COINTEST: Traditions Cointest

[+Wandering Vikings]

Holmbiorn and I are busy preparing for the holidays, and since we are relative newlyweds (a year and a half!), we are still working on combining our respective childhood traditions into one set that we will continue as our own family!

 

So this cointest is looking for your best family traditions- they don't have to be Christmas or other Winter holiday related, it can be a tradition for anything. (Birthdays, weddings, school, holiday, etc.) We want you to share your favorite, most unique or most memorable family tradition!

 

The cointest will run until December 20th, with the winners being announced no later than December 26th (or as soon as we can agree on a winner!) One entry per day please...

 

First prize will be a set of Celtic coins in Silver- one Star, one Moon and one Sun

Second prize will be a Celtic Moon Black Nickel AE

Third prize will be a gold Celtic Sun.

 

Have fun, good luck and we can't wait to read your ideas!

[SCP-173]

One of my most fondest memories of a Christmas tradition is one that we don't do anymore unfortunately. When I was younger and my mother was a teacher she, all the kids from her class (the ones who wanted to, it was voluntary) and myself would go to the nursing home my Great Grandmother was in. We would all sing carols for her in her room, and then do the same for other residents. We did this for a few years until my Great Grandmother passed away, and a couple after that, but as time passed there were fewer volunteers and the tradition became just a heartwarming holiday memory.

 

I'm not used to being so gushy about these things, but tis the season.

[+RedsknU2]

Not sure if this will qualify as a "tradition" - but here it goes. As a child I can always remember that Christmas did not start in my house until Santa arrived in the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade. At that point, we could put up the tree, hang the stockings, and grab the Sears catalog to start wishing for gifts. My brother and I would wait with great anticipation for the arrival of Santa and usually had decorations on "standby" ready to go at the conclusion of the parade! I still hold to this tradition today, Christmas cannot start - until Santa arrives in the Macy's Parade!

 

Ironically - everything comes down the day after News Years -the "end" of the holiday season in my family. Another tradition I hold true to.

[ELTADA]

One of the traditions I would like to share involves a close-knit circle of friends that I have. There are nine girls that took engineering in university together and we vowed to stay in touch after we left school. Knowing that this is difficult, we created a "Club" that had one simple rule...it was mandatory that wherever you are in the world, we have to ALL get together once per year to catch up.

 

Well, little did we know that we were all type "A" personalities and the once per year visit quickly became once per month. A bunch of us are married and have children and we get together for all types of different things. Halloween, celebrations (birthday, getting a PhD, baby showers, etc.), even geocaching! We even rented a gigantic cottage on a private lake so all 20 of us could celebrate our 20th anniversary of being friends for a WHOLE WEEK! It was great!

 

The last 5-6 years, all of us (or as many as can) get together for New Year's Eve -- we had too much trouble having a get-together around Christmas because everyone was busy with their respective families. So we created the tradition of being together on New Year's. We have different activities planned over 2-3 days (games for the kids, geocaching, crafts, gift exchanges, oh and LOTS of eating...always seemingly revolving around chocolate!).

 

We have our own website and post our planning spreadsheets there so we can all sign up to make meals, bring needed items, volunteer for clean up duty, and reserve bed space (it's hard to sleep 20 people so if you don't sign up fast you get the floor!).

 

The website also serves as our forum where we post messages about our lives, coordinate visits (you should have seen the number of posts flying around for our week's vacation together!!!) or work on special projects (we created a half hour DVD to music with pictures and videos over ten years, we've sewn a quilt, created many a handmade baby gift, donated money & gifts to charity, etc.).

 

We have done SO much together that these girls and their families are a part of MY family and I don't know what I would do without them! I could go on and on about the things we do but I think you get the idea.

 

Now off to fill in a planning spreadsheet for THIS year's get-together...!

[+dardevle]

Lately our family tradition is to watch the "Yule Log" fire place on T.V. It is even funner if you have been drinkin' a little. We just have a good time with it. Nothing big, but it is fun!

[+GATOULIS]

Thank you for the cointest!!! Oh!!! family traditions!!!!

 

Since Christmas are coming, I will start from there!

 

Christmas tree..... well as a tradition in our family we have that the tree lights and the light star on the top of the tree, must be put by my father! My mother used to put the balls the bells etc on the tree and my sister was helping her! Later, she was only puting the first ball (it was an old one from the 1960's or even older, but unfortunatelly it broke last year! ), and my sisiter was puting the rest things on the tree! Now that my sister is married (she was married on 26th of October of this year!), things will be reversed! My sister will put something just for the radition and my mother will follow!

 

Every year we are buying something new for the tree!!! That is a tradition!!!!

 

Now.... what I am doing??? I am the manger maker!!! I use real stones, real grass (actually I am using the tiny green thing that looks like grass and is growing on trees or in places with moisture), sand, water.... I am using small figures of the Christ, the virgin Mary, Joseph....animals...

 

I am not making only one cave but many (the others have animals inside), many lights so you can see everything..

