Celebrating Christmas

[fides quarens intellectum]

I know several Catholic families who wait until the Fourth Sunday of Advent to decorate their homes for Christmas. I also know some Catholic families who exchange gifts on December 5th, and others who do so on January 6th. I know of Catholics and parishes who leave decorations up until February 2nd to celebrate the old-school 40 days of Christmas instead of just the 12 days that some of the rest of us celebrate.

So, I am curious: what do you Phatmassers tend to do? Please share your traditions!

I also wanted to ask which Mass you tend to go to for Christmas, but it would only allow me to ask 3 questions. As for us, we tend to go to a 10pm or a midnight Mass on Christmas Eve.

[homeschoolmom]

Well... we put up our tree at the beginning of Advent, but it's decorated for Advent-- purple lights and pink balls. We add candy canes on the Feast of St. Nicholas. We "change over" to gold garland, colored lights, and Christmas ornaments on the 24th. We open our Christmas gifts on Christmas Day, but I have little gifts for the 12 days of Christmas for the kids. We also don't do Santa-- but I have another tradition, that my kids love, instead.

[rachael]

On Christmas Eve we always go on a drive to look at all the Christmas lights.

[TeresaBenedicta]

Well, I'm the only Catholic in the family. So that kind of prohibits following the Church's calendar.

We decorate sometime after Thanksgiving and Christmas (usually within the week or two after Thanksgiving). We open gifts on Christmas Eve with my maternal grandmother, Christmas morning with immediate family, and later Christmas day with my dad's side of the family. And de-decorating usually happens within a week after Christmas.

I always go to the midnight Mass. Last year my family came with me! They might come this year, too! :D

[MissScripture]

Since we just got married last February, nothing is really set in stone yet, for "our" traditions. However, growing up, we always decorated the whole house for Christmas when the tree was put up, which was typically about 2-3 weeks before Christmas, which was more a matter of time --both when my parents had the time and when the tree would last through the Christmas season, since it was a real tree. We always opened presents on Christmas eve, which started as a matter of convenience, because if my mom had to work (she was a nurse) it was the easiest time to keep constant, plus, we kids weren't going to say "No, lets wait to open them until tomorrow!" We would always read a certain story book on the birth of Jesus before opening gifts. The "santa gift" and our stockings we got in the morning of Christmas. And we had to wait until everyone was awake, and we weren't allowed to wake people up. We also got candy in our shoes from St. Nick on St. Nicholas day! We typically went to Mass on Christmas eve, but usually like a 4:30 or 5 pm Mass, although, that was never set in stone and varied on where we were for Christmas, and what times Mass was offered. The decorations stayed up until at LEAST after Epiphany, but usually a little bit longer. Often times, however, that was somewhat determined by the quality of the tree, and if it was dried out and shedding everywhere.

This year, we are opening gifts on Christmas eve, again. The hubby argued that it was THEIR tradition to do it on Christmas day. I told him that was fine with me, he could open his on Christmas day like his tradition, and I'd open mine on Christmas eve like my tradition. My tradition won. We are going to Midnight Mass, which I'm SUPER excited for, since I've never gone to one, and I don't think it was ever actually offered AT midnight where I grew up. And this year, since I will leave for clinicals just after New Years, I'm fairly certain our Christmas decor will stay up until approximately Easter, when I get back, unless I'm feeling especially ambitious on some weekend when I'm home for a visit. On Christmas day, this year, we are going to go ice skating and then over to some friends' for Christmas dinner. I'm super excited!

[CatherineM]

We have a party on Christmas Eve that lasts from noon until midnight mass. It's for people who don't have anywhere else to go for the holidays. We gets lots of guys with schizophrenia or bipolar, some widows and widowers, and this year a seminarian from Nigeria. We also have people drop by just for the food. I put out a mexican buffet, we watch Christmas movies, and then have mexican hot chocolate before going to mass.

