Holiday Traditions

[gja1000]

What do you all do for Holiday traditions? We used to have a big party at my aunt and uncles every Christmas eve and santa claus came to see the kids. It was great fun. But many of us have moved away and they no longer have the big party.

Now, we just get together with my daughter and family and we eat dinner on Christmas eve, usually Mexican and then open presents on Christmas morning and then have the pillsbury orange rolls for breakfast and start cooking Christmas dinner.

This year I think we are going to do all Mexican for Christmas dinner - not sure what we'll do Christmas eve.....

[Nina]

We all get together at my mom's on Christmas Eve to eat and exchange gifts. Then, my kids and grandkids come back here for more gifts. Christmas Day is dinner here with the kids and grandkids.

[2tiredmom]

We are doing something new this year. Our grandson will be 2 on the 27th.
So my daughter has asked us to spend the night on Christmas eve and get up and watch Brayden open his gifts on Christmas morning. Then the bigger kids will open their gifts from Mom and Dad. Hopefully it will be fun. Don't know if the x-husband and his wife will be there or not. Don't know I hope not. He likes to put on a show. But thats another thread. So I won't go there.

[gja1000]

Originally Posted by 2tiredmom

Don't know if the x-husband and his wife will be there or not. Don't know I hope not. He likes to put on a show. But thats another thread. So I won't go there.

Oooooo!!! I wouldn't want to have to spend Christmas morning with ex-hubby - I realize it's his kids too - but NOOOOOO! My hubby and I go to visit his kids/grandkids the week after Christmas and I do my own visiting while he visits them. I don't feel comfortable at his ex-wife's house. It works out well, they get his undivided attention and I can go do my own thing.

[pope1982]

My uncle rents out a dining room and the Popes pile in. My last year as a Pope technically...
http://www.cozyvillage.com/ Awesome food!

Other than that, waking up at the crack of dawn to tear into stockings then hopping back in bed until around 8 when the rest of the family gathers to exchange and usually brunch. Can't forget chocolate pudding pies.

[HALEY]

We use to go to my Christmas party at work and also Mikes company had a huge Family Christmas party with gifts for all the kids and Santa even came, but that is all cut out this year, Thank God my Cousin is still doing wonderful at her job, so she is having a family get together Christmas party so that will be very nice this year..
I can't wait till Micah wakes up and see's his room, i got everything on sale so far of Thomas the Train, he just loves him, so i'm going to redo his room so it will be ready for Christmas, i got the sheet set, the cuddle pillow, and Mike's step dad got him the Thomas toy box.. and i still need to get wall decor. but hard to find. I also want to get him the couch but out of stock everywhere there is still time. so i keep looking....

[Tiramisu]

I grew up opening presents on Christmas Eve, reserving Christmas Day for visiting with family. For the first g-kids (Laura's 4), we'd drive over early on Christmas morning and watch them open Santa's presents. Then, they'd come to our house for Dinner and to open our presents. Since Jeff and Paula have their kiddos, we just stay home and wait for them to come over - can't be 3 different places on Christmas morning!

The kids have finally settled into doing their own thing for Christmas. So, we serve Christmas Supper in the evening and they all come over!

I take a couple weeks vacation for Christmas. So, Harold and I pace ourselves, doing things around the house and getting ready for a new year. This year, Laura and her four, Paula and her family, and Roxann will come over in the afternoon. We plan to go to Jeff's the day after Christmas for a couple days.

[Janet]

I'm guessing (unless I can find a way to get out of it) we'll go to Mom's on the 23rd. Not looking forward to it at all, since my younger spoiled brother and I had some words last year. I'm thinking of getting sick that night, but not sure I can pull it off.

We always went to the in-laws on Christmas Eve, but sadly they are not here and obviously my husbands siblings do not want to get together. It's hard for them anyway, only one step-sister still lives near us, the others are out of state.

We will stay home and later in the evening my mother will come out to spend the night. We'll get up to open presents and then my mother goes to my older brothers house for dinner. We'll stay here and I'm thinking of fixing Mexican food for dinner Christmas day too, Gayle.

Later Christmas day I'll probably take the tree down or wait until the day after and then we'll be done till next year.

