Holiday Traditions

[daBaroness]

I wholeheartedly agree with Veldrina that the Christmas holiday has become a virtual fustercluck of commercialism. It's also become yet another target of political correctness - G-d forbid we celebrate it as a religious holiday.

But despite everything - even my own humbugness - I still love the season for some of the simpler reasons. I love the traditions of my family and repeating them each year always brings me fond memories of my childhood and Christmases past.

So - what is it about the Christmas holidays you love ... or even miss? What little rituals or family traditions or activities centered around the holidays do you continue to practice or long to celebrate again?

For me - it's several things. It's a time for family to gather from near and far and to celebrate just being together. It's preparing a wonderful meal to share with family - and often friends who become like family.

It's also baking. I'm insane with the flour and the sugar at Christmastime. My great-grandmother baked, my grandmothers baked, my mother baked (while my brother and Idecorated), and I've taken up the mitt and spoon and bake probably 100 dozen cookies to share with friends, coworkers and family. It's almost a zen experience for me - lining up the ingredients for the next batch while another is in the oven. There have been years I haven't baked and while I didn't miss the hassle of it - I greatly missed the joy of it!

Christmas is also about music for me. I sang in church and school choirs from the age of eight. I love to sing carols - especially in harmonies I learned years ago. I really love holiday choral anthems - especially the big, grandeous ones accompanied by trumpets, harp and pipe organ with the stops opened up! I love the Peace, Peace counter melody version of Silent Night probably best of all - OK, except for maybe the Hallelujah Chorus!

It's definitely not about material gifts for me, although I do like to surprise my children and occasionally my parents. But it's definitely about gifts of sharing, giving and lots of love.

More than anything for me - in spiritual terms Christmas is a time (in metaphysics) to focus on spiritual rebirth. It's a time for me to symbolically cast off the old and start over - all new and renewed. When I take time to focus on that rebirth - I really do feel refreshed and ready for a new year - a new beginning ... new opportunities.

So now - what DO you like about the holidays?

[Lady Sarah]

BWAHAHAHAAA!!! Funny you should bring this up. I just posted a rant in my LJ about my biggest peeve of the Christmas holiday (and most other holidays).

What do I like most about the holidays? I don't specifically mention Christmas as Thanksgiving is glossed over. I like the togetherness and the family-time. I don't do a lot of charity work at Christmas because it seems everyone does it at Christmas and it's become a benchmark of how good of a person you are. I enjoy getting my one angel off of the Salvation Army angel tree and buying for her. (Always get a little baby girl!)

There's no spiritual aspect to Christmas for me. I mean, I'll go to Christmas Eve services if my mother wants to go, but only because she wants to go and I prefer to know that someone is with her at midnight on the streets. We have a Nativity for display, but it's hit or miss as to whether or not it's actually put out year after year. The closest to spiritual I can come is the recognition and small inner celebration at the Winter Solstice.

To me, Christmas isn't about the presents or the decorations. To me, it's about family. We've celebrated Christmas a week later, earlier, in January. Christmas isn't one day and we weren't raised to believe it to be one day.

I miss baking cookies. We had to stop when my mother went regimental about dad's diabetes. (Gawd, for years everything in the house had to be sugar-free and low carb... sucked to be me). But, we'll be baking cookies this weekend when my brother and his family come up. We routinely have 2 "Christmas" events each year - one for ourselves and one when he and his family get over to the house.

As for Traditions? There is *always* a dove at the top of the tree. no matter the decoration, one is always there. There is always Lebkuchen in the house, as is there is always Stohlen for breakfast Christmas morning. Spaghetti is served for Christmas eve and the youngest always hands out the presents. If the need is there, we invite servicemen or women to have dinner with us if they are unable to get home for the holidays.

[Mairi the Herbwench]

Frankly, nothing. Except as a teacher, I get close to a month off. Unpaid.