 

I have made some other things like a house, a wind mill, a well with the old type of taking water out (how they used to do it at the times of the Christ!), a bridge, a threshing floor with a donkey.... I am also making a lake a waterfall....

 

the lake has water but the waterfall and the river is not with real water but with aluminium foil! I still need a way or a small machine to make all these work....

 

I have many animals like goats, sheeps, donkeys, cows, dogs, pigs, ducks, chickens, horses.....

I evne have a small ruin of an older house, and a fire with a special lamp!

 

Every year the manger is different, and every year I make something new!! For this year I will make (if I find time - because of my job), a wagon with a donkey.... we will see!

 

Hey I even have tiny earthmade water jugs!!!!

 

Behing the tree, I am putting a courtin of blue star lights so it looks like a sky!!!

 

To make this manger is quite difficult, tiring and take a lot of hours! I am trying to keep the "grass" alive but I can not do that for a long time, so the manger is made only a few days before Christmass! Many friends are coming to see my manger and many are just asking why I am doing all that, I am spending all that time just for some days, but all take the same answer!!! My grand father was doing that and I am just doing it for tradition and because I love it!!!!!

[+Terrier Team]

Every year we go to my grandparents house on Christmas Eve. It's the biggest holiday get tegother of the year. everyone tries to make it.

[+Rockin Roddy]

Lately, it seems as if my tradition is to just not do much...BAH HUMBUG! lol THANKS for the cointest my friends!

[ATMouse]

Turn all the lights off in the house except the Christmas tree and put all my scratchy Christmas records on the phonograph. Lovely!

[+ECplus3]

We always decorate the Christmas tree with the Charlie Brown Christmas album playing in the background. From the day the tree goes up 'til Boxing Day it's nothing but Christmas music in the house.

 

We haven't established a lot of traditions in our young family yet, but one that seems to be forming is that the kids (and my wife and I) only open the little gifts in our stockings when we get up. Then we have breakfast and wait for Grandma (my Mom) to arrive before we open the rest of the presents. My wife isn't all that fond of this tradition... if she had her way, she'd have us all up and the presents opened before dawn.

 

She has asked me to diplomatically ask my mother to try and arrive a little earlier this year!

 

Although Christmas day is a big feast day, Boxing Day is even bigger. Since I was little, my parents always threw a party for the neighbourhood on Boxing Day, with sweets and 'moose milk' (warmed eggnog mixed with rum and spices) for anyone who dropped in. Now my mother just invites any family who are in the city to drop in for a second turkey dinner -- plus ham, tourtiere, seafood chowder, and lots and lots of sweets and pies! It is usually a more lavish feast than our Christmas dinner! And of course, there is still plenty of moose milk!

[+fox-and-the-hound]

We don't have a lot of concrete traditions except one. We spend all year looking for next year's new ornament for the tree. Each year we make a serious effort to pick one new ornament to be a momento of what happened that year. This year's journey took us to the Corning Museum of Glass where we took a workshop to make our own ornament! As long as it doesn't break it will hold a breath and a wish from that moment for the rest of our lives and hang on our tree every year to remind us.

 

The only other traditions in our families are more gifts for rites of passage I think. First fishing pole, first pocket knife, first bb gun, etc. We make a big deal out of these things and I remember growing up that with each gift I felt more connected to my family in a way that was profound for me. Not from the gift itself, but because my older family members would make a point to ask me about the experiences involved (fishing trips after my first pole, etc.) on a regular basis. It was a way of connecting through activities together. I think caching will be that way, too. First caches and responsibilities of maintenance are something I'm looking forward to. I have some excellent local caching families providing some great examples to follow

[+burgessfour]

A couple of days before Christmas we all go for a drive and look at all the beautiful Christmas lights. We bring along some eggnog (nonalcoholic, of course) and listen to Christmas carols while we're out. We've been doing it for several years now and we all really enjoy it.

[+DJ.J.ROCK]

OH,,MY!! WHAT A GREAT PRIZE!!! IVE BEEN LOOKING FOR SOME OF THO SUNS AND STARS!!AND REALLY LIKE THE MOON AE.. THANKS FOR THE CHANCE TO WIN SOME,,IM GONNA HAVE TO THINK HARD ON THIS ONE,,I HAVE SUCH A BAD FAMILY THE TRADITIONS NEVER END!! SO I WILL THINK OF A GOOD ONE AND COME BACK,,AND ILL ENYJOY THE STORYS ALONG THE WAY

[+Clarkbowman]

We have a Christmas family tradition were we set up a manger scene with a empty manger, From December first until Christmas eve, every one in the family works on doing good deeds with out telling any one else. For each good deed, they get to place a piece of straw in the manger for Christ to come on Christmas day. The more good deeds, the softer his bed.

 

Merry Christmas to all.

and thanks for the cointest.

[+NeverSummer]

My family has a sweet tooth. Not sure how it all came to be, but we all ended up with it. As far back as I can remember we would go out for ice cream for birthdays. Often it would include more than just the immediate family, with friends and rarely an out-of-town family member. We would all meet at Lund's grocery for hand-dipped cones of our choosing.

