Christmas Traditions

[socalscout]

We hold a Christmas party for the Neighborhood every year with Santa handing presents to every child in attendance which has grown to 24 this year. I get all their names even the ones who show up the day of without notice.

On Christmas Eve we go to Mass then have dinner with friends and family where the boys can open one gift each which is usually pajamas from their Nona like I did when I was young. We used to watch it’s a Wonderful Life or the original Christmas Carol with Allister Simms but they do not play those as often so it depends. We leave milk and cookies and carrots for Santa and the Reindeer and sprinkle flour on the floor to catch Santa’s footprints. After that it is prayers and bedtime.

My wife and I watch the Holy Father conduct Mass at midnight then lay out the presents for the kids.

Edited December 24, 2008 by socalscout

[T-Bone _]

[quote name='Roamin'Catholic' post='1734796' date='Dec 24 2008, 09:51 AM']When does my personal statement appear, because right now it says 'Lurker'?[/quote]

We do everything on Christmas Eve. Soup, Salmon Ball, Glogg, and when the kids are in bed, we play games.

[icelandic_iceskater]

we open gifts from sibs christmas eve, and go to grandma's on christmas day

[puellapaschalis]

We argue

[CatherineM]

Too far from my family to take part in any old traditions, so we made new ones. We host an all day open house type party. This year we are doing Cuban. We go until it is time to leave for midnight mass. We get 2-3 dozen depending on the weather. It's really cold this year, so we may have less. On Christmas morning my husband and I open our presents, and I make a big breakfast. We have a few close friends that pop by for left overs.

[Lena]

We basically eat a lot of food and open gifts Christmas morning. Mass is tonight, and we always open a present beforehand. I'm making cinnamon rolls to have in the morning, which I'm trying to make a tradition here

[Groo the Wanderer]

[quote name='T-Bone _' post='1734822' date='Dec 24 2008, 12:45 PM']We do everything on Christmas Eve. Soup, Salmon Ball, Glogg, and when the kids are in bed, we play games.[/quote]


Salmon Ball? Doesn't it kinda make mess when you whack it with a stick? Or is it played by kicking it back and forth? Either way *stinky mess*

[mortify]

Fast.

Break fast with oplatek, or garlic if you're a Uki.

Seven non meat dishes.

Occasionally midnight mass.

[Archaeology cat]

We're still figuring out our own traditions, seeing as we live in a different country than our families. But we decorate the tree on Christmas Eve. Last year we went to Midnight Mass together, but this year we went to a 9.30 Mass together this morning. We've decided that, in the future, were going to spread out the presents from Christmas Day to Epiphany, instead of all at once. Some days might just be some homemade cookies, so not like it'll be a major gift every day of that time. We were joking that it would be funny to give a kid a few Legos a day, and then they'd have the entire box by Epiphany.

[rachael]

[quote name='puellapaschalis' post='1734855' date='Dec 24 2008, 02:35 PM']We argue [/quote]
Us too.

[cmotherofpirl]

We used to have a party after midnight mass, but over the years the timing has moved up so last night we started 6-7pm, mostly so everyone could see the grandbaby before she fell asleep. . People wander in and out all night. We have 30 some people show up - neighbors, all the kids old friends and their children, relations. I put the food away about 1am.

[salterrae]

JM + JT

We go to someone's house from my mother's side of the family on Christmas eve. We open our gifts at midnight, but it seems that every year we open 'em earlier and earlier. We did good this year and were only early half an hour.

Christmas day we'll go to Mass and then to someone's house from my father's side of the family. Most of my cousins (all younger) are on this side of the family so I don't get to open many gifts Christmas day. Oh well.

That's the closest we can get to "tradition."

[Galloglasses' Alt]

We go to an early Mass.

We keep the bar clean, (like normal), and order a DJ/Band, (this year it was just a DJ), for the annual Christmas party, and proceed to get most of the people there tolerably tipsy, (until they leave early that is, its Christmas afterall). Then we get up Christmas morning wait for the whole family to show up in the Kitchen then move to the living room to unwrap the presents. We clean up the bar again and restock the shelves and freezers for the extended family members who pop round for a family get together and Christmas drink, all of which before noon. Then, Dinner... TURKEY! =D

Edited December 25, 2008 by Galloglasses' Alt

[homeschoolmom]

We switch the "Advent Tree" over to "Christmas Tree" on the 24th. It's looks so strikingly different, going from purple and pink to multi-colored and gold.

Instead of stockings, we have a "Find the Baby Jesus" treasure hunt. The kids have to look up bible verses to solve clues to find their loot and the Jesus for our creche.

[CatherineM]

We finally ended up with 20 for the party. We had about 10 people call that it was just too cold to get out. -25 degrees will do that. I almost ran out of turkey (after cooking two pretty big birds), so it's just as well. The ones who came all had hollow legs. The last lady of the night was a stranger. One of the widows at church always brings strays with her. One year she brought an entire family. This year she brought a young woman who has been in the country only days. She's a refugee from Africa who lost her entire family in a genocide. She stayed until it was time to go to midnight mass, and came with us. When I complain about the cleaning, or all the cooking, I remind myself why we do this.