[Jules]

For years.. we did the whole big Christmas with the kids... baking cookies, going to mass, and making sure we made the rounds to the family during the month of december.
Then I woke up. I realized that being with family (our own family) was what mattered, and that packing our kids up, bundling them in layers and traveling just plan sucked... for both them and us. When we were kids... my folks let us pick what was for Christmas Dinner, then that night we would go to see a movie. So my Rogue and I adopted those traditions... as well we the Pickle ornament.
This year... we are finding more of our attention being on the three wonderful kids we have and being thankful that we have them. Not just because of the holidays, but because of the curves life throws its self.

[Emrld]

I do miss some of the traditions from when I was a child . . .we used to go visit my Grandparents (they were in the same town)
I never could figure out how the gifts got in the house - Maternal side where we stayed didn't have a fireplace.
(My parents house now doesn't have a fireplace and I have gotten Mom what is called a Santa key . . .when held by Santa and only Santa it will open any lock - hey I have nephews and a niece to keep the magic alive for)

We have Mom's Coffee Cake fresh out of the oven . . . .YUMMMMMMO only time of the year we have.

The newest tradtion . . .We have a Texas Meal - Steak on the Grill , Baked or Mashed Potatoes, This Brocoli salad thing . . .and ususally Pumpkin Pie and some other Pie for my Sis and her hubby. (This one started the first year my Sister was married and wasn't with us on Christmas Day itself, Dad couldn't let go of the family being together on Dec 25 . . .I didn't want Mom putting together a huge meal for just the three of us. . .So Dad wanted family - Dad is the grill master - I asked for Steak and tradition was born.

[Lilaney]

Ours is all about making it as simple as possible.
The one tradition I enjoy immensly, was setting out
the treats for Santa.
The Reindeer get celery and Santa gets enough pipe tobacco for
one pipe, he hasn't got all night.
And as reward, he leaves his pipe behind!
The rest of the day smells like cinnamon and nutmeg, sounds like Manheim Steamroller and feels like a warm towel after a nice shower.
Mele Kilikimaka!

[Selena]

I miss my paternal grandmother.... getting sauced while making xmas dinner. (A little habit I'm now fond of myself!)

Don't really "do" christmas anymore. Small family, divorced parents. If anything, it's a small gathering with one of them, or neither of them. Last year was spent with friends for their Yule celebrations.

[Peaches O Malley]

If the need is there, we invite servicemen or women to have dinner with us if they are unable to get home for the holidays.

Coming from a military family...thank you just for that. ::hug::::lovemai:

[Torra]

Ok, my holiday traditions start the week before Christmas Eve. I wrap presents while watching the animated version of The Grinch. About 3 days before Christmas, I bake molasses cookies. Then, Christmas Eve I go to my friend's family's party - 100 people, and we all bring something to donate to Toys for Tots.

Christmas Day means we go to my aunt's house, or they come to ours (alternate years) and open presents, and put out the bird tree. The bird tree is a little fake tree covered with "bird cookies." Those are little wooden hearts and stars covered in honey and birdseed, frozen so the seed doesn't fall off. Then, later that day, I make candied orange peels from the oranges we get in our stockings. We spend the rest of the day playing games like Snapdragon, and just talking.

[Gemdrite]

Well, I used to like our family traditions, but mom decided to screw them all up. We used to be with my dad's side of the family on Christmas eve, Christmas morning was for our family and Santa, and Christmas afternoon was mom's family. After my dad's parents died, mom decided she didn't want to go to dad's side celebration on Christmas eve. So we are supposed to go to church that night and then open family presents, and then santa in the morning and mom's side in the afternoon.

We kids hate it. We liked the tradition that existed, and now we don't get to see half of our family at Christmas time, at a time when family should be together. I don't get to see my dad's side of the family often because everyone lives all over the country, and because of mom's selfishness, now we don't even get Christmas. This year, seeing as I finally have my own car, I might go to church, or I might go see my dad's side while the rest of my family goes to church. Might p*ss mom off, but ya know what? What is a holiday without a big family fight? That's another tradition in my family.