 

The front of the building had a rocky facade, so when I was old enough I would try and climb it with my brothers. One brother actually made it near to the top before our mother screamed bloody murder for him to come down from the 30+ foot high wall.

 

We would wander the aisles looking at random stuff, but I remember how special it was to see a live lobster tank...in Minnesota! We HAD to see them every time, and it was like a trip to the zoo. Already an accomplished lobster-eating youth, I would wish for a trip to Acadia for another taste of fresh-from-the-pot lobster on newspaper covered picnic tables. My sister's birthday falls on December 21, so it was a funny thing to get ice cream in the bitter cold of a Minnesota winter. But we would do it anyway.

 

...I always went for butter brickle or bubble gum.

 

I've heard that the tradition started when my parents were kids, and it was a real treat to go out and spend hard-earned wages on fresh dipped ice cream for a birthday. I didn't really realize how special the tradition was until Lund's was out of business, and we couldn't find a suitable replacement venue. It has become a pretty emotional memory, as the whole family is now scattered across the globe. Sister in the UK, brothers on the east coast, parents in North Carolina, extended family all over the US, and so on...it has been a LONG time since we have been together for an ice cream birthday trip.

 

All of that may come to an end, as I have a last-minute visit to North Carolina for the Christmas holiday. I actually arrive a day before my sister's birthday, and I will lobby hard for a trip out to get ice cream. We haven't been together as a big whole family for Christmas in many, many years, so this should be VERY special. We aren't exchanging gifts this year; we converge on the Durham, NC landscape for one reason--to be together for the holidays. It's been so, SO long, and we will have some extended family in town as well.

 

We've really got something to look forward to this year, and it will be great to be there together, finally, again. I hope that we can find a way to make reunions like this the tradition. It would really mean a lot this year if it would...

 

Happy Holidays, everyone. Hug your family!

[+NeverSummer]

A couple of days before Christmas we all go for a drive and look at all the beautiful Christmas lights. We bring along some eggnog (nonalcoholic, of course) and listen to Christmas carols while we're out. We've been doing it for several years now and we all really enjoy it.

I'm glad you drive safe, guys!

[+PengoFamily]

We have a few traditions that we have started for Christmas. Some seem like ordinary everday stuff but it's memories like those that I hope that my daughter grows up remembering and cherishing. I know I cherish all the family time that we spend together.

 

First:

We put up the Christmas tree about the second week of November. We have been doing this for the past 3 years. It's early I know but my daughter reasons that of there are Christmas decorations in the stores we should have ours up at home too. How can you argue with logic like that? We decorate the tree together..although I do admit to moving decorations around after when Beky is in bed because that all end up towards the bottom of the tree (her height). LOL

 

Second:

This is a new tradition for me. I started teaching Sunday School at my church this year. I teach preschoolers up until 7 years of age. This year I am helping with the annual Christmas play about the birth of Jesus. Beky is going to be the part of an angel. This is something that I will look forward to every year. The kids are funny to work with and sometimes....well... challenging as well. Fingers crossed.

 

Third:

Every year I always watch 2 movies around the holidays. They are 'It's a Wonderful Life" and 'The Sound of Music'. I have been doing that for the past 11 years. I really don't have a great explanation as to why but I love those movies. Of course I cannot resist singing along to the The Sound of Music. I dare any of you to watch the movie and not sing one note. It's so much fun!

 

Fourth:

New Year's. We don't go out on New Year's Eve but chose to stay home as a family and celebrate. Hard to find a babysitter too. But every year we spend all day and night cooking hors d'oeuvres and just pig out all day. We'll have shrimp, sausage rolls, spring rolls, meatballs, whatever finger food type stuff we find. It's fun to come up with the menu from year to year. Last year we had a cranberry brie in a puff pastry and that was just divine!!! Wonder what we can do to top that this year.

[princeshoko]

Once a Year for the past decade our family tradition for May 2nd (My birthday) has been to travel down to our Cherokee tribes land and participate in a weekend long native ritual where many things go on including my preforming by blowing and swallowing fire , a sweat lodge, and ending with a lovely FireWalk......

 

I have many photos if your interested.

 

one post per day, boy will everyone learn alot about each other.

[JohnMac56]

For the last five years my tradition for the christmas holiday (and most other holidays) is to be at work, keeping things running. Since our business is open 365 days a year this means that I have to give up some time with my family and being the manager, it is up to me to make sure that my employees are happy, productive workers. This usually means that I am the one who choses to work on the holidays so that my employees can have the day off.

 

One of our families tradition is very similar to the burgessfour clan. On christmas eve we pile everyone into the SUV and head out to check out the christmas light displays that people put up on their homes. Instead of eggnog, we bring hot chocolate and a couple of christmas music CD's to play. Last year was our first christms light outing with our grandson, but he was too young to remember any of it. This year ought to be interesting as he is now 3yrs old and will hopefully remember it. It is always so much fun to see the faces of the youngest when they see all those lights for the first time...

[+Rockin Roddy]

 

Second:

This is a new tradition for me. I started teaching Sunday School at my church this year. I teach preschoolers up until 7 years of age. This year I am helping with the annual Christmas play about the birth of Jesus. Beky is going to be the part of an angel. This is something that I will look forward to every year. The kids are funny to work with and sometimes....well... challenging as well. Fingers crossed.

