Holiday Traditions

[heather]

Well, we're a week away! What are some of your Christmas traditions?

Every year on Christmas morning, before any presents are opened, we sit down to eat breakfast. After the prayer, but before we eat, we have a cupcake or a piece of cake, or a soft cookie, or sometimes a pancake, and we place one candle in it and sing "Happy Birthday" to our Lord. It's something I've grown up doing and really enjoy. Now that I'm married and on my own, I still do it. I plan to do it with my children one day also. I think doing that got me to realize early on that Christmas wasn't about the gifts under the tree, but about remembering our Lord becoming flesh and making his dwelling among us.

 

[stovebolts]

I really gotta start some kind of a family tradition for christmas..

I don't want to sound like a whiner, but I really know why God hates divorce... and it sure makes some of the holiday's tough. (Yeah, I'm one of those guy's who find as much pain in the holiday season as he does joy)

I purchased the Nativity video last year and I think I'd like to make watching it a tradition each year, at least with my son and wife (whom I know will be around each Christmas eve).

 

[LostSoul]

Growing up my mother would allow us children to help her bake cookies. Otherwise, we all would decorate the tree together.

The hubby and I, ourselves, have tried to do a reading of the birth of Jesus out of the Bible every year around this time of year to remember the reason of the season.

 

[Blazin Bones]

We had a ten year tradition in our house that I'm going to miss because I'm not going home. In our house, to keep us away from the kitchen so mom can cook, the children and dad gather around a Risk Board. For those who don't know. It's a board game where playes seek world domination. I don't think I ever won or even cam close to winning, but I do love playing the game.

 

[strathyboy]

In my wife's family, on Christmas day they bake a "Happy Birthday Jesus Cake". Everyone then lights candles, sings happy birthday (similar to what the original poster does), and all that. I think it really helps kids focus on why we're celebrating and giving gifts. And who doesn't like cake?

 

[Blazin Bones]

I'd go for a peice of cake right now...Yum...I smell a new family tradition coming on...

 

[Rick W]

Mom, why do you always cut the ends off the ham?

Well, my mother used to do it and she must have had a good reason for doing that so I do it too.

/A while later...

Grandma, why did you always cut the ends off the ham?

Well honey, I had this really short pan...

:shades

 

[Caroline H]

In my family my father is the only person who likes to get up early. The rest of us take it slowly, and we're quiet about it. On Christmas mornings we would gather in the lounge in our bathrobes, eat some toast or something lite, and before any presents were even touched my father would read the Christmas story from the Bible and then pray. It always set a very nice tone for the rest of the day, and I want to continue to do that with my own family.

 

[handy]

It's interesting to blend family traditions when one gets married. Steve's family approached Christmas totally different than my family did. So, over the years we've blended a few things, dropped a few and created a few.

I brought the Advent Wreath tradition. Each year (except this one for some reason, I just didn't get around to it) we place an Advent Wreath on the table and each Sunday light a candle and tell part of the Christmas story.

Steve's family brought a differnet Christmas Eve to the mix. Just like when he was growing up, we go to church on Christmas Eve, then go over to his mom's house and have a huge Christmas Eve dinner, which is pretty much like the Christmas dinner.

We always decorate the Christmas tree together. Each year I buy the kids a special ornament to hang on the tree. They each have their own ornament box so that when they grow up and move out on their own, they will have a full box of ornaments to decorate their trees.

We always make Gingerbread Houses. One year I decided to get really authentic and bake the gingerbread myself. It didn't turn out right at all and the houses kept slumping. Now we buy the kit's but I always buy our own candy to put on them as well.

And, we always bake Christmas cookies. Always!

The kids started a little tradition of their own: We have two Nativities, mine and Steve's. So, each year, one of the Mary's and Jesus' become Elizabeth and John and the other Mary and Jesus visit Elizabeth and John. This was something that my daughter started due to one of the Advent stories and when we got our son, they just kind of continued doing it. Steve and I really have no part in this (except the blessing of watching) but it's really cool how they have acted out this visit between the cousin's.

Then there are the Chistmas movies we always watch: A Wonderful Life, Miracle on 34th Street, all the Rankin Bass animated cartoons and my personal favorite "A Christmas Story". This year the kids are really enjoying the Christmas Carol story and we are working on deciding which telling of the story is the favorite. We've watched Mr. Magoo's version and the Patrick Stewart one. Tonight I'm going to let them stay up a bit later and we are going to watch my favorite one with George C. Scott as Scrooge. I hope to also find the Albert Finney one, but I think we missed it this year because we were out when it was on.

 

[heather]

Growing up, we watched the Albert Finney one each Christmas Eve.

 

[Caroline H]

When we lived with my Gran she started a tradition without knowing it. She had a red santa hat that she wore on Christmas morning while everyone opened presents. When she died, we made a point to go and get that hat before any presents were opened, and I was usually the one to wear it. Also, because I was the youngest I was the one to get on the floor to get the presents out from underneath and behind the tree, cause I was smallest. So now, the person who hands out presents has to wear the red santa hat :xmas

 

[ephesus32]

i guess our family tradition is that we always have a certain meal before a festive event.. it doesn't matter whether it's Thanksgiving, Christmas, or New Year's