I do enjoy seeing my littlest brother's face Christmas morning, and eating monkey bread for breakfast. It's probably my favorite part of Christmas.

[lady Amalthea]

for my family, Christmas Eve is spent with my dad's side of the family. Talk about a strange family, but I love'em. We have a big dinner and then do a chinese auction, usually with gag gifts. Then my dad, step-mother, brother and me go downstairs to do our christmas presents exchange.
Christmas morning is for my mom, brother and me. Brunch at my step-fathers side of the family (which is even more important now that he has passed on), then dinner with my mom's family.
But to add more running around my mom's birthday is on the 19th, my best friends is the 20th, and my brothers is on the 26th. It is a hectic week but always a fun one.
And my favorite tradition is watching all the classic animated christmas specials like rudolph, year without a santa claus, and all of those fun childhood comforts.
Yule is my time, I always do a little meditation and ritual. My breather and renewal.

[Buxom Wench]

The family has very few traditions.

I, myself, on the other hand have 1.
Every year, I choose a person or family I know and I play the part of a secret Santa. I put together a package of whatever I have found for them throughout the year and deliver it without them knowing who its from. Some have figured it out, others are still guessing.

It's fun and I like doing it.

[Mistress Lisette]

Tamales! When I was a kid, we'd go to my maternal grandma's house where the women would make tamales and the men would get schnockered. Well, the women would get schnockered, too, while making the tamales. Then we'd go to midnight mass schnockered, come home, eat tamales, then open presents.

Now as a grownup, we don't do the mass thing anymore, but we still do the tamales. I don't make them from scratch anymore, but instead get them raw from a small, family-owned tamale factory in San Antonio and then cook them. Mm-mmM! I love the smell of cooking tamales. So, while the tamales are cooking, the husband and I drink our Bailey's and hang with the kiddo. From work, hubby and I do our Salvation Army angels, where I get a couple "Forgotten Angels" and he gets a couple "Christmas Angels." Too much stuff happening this year to do it, but we're planning on inviting a serviceman/woman for Christmas dinner beginning next year. We used to do that when I was growing up. I liked it.

[sslider66]

It seems I've been so busy lately, I haven't gotten to enjoy any of the usual holiday stuff. We're hoping to put the tree up tonight. I should say the kids are hoping we'll put the tree up tonight. ;-) I have a Christmas CD I always play while we decorate the tree called "Let Heaven and Nature Swing!" It's traditional Christmas music set to a swing beat and it always makes me smile!

I usually do a lot of baking at Christmas, but haven't been able to this year. I plan on making sausage balls and armadillo eggs for Christmas morning. We may do some plain sugar cookies for the kids to decorate on Christmas Eve at my mom's house.

Other than that, I'm looking forward to having a few days off after Christmas. I always take the week after Christmas off so I can be home with the kids while they are out of school. Plus I have time to spend with my sister while she is in town.

[sslider66]

Tamales!

My (former) sister-in-laws family always made tamales. I sure do miss them! I wish I could find someone local that made fresh tamales. The frozen ones just don't seem as good.

[DoñaNina]

Tamales! When I was a kid, we'd go to my maternal grandma's house where the women would make tamales and the men would get schnockered. Well, the women would get schnockered, too, while making the tamales. Then we'd go to midnight mass schnockered, come home, eat tamales, then open presents.


GHAH!! How dare you make me hungry?! Now I gotta ask my mom to make tamales!!

[Emrld]

ohhhh . . . .tamales, I forgot about that part . . . ..
My Mom was a teacher while I was growing up. A very important lesson I learned from her - know the janitors name/ what he or she would like to be called. . . always say hello and show them respect.
Well the "head" janitor where she taught's female family memebers would make tamales at the holidays and sell them to raise the money to buy the gifts for all the kids. They were the best tamales I ever had - we would buy and freeze a bunch of them.
I miss being able to buy their tamales. . . .