 

 

Reminds me of first grade! Our teacher hosted the play "T'was The Night Before Christmas", she picked me to be Santa (I think mainly because I was a horrid child lol, adhd wasn't named back then, but I undoubtedly would have been the poster child), and we practiced for a few weeks before time to put the play on. Even though we practiced hard, I couldn't do one part...whistle. No matter how much I tried, it wouldn't happen, so the teacher finally gave me a whistle to use! I remember that play very well, I remember coming to the part of whisling and found I had forgotten my whistle lol. The teacher to the rescue as she finally whistled for me!

 

Today, I can whistle so loud it hurts everyone's ears! I was almost kicked out of an amusement park for my whistling and when I went to concerts or hockey games, people complained on deaf ears!

[+usyoopers]

A tradition we started when our kids became adults....mimosa's Christmas morning while we open presents.

[+forthferalz]

Congratulations guys on coin and setting up your first xmas together!

 

Where do 'traditions' come from? I guess we are starting our own which is welcome the new baby and new parent with a VERY noisy toy - one the child will drive it's mum and dad nuts with while merrily enjoying itself. My husband gifted his sister's little girl a small tin drum. She tried giving same model years later to our eldest in the hopes of passing on the joy of music - who was tougher kid and broke it first go. He failed to learn any instrument well but my niece is a wonderful pianist so who knows? .... but the second child's drum survived long enough for me to nearly pass it on to my sister for her first - 'cept the mailman killed it

 

I was reminded when I saw these - which are apparently selling out for big kids

http://www.latestbuy.com.au/electro_rhythm...CFQ0xawodxkzHjg

electro drumsticks

 

Guess what my brother is getting when his first arrives!

Edited December 9, 2008 by forthferalz

[+Jan and the Percey Boys]

We have a very simple tradition we eat christmas dinner on Christmas eve so we do not have to cook and mess on christmas day when the boys ant to play with their toys. We adopted this when we came back from working with street kods in Brazil as it was a tradition there so we could do their dinner on christmas day

 

Bob

[paganfrog]

a tradition i remember when i was a child was on the 12 days before xmas, my mother would each day hide one of my frogs somewhere in the family room, and i would have to hunt for it. i used to look forwards to this little game of hunt the frog, as she always hid a little packet of candy or chocolate with it.

 

since adulthood i have become a bit of a scrooge charactor and have refused to enjoy myself and get all the silly stuff like tree and decorations and the rest of the festivities done. so i havent gained any traditions of my/our family -apart from me being a grumpy old woman.

 

but this year is my sons second xmas that he has been aware off, and it will be the first xmas that will remain in his memory. so today we went out to get our tree, and as the xmas decorations that we did have were a bit on the old side (my hubbys stuff) we decided to start collectiong nice decorations to use each year.

 

my son already has some special tree decorations that will be part of our new traditions. he has a 1st christmas glass ball, a nice wooden star hanging within a star, and a little jingle bell snowman with his name on it.

with those and the new items we bought today we hope to make our own little family tradition. we will allow my son to place his special decorations on the tree himself.

[+rbsb178]

When I was growing up the day after Thanksgiving (before it was called Black Friday) we would go Christmas shopping and Dad would stay home to do the lights and tree. It never failed that we would come home to the faint smell of electrical smoke, at least one fuse blown, and various burn marks on the carpet from Dad testing the lights. Unfortunately (maybe not) I have not been able to recreate this tradition since Dad passed! Too bad they don't have an air freshener or candle in burnt wiring!

[57chevy]

A tradition I enjoy is getting all my neices and nephews hopped up on sugar and caffeine just before they have to go home. Woot!

[+Rockin Roddy]

When we were kids, we'd get to decorate the house with our meager decorations, the tree was always great fun (the icicles were all over the house in no time). Of all the decorations though, our favorites were the calendars we each had (and still do somewhere I suppose).

 

Each of us three boys had our own month of December window calendar (for lack of better name I guess), which had all the days of December hidden somewhere on it. Each night, we'd open that day's "window" to reveal that day's surprise. Even though we could almost remember each "surprise" by the time we were older, we all still looked forward to opening the windows and looking at the surprises hidden beneath!

[+Leaky Spoon]

We have several traditions that we all love...

 

1. Birthdays: Every night before bed on the night before our kids' birthday, I have to have the "last XX year kiss." And first thing in the morning, it's the "first XX year kiss." My mom did that when I was young and I've carried it through. My kids are all adults (and while I'm fairly sure I don't always get the last or first kiss) we at least talk to each other on the phone late at night and early the next day and blow kisses ... I didn't know how much this meant until the first child moved away and waited until it was nearly his birthday for my call before he called me!

 

2. Every Christmas Eve the kids always got to open one present. It was always new pajamas for the pictures in the morning, but it was some years before they caught on. (We did this when I was a kid, too.) Again, they're all grown up and when they come for Christmas Eve, they all want to open their one present. One year, I didn't do pajamas, since I though they were too old. They ended up being so bummed out that we've continued it ever since. My daughter lives in Orlando now, but she's getting them this year, too!