[MissScripture]

[quote name='CatherineM' timestamp='1292869242' post='2193646']
We have a party on Christmas Eve that lasts from noon until midnight mass. It's for people who don't have anywhere else to go for the holidays. We gets lots of guys with schizophrenia or bipolar, some widows and widowers, and this year a seminarian from Nigeria. We also have people drop by just for the food. I put out a mexican buffet, we watch Christmas movies, and then have mexican hot chocolate before going to mass.
[/quote]
Out of curiosity, why Mexican?

[fides quarens intellectum]

[quote name='homeschoolmom' timestamp='1292866291' post='2193638']
Well... we put up our tree at the beginning of Advent, but it's decorated for Advent-- purple lights and pink balls. We add candy canes on the Feast of St. Nicholas. We "change over" to gold garland, colored lights, and Christmas ornaments on the 24th. We open our Christmas gifts on Christmas Day, but I have little gifts for the 12 days of Christmas for the kids. We also don't do Santa-- but I have another tradition, that my kids love, instead.
[/quote]

Wow - that is really neat! I've never heard of doing an Advent tree with a change over - very smart! If you don't mind sharing, what is the other tradition you mentioned in place of Santa? We don't think we'd do Santa with out kids, either, so I am curious.

[quote name='MissScripture' timestamp='1292867260' post='2193642']
This year, we are opening gifts on Christmas eve, again. The hubby argued that it was THEIR tradition to do it on Christmas day. I told him that was fine with me, he could open his on Christmas day like his tradition, and I'd open mine on Christmas eve like my tradition. My tradition won.
[/quote]

[fides quarens intellectum]

[quote name='TeresaBenedicta' timestamp='1292866457' post='2193640']
I always go to the midnight Mass. Last year my family came with me! They might come this year, too! :D
[/quote]
Praying that they will join you this year!

[homeschoolmom]

[quote name='fides quarens intellectum' timestamp='1292870526' post='2193649']
Wow - that is really neat! I've never heard of doing an Advent tree with a change over - very smart! If you don't mind sharing, what is the other tradition you mentioned in place of Santa? We don't think we'd do Santa with out kids, either, so I am curious.
[/quote]

Yeah, it's fun. It's such a dramatic difference between the simple beauty of the Advent colors to the bright golden colorfulness of the Christmas stuff....

Instead of "Santa"... my kids wake up as shepherds. Their goal is to find Baby Jesus (and a few gifts for them to open). It started out fairly simple when the kids were younger, but it's gotten more complicated as they've gotten older (they are 14, 12 and 7). Basically, they are given a bible verse to look up. One of the words in the verse is the clue to where to find the next verse-- table, salt, knife, door, etc. They go to where they suspect the next verse is (under the table, the saltshaker, knife drawer, front door) and try to solve the next clue... etc. Eventually, they find the Baby Jesus (for our Nativity) and a few gifts... usually some new games or a movie-- something to keep them busy for a little while so dh and I can wake up-- they start this little routine pretty early. It's been a nice compromise for us. It allows them to have some fun "magical" game to look forward to. We don't have a huge issue with Santa-- we still watch all the Christmas specials (we own many of them), but it's not really a part of our Christmas celebration.

[CatherineM]

[quote name='MissScripture' timestamp='1292870305' post='2193648']
Out of curiosity, why Mexican?
[/quote]
My Godmother was from Mexico, and I always helped her with her Las Posadas meal. She was usually the Christmas Eve one. To me, it isn't Christmas without tamales. What's funny is that my mom made chocolate chip cookies and fudge to exchange on Christmas Eve for the tamales. To my Godmother's kids, it didn't seem like Christmas without my mom's fudge. They would attack me when I came in the door, especially if I was late. When I came back home, my dad and brothers would attack me for the tamales. I still laugh when I think of how my father's New York accent butchered the word tamale. It came out something like o'malleys with a T.