[kyrana]

For Christmas, when we are together, we have the following traditions:
1 - Homemade lasagna on Christmas eve, followed by the reading of the appropriate Bible story (KJV) and Twas the Night Before Christmas by my dad (who is agnostic). Following this, we get to open one present, then off to bed.
2 - Christmas morning opening of gifts, which dad passes out one at a time, in a round-robin format. Followed by a hearty breakfast of belgian waffles smothered in sin (real maple syrup, strawberries, fresh whipped cream, powdered sugar). Midday Christmas dinner is filet mignon with twice baked potatoes and other yummies.
We were a military family, so it was very rare that we would be with extended family for any holidays (other than the fourth of July, which usually fell during summer vacation). I guess this saved us from the whole epic oddessy of trying to visit everyone's realitives for the holiday ... it made Christmas about our family being together (and anyone else was welcome to join in .. dad always buys an entire filet and carves it himself).
For Thanksgiving, when my dad was an Active Duty Army officer, we had 2 options: if we were living on a "troop base" we got dressed up and went to the mess hall - not to eat usually, but so dad could greet the soldiers for a while (soldiers really seemed to enjoy borrowing us kids as adopted brothers/sisters for a little while - we usually gorged on pie they gave us while dad was talking to people). Dad thought this was really important to do for the soldiers who couldn't be with their own families for the holidays. A lot of times, it was the first time they had been away ... If we weren't stationed at a troop base, dad usually had at least a couple of single soldiers who worked with him that got invited for dinner with the trimmings at our house. He didn't consider this fraternization - it was just a friendly thing to do for a family holiday. This got really interesting when we lived in Europe and the people he invited weren't American .. everyone who ever attended dinner at my parents' seemed really happy and greatful, even if us kids were rotten and obnoxious.

[willow of the wooded fortress]

This year my sisters and I have decided we will volunteer at a soup kitchen. We don't give presents anymore with the exception of my 14 yr. old son. I think we all feel a great need to reconnect with the big picture, with our neighbors......

I have been baking cookies all weekend, as a means of aroma therapy to get me in the holiday mood!

[surlywench]

I like the trees, the baked goods, the candle and firelight, the snow, and that you can drink wine thats been heated up :O)

otherwise, not much else.

[Bean]

When I was a kid we always went to my Aunt's house for Christmas Eve with the whole extended family. Then we would go caroling, watch the movie "Yours, Mine and Ours" (the original one with Lucille Ball). Christmas morning we could get into our stockings that were always left at the foot of our beds. We couldn't go downstairs until we heard our parents get up. Then it was presents and home made cinnamon rolls................

I remember one year I was about 14 or 15 and my mother had been very, very sick and had just come home from the hospital. My married brothers and sisters packed up all their kids and gifts and came home to NY. My nieces (ages 4 and 2) were upstairs in bed and my former brother-in-law had a bunch of sleigh bells. He went outside under their bedroom window and shook the bells and did the "ho ho ho" like Santa (and he really did have that deep belly laugh like Santa). You should have seen them!!!!

Now it's work, work, work, and Christmas day is a day to sleep in and rest. Kinda takes the air out of it...........................

[DoñaNina]

My grandma used to send us a package. It had turron, chocolate, olives, and cookies. These were special imported things you can only get in Spain, and since she lived there it was no big deal to her, but whenever they came it was a huge deal. My grandma died a few years ago, so no more of her big packages. My uncle tries to send us stuff, but it isn't the same. He always forgets the olives.

[Buxom Wench]

Every year, I choose a person or family I know and I play the part of a secret Santa. I put together a package of whatever I have found for them throughout the year and deliver it without them knowing who its from. Some have figured it out, others are still guessing.

It's fun and I like doing it.

Well, the package has been sent! :wink:

[Selena]

He always forgets the olives.

Mmmmm--- real Spanish olives. Mmmmmm---


btw, been trying to respond to this thread all friggin' day... for some
reason, I kept getting locked up on this thread only! Grrrr!