 

3. Every year after decorating the Christmas Tree, we turn out all the lights and oohh and aww at the tree. Of course, it's the most beautiful tree EVER. We listen to carols, drink eggnog and eat pie

 

There's more ... but I'm sure you're all tired of reading them by now!!

[+gardengorilla]

Being newlyweds, you two might appreciate this recipe:

 

BAILEY’S TRUFFLE BALLS

1/2 cup whipping cream 1/4 cup butter 3 tbsp sugar 8 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chopped up 1/4 cup Bailey's IC. Several coatings for the truffles like oreo crumbs, nuts, icing sugar, sprinkles, cocoa, coconut, etc. Combine cream, butter and sugar in medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Remove from heat. Add chocolate, stirring until completely melted. Stir in Bailey's. Chill mixture until firm, at least 4 hours. Drop mixture into the coatings of your choice. Shape into balls and roll in coatings to cover thoroughly. Chill. Store in airtight container in refrigerator. May make 5 dozen depending on how much you eat....

 

It is my last year's Christmas recipe for the recipe contest. What I omitted from the recipe is that this is a COUPLES ONLY recipe. When you make them, there is a lot of chocolate melted all over...well being newlyweds you'll get my point

[+LadyBee4T]

When I was little my dad would call upstairs to wake us up for school every day usually singing a song. However, on my birthday he would sing me Happy Birthday. He continued through college and when I moved to California after graduation. He would call me at work and sing to me over the phone. He continued this every year and it became a tradition. In the fall of 2006 he was admitted to a nursing home. My first birthday after that my mother was able to coax him to sing for me. I never realized how much it meant to me until this last year when he could no longer do it.

 

I also have done this with my sons. I'm sure they think it is pretty crazy but I do it anyway. One year when my oldest was in college I made up a happy birthday rap song for him. He wasn't home so I did it on the answering machine. It didn't occur to me that his roommate might play that message first! LMAO I did think I did a pretty good rap song though.

[+Tank Hounds]

I guess this is a "tradition"....it's something that my family has always done. On Christmas morning we open our presents...but we open them one at a time and we take turns. And we always have to guess what each present is...it's pretty funny.

 

One Christmas my family was spending the holidays with my mom's sister's family (so my cousins and their spouses). There was a huge pile of presents because there were about 8 of us and a little kid. Well we started opening and next thing my family knew we had a pile of presents around us and the cousins were just ripping into presents non stop. Here we were trying to look around and see what everyone got...it was just chaos!!

 

So we take our time. Open one present at a time and guess each and every one. It's fun to wrap really small presents in big boxes so there is no way they can be guessed! We also passed this "guessing" thing on to my stepdaughter. It was really funny to hear a 5 year old guessing her presents..and she was pretty good at it..."Pokemon" or "horse stuff"...she's gotten much better at it too! She's now 14 and at her last birthday I think she guessed just about every present! I was extra careful when I wrapped her Christmas presents this year...there's no way that she can guess them all this time! hA!!

[+burgessfour]

When we were kids, we'd get to decorate the house with our meager decorations, the tree was always great fun (the icicles were all over the house in no time). Of all the decorations though, our favorites were the calendars we each had (and still do somewhere I suppose).

 

Each of us three boys had our own month of December window calendar (for lack of better name I guess), which had all the days of December hidden somewhere on it. Each night, we'd open that day's "window" to reveal that day's surprise. Even though we could almost remember each "surprise" by the time we were older, we all still looked forward to opening the windows and looking at the surprises hidden beneath!

 

I get the kids Advent calendars every year; their favorite are the ones that have a little square of chocolate behind each window. My grandmother got us kids one every year and I have the fondest memories of the anticipation to see what was behind the next window or door.

There are 24 numbered windows and/or doors, each with a little wrapped square of chocolate behind them

 

 

Editing to add picture.....

Edited December 10, 2008 by burgessfour

[+Jackalgirl]

This is a story my father tells, so I am not entirely sure that it is true. A great one for tall tales, my dad, as was his father before him. It goes something like this:

 

One day, when my Dad was little, he was watching his Mom cook a roast. He was interested in cooking even at that age, so he was very curious when he saw her cut the ends off of the roast. Maybe it had something to do with keeping the roast tender? Was it some kind of secret? So he asked, "Mom, why do you cut the ends off of the roast?"

 

She looked a bit startled, thought about it, and said, "You know, I don't know why. It's how I learned from my mother. Let's ask her."

 

So the next time my Dad & Grandma were visiting with her mother, they asked her. "Grandma, why do you cut the ends off of the roast?"

 

Once again, my father was met with a thoughtful look. "I don't know," his Grandma admitted. "It's the way my mother taught me."

 

Now it just happened that his Great-Grandmother was still alive. So everyone -- burning with curiosity at this point -- trooped over to her house to ask her. "Mother," said Grandma. "Why do you cut the ends off of the roast?"