Doing Mexican reminds me of home, and it is something different for Canadians who have fairly bland diets most of the time. Plus, I just don't like turkey. Every year I add one exotic thing to the buffet for them to talk about. This year it is going to be nopales (cactus ear).

[cmotherofpirl]

I put up a Jesse Tree the first Sunday of Advent and an Advent calender with M&Ms for the gbaby.

This year I broke with tradition and decorated last friday and saturday because my daughter was coming home. Usually I wait til after the 4th Sunday. The gbaby helped decorate the lower part of the tree, and she was estatic over each and every ornament, she said we were making Christmas.

Presents with the neighbors are opening Christmas eve at our party and for the family on Christmas day. I am doing my best to aviod the Santy Claus issue with my grandbaby, but she heard about it at daycare and if firmly convinced he is bringing her toys, instead of us. Grrr.
I am hoping to get everything done in time to get to Midnight Mass this year in our new church.

[MissScripture]

[quote name='CatherineM' timestamp='1292875165' post='2193661']
My Godmother was from Mexico, and I always helped her with her Las Posadas meal. She was usually the Christmas Eve one. To me, it isn't Christmas without tamales. What's funny is that my mom made chocolate chip cookies and fudge to exchange on Christmas Eve for the tamales. To my Godmother's kids, it didn't seem like Christmas without my mom's fudge. They would attack me when I came in the door, especially if I was late. When I came back home, my dad and brothers would attack me for the tamales. I still laugh when I think of how my father's New York accent butchered the word tamale. It came out something like o'malleys with a T.

Doing Mexican reminds me of home, and it is something different for Canadians who have fairly bland diets most of the time. Plus, I just don't like turkey. Every year I add one exotic thing to the buffet for them to talk about. This year it is going to be nopales (cactus ear).
[/quote]
Cool! We tend towards a German type meal, as my Grandmother is German. It should be interesting this year when I attempt it single-handedly...who knows, we may have to order a pizza! lol. But my Christmas just doesn't seem like Christmas without pistachio cake. There was ONCE in my childhood that I remember not having that cake (my grandma made lemon instead) and I cried! After that, my Mom always made sure she was in charge of the cake. LOL.

[Micah]

[quote name='homeschoolmom' timestamp='1292866291' post='2193638']
Well... we put up our tree at the beginning of Advent, but it's decorated for Advent-- purple lights and pink balls. We add candy canes on the Feast of St. Nicholas. We "change over" to gold garland, colored lights, and Christmas ornaments on the 24th. We open our Christmas gifts on Christmas Day, but I have little gifts for the 12 days of Christmas for the kids. We also don't do Santa-- but I have another tradition, that my kids love, instead.
[/quote]

I know somebody already commented on this, but I agree this is a great idea. I'm gonna propose we begin doing this to my family this year.


My family is pretty run of the mill about Christmas traditions. We begin decorating a few weeks before Christmas and filling up our gigantic stockings. Christmas morning we all eat junk food and open presents one at a time, then laze around in the wrapping paper and presents while the women cook breakfast. Then we tidy up, eat, promise that we won't spend as much on Christmas presents next year, eat some more, and start all over again.

[MissScripture]

[quote name='Micah' timestamp='1292876637' post='2193665']
I know somebody already commented on this, but I agree this is a great idea. I'm gonna propose we begin doing this to my family this year.


My family is pretty run of the mill about Christmas traditions. We begin decorating a few weeks before Christmas and filling up our gigantic stockings. Christmas morning we all eat junk food and open presents one at a time, [b]then laze around in the wrapping paper and presents while the women cook breakfast[/b]. Then we tidy up, eat, promise that we won't spend as much on Christmas presents next year, eat some more, and start all over again.
[/quote]
IS THAT ALL YOU THINK WOMEN ARE GOOD FOR??
Okay, the real reason I'm replying, is because I'm curious what you mean by "filling up our gigantic stockings." Who fills them and with what? Or is that where you put all your gifts? I'm intrigued.