm looking forward to seeing what traditions we create.  I've done a big, bulging stocking for him, which he will not be expecting... that will always be a tradition for me, regardless of whether he reciprocates.

That was a tradition that he has now adopted. But, for our first xmas together, I bought stocking stuffers for me too :lol: Now I don't have to as he has the idea and really goes to town!

Woozers - I absolutely love hearing all of this...

A few traditions I will be bringing to the table are hanging the stocking on the mantle - I had custom ones made to match mine from JCPenney (check them out amazing).
Open one present on Xmas Eve then Xmas day do the "someone plays" Santa and hands out presents one at a time, not a free for all craziness, then have a big dinner.

Of course this will work the years we have the girls on the ones we don't I say we stay in bed LATE and open one present in bed with a cup of coffee with some homemade creamer I will test making.

DH has never really done the stockings on the mantle above the fireplace but he did do a tree but since he is on the rig he never bothered with really decorating but he is all about doing for me ;-)
I am more excited for next Christmas to be there but on the bad side he is home for XMAS next year but gone for New Years Eve.

princesslemon - I am sure we will be like you as well and have *cough* a few drinks as that has ALWAYS been a tradition with my family and DH fit RIGHT in

Happy Christmas!

A few traditions I will be bringing to the table are hanging the stocking on the mantle - I had custom ones made to match mine from JCPenney (check them out amazing).

Oh my family has these! I was just talking about this on facebook.

My mom works for JCP and my brother and I have had personalized ones since we were babies. A few years into dating my now DH my mom got one made for him, too, as well as my brother's fiancee.

Christmas Eve: I mentioned this in one of the food threads, but Christmas Eve was always a big day for my family. It's the Feast of 7 Fish. It's like a Friday in Lent - we "fast" by not eating meat, but instead gorge ourselves on seafood.

I got invited to this a few times at friends' houses in the US! I loved it!!

we will have a nice breakfast of pancakes, sausage, and bacon

That's a lot of food! We don't even eat a proper supper on Christmas Eve because we know Christmas Dinner is so big! I like my food, but I don't think I could eat a huge breakfast the same day!

she once bought a square stocking. A square stocking? eh? I couldn't have dreamt that one up in a thousand years and she goes and finds one!

It's called a Christmas sack and they sell them everywhere!  

My family in Wales always walks down to the beach in the afternoon before dinner, but I'm not sure I can convince DH and his family to do it here in Cornwall - even though it's only a 5-minute walk. Also, in Wales we pick watercress from the stream by the beach and then make soup which is always the traditional Christmas dinner starter.

And many of my traditions involve drinking. Christmas eve is champers (though we might do cosmos this year). Christmas morning is either Irish coffee or Buck's Fizz. Christmas dinner is red wine. Christmas evening is soda water and Angostura Bitters (for the tummy). Boxing Day is mulled wine.

That's a lot of food! We don't even eat a proper supper on Christmas Eve because we know Christmas Dinner is so big! I like my food, but I don't think I could eat a huge breakfast the same day!

I only make small portions for myself. Can't say the same for DH though...

I think it definitely worked better with MY family's form of Christmas Dinner - much smaller. However, I really miss that tradition, and I'm okay being stuffed for a day!

One thing I miss from when I was in the States was going to Church on Christmas Eve with my parents for the candlelight service.

A new Boxing Day tradition that DH & I started last year is going to Matlock Bath for the raft races. Good Fun.

One thing I miss from when I was in the States was going to Church on Christmas Eve with my parents for the candlelight service.

I miss this too. We would drive around and look at Christmas lights after church.

Since we're having Christmas at my ILs we don't really get to have our own traditions, which would include Christmas music playing while we open gifts (I know, it seems so simple!) and a special breakfast. My MIL is the only one who goes to mass on Christmas eve in DH's family. I asked him if it would make her happy if we went along (I'm not Catholic and he doesn't practice anymore), so I think we're going to go to church with her. I asked if they would be singing carols and he said no, it's just a normal mass.  We'll see if that's true or not! If the pubs are still open, we'll stop in and have a drink on the way home. Hopefully the weather is nice as I'd like to walk around the village looking at Christmas lights on Christmas eve, then on Christmas day we'll probably go for a walk after lunch. That's if we're not blessed with some traditional Irish weather! 

One thing I miss from when I was in the States was going to Church on Christmas Eve with my parents for the candlelight service.

I'll be there Thursday night! 

now that my little girl is old enough to understand the whole "santa thing", I am making a tradition of her helping make chocolate chip cookies on christmas eve for "santa"

Christmas Eve: I mentioned this in one of the food threads, but Christmas Eve was always a big day for my family. It's the Feast of 7 Fish. It's like a Friday in Lent - we "fast" by not eating meat, but instead gorge ourselves on seafood. Just go with it! I've done this dinner for the past 2 years for my hubby's family and it always goes over quite well. I don't do all 7 fish though, because I find many of them to be somewhat gross.    This year I'm doing it for just me and hubby, so we're having a much smaller meal and some wine, and then watching some Christmas specials. I think it's a great way to start off the holiday.

DW introduced that as well, similarly not to do 7 fish but 4 or 5. This year she's doing scallops, prawns, squid and mussels with linguine.

Christmas morning - We got married at a bed and breakfast on Amelia Island, Florida last year. For breakfast our first morning as a married couple we had their bacon strada, and they sold a cookbook with recipies from the various B&B'....so we have that for Christmas day breakfast.
 

Yeah it's great! And my MIL really likes to get me drunk, and will top up my drink any time I'm not looking...

What makes it even better though - my FIL is the caretaker of a primary school and lives on the grounds. So we take all the equipment over there and set it up on one of those projector screens! It's amazing.

That does sound like fun. Almost as fun as when we used to go to the bowling alley, frames 4 and 7 marked as beer rounds, and then turn off all the lights (nothing to do with Christmas, a tradition of another kind).

It's called a Christmas sack and they sell them everywhere! 

Is this something new here or stateside? I've never seen one before or just never noticed. I like my stockings.

now that my little girl is old enough to understand the whole "santa thing", I am making a tradition of her helping make chocolate chip cookies on christmas eve for "santa"

I hear he's partial to some eggnog or a glass of milk too. And don't forget to leave some carrots for the reindeer.

I hear he's partial to some eggnog or a glass of milk too. And don't forget to leave some carrots for the reindeer.

in Nursery,she made a bag of (dry) oatmeal/portidge with glitter and sparkles in it, for the reindeers 

Is this something new here or stateside? I've never seen one before or just never noticed. I like my stockings.

Both. Just have a Google!

in Nursery,she made a bag of (dry) oatmeal/portidge with glitter and sparkles in it, for the reindeers 

That's pretty good too.