 

She gave them a pitying look, as if to say, I can't believe anyone would ask me such an obvious question, and said,

 

"To fit the pan, dear."

 

-=-=-=-=-=-

 

My Dad uses this story as an allegory about things that people do because the people who taught them did them without really thinking about (or understanding) why it's done that way, which is why I think it's a tall tale. Still, it is one of the family's traditional (tall) tales, and usually gets told at every family reunion.

 

Edited to add: CONGRATULATIONS on your newlywed status, btw. Ain't it grand? : )

Edited December 10, 2008 by Jackalgirl

[+labrat_wr]

As the youngest of three children I never understood how Santa could get into our house as we did not have a fireplace and I knew the only chimney we had went straight into the furnace ** **

This being long before the Tim Allen movie "The Santa Clause" which explained the magic involved so my parents needed to come up with some other way for the gifts to appear.

The idea they came up with was "Santa Mouse". This was very feasible to me as we did tend to have a mouse or two running in the house in the wintertime so I knew they could get in.

 

Santa Mouse, being quite small, tended to bring small practical gifts. Ones that he could carry in his little sack. These most often were things like underwear or socks. We always carried this tradition on and joke about it each year. In fact, 35 years later, we still tend to wrap these items and put FROM: Santa Mouse

on the tag.

 

Whatever your traditions, enjoy!!!

[+Butterfly_lady]

Married here 31 years, and still no "traditions" like the winter ones...

 

Being summer, it's hot...

We go to a midnight Christmas eve service ~ when it is finally dark.

Home to bed, worn out (especially in the days when I had to work in retail and had late shifts anyway)

Up at first light with all the caterpillars (now adults) sitting on the bed, opening up wee gifts that Santa left in their stockings (Mama Butterfly knew to keep those stockings small but fancy).

 

Breakfast, back to Church,

Pressies opening, lunch and then struggling to stay awake.

 

Now the caterpillars are gone to their own nests, it seems a little quiet, and we are gonna sleep late this year, lunch at a caterpillar home, and maybe walk off the food and do a little caching in the afternoon.

 

Christmas Day is a great day for short treks!

 

Edit - stockings.

Now it is a traditional that I love....

Each family member (including the new sons-in-law) have a stocking...

Others have to sneak wee gifts into them, in the lead up to Christmas...

But no names on the gifts - completely secret.

Edited December 10, 2008 by Butterfly_lady

[+501_Gang]

One tradition we've had since we got married 26 years ago is when it's someones birthday everyone takes care of the birthday boy/girl. We have whatever meals he/she wants for the day, watch whatever shows they want, no arguring/fighting allowed. The night before, everyone makes up a sign wishing the birthday person a happy birthday and hang them around the house. Basically making sure they get a very special day at least once a year. We do it for each one of our children and now are doing it for each of our grandchildern.

[+DJ.J.ROCK]

Ok,, I have so many, I read we can post 1 a day so thats what Ill do,,he he..

 

Im tring to think of one that are not from christmas but all the best ones are,,,Now thinking of some of these has had me gigglin for about an hour nowas well as some of the storys here are very good.

 

So.. Im not sure when all this started,, but my family has the Christmas eve thing, food, singing,presents, santa,the whole nine!! We open one package at a time and 1 person at a time.It takes all night till the wee early hrs of the morning. Its quite funny by midnight,, all the ol-timers that are used to going to bed at 9, are getting so tired they get all funny and say weird things, well after the first coupple of years,,everyone started to buy eachother gifts based on what was said at the end of the night the previous year. so for example; my aunt lost her shoes and wanted some food, but wouldent walk bare foot to get it, so the next year she got a used old mans leather shoe with a note that said"when starving you can chew on leather to sustain nutrition" and my aunt had added, so youll never go hungry!!!,, I was in tears I was laughing so hard,, well guess what I got next year,,,thats right a leather shoe!!!! So thats not the end of it eather,

 

Now it has evolved to regifting the orginal gift as a different gag gift,,,,my aunt used a drill to make some holes in it and turned her shoe into a bird feeder and gave it back,,,,and my shoe is now a tp holder as I glued a pole in the middle and gave it back,,, well guess what.... everyone thought it was funnie,,I had forgot to get her toilet paper,for the holder ,soooo for the next year she bought everyone tp.. and not just one roll,,, a case!!! at the end of that night all you saw was a room full of tp!!!,,,wonder whats gonna happen this year,, and by the way this was just one gag gift there are about 20 of us there!! at the end of the night you been laughing so hard you cant hardly walk.!!!

 

oh good times!!!

[+gardengorilla]

Ok,, I have so many, I read we can post 1 a day so thats what Ill do,,he he..

 

Im tring to think of one that are not from christmas but all the best ones are,,,Now thinking of some of these has had me gigglin for about an hour nowas well as some of the storys here are very good.