[Torra]

After hearing about how people invite servicemen to their homes, I'm curious as to how it works. I'm not in a military family, nor do I have ties to the military - I just think it's a great thing to do. So, how would one go about inviting servicepeople?

[Lady Sarah]

After hearing about how people invite servicemen to their homes, I'm curious as to how it works. I'm not in a military family, nor do I have ties to the military - I just think it's a great thing to do. So, how would one go about inviting servicepeople?

well, I know that when Dad was in recruiting, he'd ask the guys around the station what their plans were for the holidays and if someone said they were going it alone, they got an immediate invitation. When my parents were in Turkey, He didn't put the word out, but a Navy ship docked either the day before or the day of Christmas and neither parents felt right about leaving the men on board for dinner, so they invited some home.

This past Thanksgiving, with my mom working at the USO, an email went out that a group of soldiers had missed their manifest and would be hotel bound until the next manifest the day after thanksgiving, so we put out the invitation to come over. The hotel they were at went all out for them and they opted to stay there (who can blame them?! LOL).

Torra, I'd start with the USO if there is one in your area. If not, I'd find a recruiting office. A lot of people don't realize that recruiting duty is just like being stationed at a base or overseas - the men and women inside aren't necessarily from that area and they might well be unable to head home. I'm sure things have changed quite a lot since Dad was in, so they all might be able to head home... but maybe they'd appreciate a few packed lunches or a 'picnic' of sorts if they have to work Christmas Eve.

[DoñaNina]

Mmmmm--- real Spanish olives. Mmmmmm---


Nothing like them in the world, is there?

[Kathryn Blakeley]

I don't celebrate Christmas but I do like seeing all the houses all decorated and stuff. It's pretty!

But I do celebrate Chanukkah and you did say holiday, so I'm assuming it's not just x-mas traditions. :-D

I love going over to my grandma's house every year for the first or second night and helping her make latkes. Been doing it since I was about 8, so I think I can fry a mean latke. :wink: When my grandpa was alive, he'd cook the best brisket, mom would bring bubbie's spinach thingy (only eaten on holidays. :-( No fair), and us kids would help put out applesause and sour cream for the latkes. Not much has changed in the past years since grandpa died. We still have brisket - though my mom cooks it now - and I usually help mom with the spinach and go over to grandma's a few hours early to help her make the latkes.

We have 3 menorahs going at once. It's all because when we were younger, my sisters and I used to fight over who got to say the blessing and light the candles so we brought out 2 more menorahs and thus each triplet got their own menorah. :-D

I love playing dreidel with my dad. Because I always win. He thinks I've tinkered with it but I'm pretty sure it's just luck. ;-) He tends to forget that gelt is chocolate.

It's just so nice to be together for a holiday where you don't have to go to services.

[Buxom Wench]

I love going over to my grandma's house every year for the first or second night and helping her make latkes......


mmmmm...thanks for the reminder of Latkes.

I have 15 pounds of potatoes and I think, since Hannukah starts tomorrow night, I'm going to make some, in memory of my Grambe who taught me to make them, and my 2 ate Grandpa's that both loved to eat them.

In this house, I can't make them fast enough when the "kids" come to visit.
::wonders if 15 pounds of potatos is going to be enough::

[daBaroness]

Hey Bux - I bought ingredients to make your ricotta cheese cookies - I'll let you know how they turn out.

[Buxom Wench]

Hey Bux - I bought ingredients to make your ricotta cheese cookies - I'll let you know how they turn out.

Just make sure to beat the butter flavor crisco and sugar for the full 5 minutes. OH, and to make sure all the 'wet' ingredients from the bottom of the bowl get mixed in well, otherwise the cookies may fall flat.

[Bean]

Bux, I made 2 batches of cookies last night and thought of you!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Buxom Wench]

Bux, I made 2 batches of cookies last night and thought of you!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks Luv. ::hug::