[DianaB]

We always celebrate Christmas Eve at my husband's aunt's house. When Glen was growing up his home was so messy that they always celebrated Christmas at his Grandpa's home and his aunt never left home so she still continues with it. We'll have a big late supper and do a lot of visiting. The kids play games (and jump on Judy's bed!!!). We always get home pretty late. I have so many other things that could be done to get ready for Christmas on that night but it's the one thing that my husband insists that we do so we keep going. We've been at Judy's on Christmas Eve every year since we've been married!!

On Christmas morning the kids would get up and bring their stockings into the bed room and open them while in bed with Glen and I. It's going to be different this year with only Jaci here to open her stocking. I've really been thinking about how different Christmas is going to be for us when she leaves home in a few years. I'm not looking forward to it!

After we all get up (and some of us get dressed) we open our presents. After we do that we eat a quick bite of breakfast and start working on getting things ready for our Christmas meal at noon. The kids and their families all arrive around noon. After we eat then we open presents, taking turns to open them one at a time. Then my husband and I pull out a surprise.......usually something to have a "fight" with. A couple of years ago I bought some little guns that shoot little soft discs and we had a blast with them. I've picked up some more ammo and guns so we're probably going to do that again this year. We've also had silly sting fights. I love silly string!!!!! Then we clean everything up. Some of the kids have other families to go to so they'll leave, but the rest of us will snack around, play games, or go to the basement and play pool or ping pong.

Then sometime in the next week or two we'll have a big Christmas party with all of my husband's brothers and sisters. There's probably about 35-40 in all. Then we'll have a party with my family if it ends up that they don't come for Christmas. We usually have a New Year's Eve party too so we just party, party, party through the Christmas season!!!

[Tiramisu]

Originally Posted by DianaB

We always celebrate Christmas Eve at my husband's aunt's house. When Glen was growing up his home was so messy that they always celebrated Christmas at his Grandpa's home and his aunt never left home so she still continues with it. We'll have a big late supper and do a lot of visiting. The kids play games (and jump on Judy's bed!!!). We always get home pretty late. I have so many other things that could be done to get ready for Christmas on that night but it's the one thing that my husband insists that we do so we keep going. We've been at Judy's on Christmas Eve every year since we've been married!!

On Christmas morning the kids would get up and bring their stockings into the bed room and open them while in bed with Glen and I. It's going to be different this year with only Jaci here to open her stocking. I've really been thinking about how different Christmas is going to be for us when she leaves home in a few years. I'm not looking forward to it!

After we all get up (and some of us get dressed) we open our presents. After we do that we eat a quick bite of breakfast and start working on getting things ready for our Christmas meal at noon. The kids and their families all arrive around noon. After we eat then we open presents, taking turns to open them one at a time. Then my husband and I pull out a surprise.......usually something to have a "fight" with. A couple of years ago I bought some little guns that shoot little soft discs and we had a blast with them. I've picked up some more ammo and guns so we're probably going to do that again this year. We've also had silly sting fights. I love silly string!!!!! Then we clean everything up. Some of the kids have other families to go to so they'll leave, but the rest of us will snack around, play games, or go to the basement and play pool or ping pong.

Then sometime in the next week or two we'll have a big Christmas party with all of my husband's brothers and sisters. There's probably about 35-40 in all. Then we'll have a party with my family if it ends up that they don't come for Christmas. We usually have a New Year's Eve party too so we just party, party, party through the Christmas season!!!

And, you won't even notice if I show up, right?! I LOVE A GOOD FAMILY PARTY!

[DianaB]

Come on, Sandy!!! I always say "The more, the merrier!!!" We do have a lot of fun!!!

[judy]

Now that Jess, Steve and the kids, and I are the only ones up here, we will be spending Christmas together. I'm not sure about Christmas Eve. She liked to spend it with just the 5 of them, and go to church. I don't care, as long as I get to spend Christmas day with them.

She is going down to see Steve's Mom, brother and father a few days later. I'm babysitting her 2 little dogs, so Max and Annie will have a ball! There is a lot of angst in his family so they're not even getting involved with inviting them up here.
My ex used to spend Christmas at her house too, but I think he has to work that week.

It is really very festive up here. My town has an old fashioned Christmas. I have to find out the date. I don't know if Jess will be able to coordinate getting the kids there, but I would love to go with them.