 

So.. Im not sure when all this started,, but my family has the Christmas eve thing, food, singing,presents, santa,the whole nine!! We open one package at a time and 1 person at a time.It takes all night till the wee early hrs of the morning. Its quite funny by midnight,, all the ol-timers that are used to going to bed at 9, are getting so tired they get all funny and say weird things, well after the first coupple of years,,everyone started to buy eachother gifts based on what was said at the end of the night the previous year. so for example; my aunt lost her shoes and wanted some food, but wouldent walk bare foot to get it, so the next year she got a used old mans leather shoe with a note that said"when starving you can chew on leather to sustain nutrition" and my aunt had added, so youll never go hungry!!!,, I was in tears I was laughing so hard,, well guess what I got next year,,,thats right a leather shoe!!!! So thats not the end of it eather,

 

Now it has evolved to regifting the orginal gift as a different gag gift,,,,my aunt used a drill to make some holes in it and turned her shoe into a bird feeder and gave it back,,,,and my shoe is now a tp holder as I glued a pole in the middle and gave it back,,, well guess what.... everyone thought it was funnie,,I had forgot to get her toilet paper,for the holder ,soooo for the next year she bought everyone tp.. and not just one roll,,, a case!!! at the end of that night all you saw was a room full of tp!!!,,,wonder whats gonna happen this year,, and by the way this was just one gag gift there are about 20 of us there!! at the end of the night you been laughing so hard you cant hardly walk.!!!

 

oh good times!!!

 

Dude, your family is crazy.

[+DresselDragons]

We've always spent Christmas Eve at my parents' house...it is their wedding anniversary. We have a big meal, and exchange presents. My dad always got my mom 1 instant lottery ticket for each year that they were married...in one long strip. Throughout the evening, my mom would scrach one off until they were all gone. When my dad passed away, I made sure that there were lottery tickets for my mom to scratch off (I had one heck of a time finding a store that had 45 tickets in one continuous strip).

 

We spend Christmas day at home. Usually, after returning home from my parents, I stay up dragging the presents out, and create a little magic. When Brenda was a toddler, she received a doll house from Santa in her room. Santa decorated the doll house before putting out the presents. He made quite a mess, and left a trail of glitter from Brenda's room stright to the tree. I had originally thought that the glitter was going to be a one time event...well, Brenda remembered the next year, and was excited about the glitter trail...and so a tradition was born. When Heather was born, the glitter trail now made 2 stops before heading to the tree. The girls (just Heather now) always get a kick out of following the glitter trail from their room to the tree. After everyone wakes up, we open presents, and then I drag out the vacuum. LOL

[+scavok]

It is kind of cheesey, but my wife and I always watch the holiday's cooresponding charlie brown movie. "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" / "A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving" "A Charlie Brown Christmas" "Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown" "It's the Easter Beagle" and occasionally "You're Not Elected, Charlie Brown"

 

Whoever is visiting us at the time "gets to" watch them too

[+dardevle]

One of the greatest traditions for me is now on Christmas day morning. Now that I have me own family, a wife and two daughters, we use that morning as "OUR" time for christmas. We tell our 6yr old that right after breakfast she can start opening her gifts. Well, she somehow makes sure she gets up before the sun and we get breakfast to her. Anyways, what I am trying to say is that starting this "new tradition" with just the 4 of us is a gift in itself!! I feel blessed to be able to experience the holidays in that way, TOGETHER.

[+DJ.J.ROCK]

Ok,, I have so many, I read we can post 1 a day so thats what Ill do,,he he..

 

Im tring to think of one that are not from christmas but all the best ones are,,,Now thinking of some of these has had me gigglin for about an hour nowas well as some of the storys here are very good.

 

So.. Im not sure when all this started,, but my family has the Christmas eve thing, food, singing,presents, santa,the whole nine!! We open one package at a time and 1 person at a time.It takes all night till the wee early hrs of the morning. Its quite funny by midnight,, all the ol-timers that are used to going to bed at 9, are getting so tired they get all funny and say weird things, well after the first coupple of years,,everyone started to buy eachother gifts based on what was said at the end of the night the previous year. so for example; my aunt lost her shoes and wanted some food, but wouldent walk bare foot to get it, so the next year she got a used old mans leather shoe with a note that said"when starving you can chew on leather to sustain nutrition" and my aunt had added, so youll never go hungry!!!,, I was in tears I was laughing so hard,, well guess what I got next year,,,thats right a leather shoe!!!! So thats not the end of it eather,

 

Now it has evolved to regifting the orginal gift as a different gag gift,,,,my aunt used a drill to make some holes in it and turned her shoe into a bird feeder and gave it back,,,,and my shoe is now a tp holder as I glued a pole in the middle and gave it back,,, well guess what.... everyone thought it was funnie,,I had forgot to get her toilet paper,for the holder ,soooo for the next year she bought everyone tp.. and not just one roll,,, a case!!! at the end of that night all you saw was a room full of tp!!!,,,wonder whats gonna happen this year,, and by the way this was just one gag gift there are about 20 of us there!! at the end of the night you been laughing so hard you cant hardly walk.!!!

 

oh good times!!!

 

Dude, your family is crazy.

yeah!!! they are all reformed alchys,,so they have sober fun, its gr8!!

[+Geo.Error]

We have not much traditions, but one thing i always have with old year /new year is:

 

 

and

 

 

 

Champagne and oliebollen..................so i celebrate the new year ..............yammy.

 

And when i am lucky my parents bake them for me.............every year they said i won't do it and i said then..no worries....i will buy them for us all but then i get a phone.........oliebollen are ready please come taste them

 

My parents are 55 year married this month..............that is sure a tradition

 

We have a big party

 

And now i think about it... my Christmas deer with light goes after Sinterklaas is gone at the roof and more important the deer his lights goes on.

 

Kids in the neighborhood loves to watch the deer his lights before they go to bed.

 

Invite our parents with Christmas is also a tradition...........

 

Making Worstenbroodjes with Christmas and Carnaval.oohhh , i have more traditions as i thought off

[

 

Thanks for this cointest and i wish everybody a good holiday season

[+ECplus3]

Another of my parents' traditions that I have carried on in my own family probably won't make a lot of sense to those outside of Canada. Every Christmas Eve, with a Scotch in hand (me at least), we sit down and listen to the late Alan Maitland read Frederick Forsyth's The Shepherd on CBC radio. The CBC plays the reading in every time zone at 7:30 pm on Radio One on the show "As It Happins" (Alan Maitland was once host of this show).

 

Streaming audio is available at:

 

http://www.cbc.ca/radio/

 

A summary of the story is available at:

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Shepherd

 

 

We then listen to Christmas messages from Canadian troops stationed around the world, and wait for the first message from Alert announcing that NORAD is now tracking Santa's sleigh. Then it is time for the kids to go to bed and the adults to bring out all the presents (and assemble those needing assembling).

[+kmmlynch]

When I was in elementary school I started looking up a different country custom for celebrating Christmas every year. Each year I would do a little mini show and tell about their customs and food. I did this until I graduated high school. Now that my daughter is about the same age I was when I started, she and I looking up a country for her to learn about its customs. I am tieing it in with their heritage theme at school and she seems to enjoy it. I am hoping I can keep this going every year.

 

Karen

[+burgessfour]

A couple of years ago we started buying gingerbread house kits and let the kids make them the weekend before Christmas. It gives them a little something to look forward to as they get anxious for the big day. It's amazing how creative they can get with a little frosting, some gumdrops and m&m's , and a few candycanes

[+surteb]

When we were younger, my grandma used to buy all the grandkids one of those big plastic candy canes filled with yummy scented lip balm. I can't pass those by without thinking of her!

[+mousekakat]

Well, we combine some traditions here. It's a Swedish American relationship with us living in Sweden. We've learned to do things a mix. Traditionally you don't decorate in Sweden until RIGHT before Christmas, at least not the tree, but we have decided to let Hanna choose since she's the one with a birthday at the beginning of Christmas, so when we set up the tree is her choice.

 

Santa doesn't come visit overnight here. Christmas Eve someone dresses up as a really LAME looking santa and comes and asks if there are any nice children in the room and gives out the Santa gifts then, but we've never done that. Instead we do do the Santa comes overnight thing, complete with cookies and milk for Santa and a carrot for Rudolph .

 

I miss US Thanksgiving and Christmas food, Swedish holiday food is really different in comparison, but I've learned to provide a few things, like I make green bean casserole and have started making mashed potatos, and my FIL makes a sweet potato casserole since he discovered he liked it so much in the US, so we're slowly but surely bringing some food that I'm more accustomed to over to the this side of the pond .

 

We've really just had to learn to combine traditions. Some of them are weird, some aren't, some are beautiful, like Saint Lucia processions and all the white lights everywhere and in everyone's windows... I wouldn't change things much at all here...except maybe getting rid of all the nasty fish dishes at Christmas and replacing them with a decent turkey, lol!

 

God Jul, ya'll!

 

Naomi

[+GATOULIS]

An other tradition we have as a family is that when the new year is about to come we are opening all the lights of the house, inside and outside!

It is a tradition from the old times, when they believed thatby that way they will help the new year to see and come! It is like a welcome to the new year!!!

I know it sounds strange, but...

[+Jackalgirl]

I'm also fairly recently married (if you count three years as "recent"), and my husband brought a new tradition with him.

 

He was stationed in Iceland for about 18 months and we spent some of our honeymoon there. It was a great time (I love Iceland)! We've incorporated a uniquely Icelandic tradition in our house: the Yule Lads.

 

The legend goes something like this: two ogres had children, and one of them comes down from the mountain in an advent fashion -- one each day -- before Christmas. But they're fairly scary lads, with names like "Meat Hook" and "Window Peeper" and "Pot Licker", who sometimes have bad intentions if you're sloppy, say, with your food storage or kitchen hygiene. It's like a combination of Halloween and Christmas, actually, and includes the fearsome Yule Cat, who will eat any child who does not receive a gift of clothing*.

 

My husband bought a tree ornament for each of the Yule Lads and we hang them on the tree for advent.

 

*Finally! A practical (to a child's point of view) reason for receiving socks or underwear for Christmas: "it's because I don't want the Yule Cat to eat you up, honey."

Edited December 10, 2008 by Jackalgirl