Favorite holiday traditions?

[Firebird]

Despite all the chaos and stress, I love the holidays now that I'm grown up enough to do them "our way."  Right about now is hands down my favorite part of the year.  We prefer a low-stress approach to the whole thing.  Here are some of my favorite traditions. 

Thanksgiving

-I am a newbie cook.  Nothing special but I'm starting to really enjoy it and the holidays are a great chance to try new recipes.  It's a lot of fun to make a dish people end up loving.  Last night I tested a recipe for homemade pie dough and it came out really well.  So I'll be using that this year. 

-Football.  I never used to watch football on the holidays (or any other time) but DH has gotten me somewhat interested in the last few years. 

-Pumpkin patch visiting.  Technically this is more of an October activity but there are still a few in November.

Christmas

-The cooking again.

-Buying a real tree - before DH, I'd never had a real tree.  Now I love finding one and decorating it.  We had to skip it last year because I didn't see the point of putting up baby gates around the tree and spoiling the effect, but this year that won't be necessary and I'm excited to help Babybird decorate her first tree. 

-Christmas brunch.  A few years ago, we decided to do a big brunch instead of dinner and it was so much fun we've ended up doing it every year since.  We always buy a bottle of Dom to make delicious mimosas and open presents after we're done eating (though I imagine we might have to swap that order starting next year when Babybird is big enough to realize it's Christmas). 

-Christmas movie.  This year it'll probably be Into The Woods. 

-Shopping.  Normally I hate shopping (and even during the holidays I can only do it in small doses) but I kind of love the Christmas chaos at malls.  I love the decorations and the deals and watching the kids visit Santa. 

-Tree lighting at Ghirardelli Square - this is something else we skipped last year and I'm very excited to do this year.  We're going to get a hotel room in SF and spend the whole night wandering around looking at the decorations.  It's literally the only time of year when I enjoy being in a huge city. 

-Babybird's Christmas dress.  Even though I know it's kind of silly and she only wears it a few times, I always buy Babybird a really cute Christmas dress and hide it away.  Then on Christmas morning, I get up with her and dress her up and do her hair and then surprise Daddy/the family. 

Those are my favorites.  What are some of yours?  I love hearing about other people's traditions. 

[NomoreDramaQ1015]

I enjoy putting up the manager. I have pieces that belonged to my great grandmother, grandmother and my mother.

I watch National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation every year. It's not the Christmas season until I watch that movie.

Decorating the tree.  We usually bring it up on Black Friday.  My mom loves Christmas ornaments and passed that love down to me (I'm also a December baby so I get an ornament every year for my bday).   I really enjoy unpacking them all and remembering where I got each one or what it symbolizes.  I don't have a single ornament that looks the same.

Re-packing them at the end of the season?  That I don't enjoy as much.   I bought ornament organizers last year at Alidi's, those were a game changer it took WAY less time to put my ornaments way.

I also love decorate the rest of the house until DH declares it looks like Christmas threw up.

[Abby Normal]

Thanksgiving-  We gather at MIL's at the whole dam fam is there.  We go out the next day and cut our christmas tree.  The tree and the house get decorated for christmas that weekend.

Christmas-  We have christmas Eve at MIL's with the whole dam fam again.  Casual dinner, gifts for the kids.  Then Christmas morning at our house.  We do brunch as well just us and my mom.  Then the rest of my family comes for dinner.   I have Christmas china that I use one a year for dinner and we have a very formal dinner.  The day after christmas we celebrate "boxing day" and everything gets put away.  When DS was little he said " Our christmas day is over".  The phrase has stuck and he says it every year just before we start putting things away.

[Firebird]

We gather at MIL's at the whole dam fam is there.

[Firebird]

@sroo4, you've got some good ones! 

Christmas Stockings for the animals: The 3 cats and the dog all get stockings, we fill the cat's with catnip, and right before we sit down on Christmas Eve with our food (usually a big spread of cheese, seafood, steak, and other goodies) we put the stockings down. The entertainment value alone is worth it. Cats digging out toys and getting stoned.

That. Is. Awesome.

Advent Calendars: We do Advent Calendars for our God Kids. They are older 16 and 13, so we try to find weird fun stuff to buy. Last year for instance we found magic rocks, flying helicopters, things that grow when you put them in a glass of water, a dino egg that you have to excavate. It's a lot of work to find stuff, and we usually need a drink or two when done, but it's a lot of fun.

I want to start doing this next year (I think BB is still too young to get it).  I saw a really cool one at the Lego store this weekend.  Each day you open a Lego box and out pops a character that goes on the little holiday street scene.  It looked so fun!

www.target.com/p/lego-city-town-advent-calendar-60063/-/A-15649852?ref=tgt_adv_XSG10001&AFID=google_pla_df&LNM=15649852&CPNG=Toys&kpid=15649852&LID=34pgs&ci_src=17588969&ci_sku=15649852&kpid=15649852&gclid=CPuG1a3H8MECFQqFfgodwqMAhg

But I love the idea of making your own.  That fire department idea is pretty cool too. 

[Abby Normal]

Advent Calendars: We do Advent Calendars for our God Kids. They are older 16 and 13, so we try to find weird fun stuff to buy. Last year for instance we found magic rocks, flying helicopters, things that grow when you put them in a glass of water, a dino egg that you have to excavate. It's a lot of work to find stuff, and we usually need a drink or two when done, but it's a lot of fun.

We do an Advent Calendar as well. One that you fill yourself with whatever you want.  DS (13) still loves it. 

Christmas Stocking for the Fire Dept.: Every year I put together a giant Christmas stocking for the crew on shift at the station MrSroo is at. It's generally food stuff (candy, jerky, coffee) ,

I love this idea.    

[chen35]

We do 'Polar Express' with the kids every year. They know we are going to do it, but not when. Typically, it will be after some other event, so they go out to the car and see their 'tickets' on each of their seats, along with their pajamas. They then go back into the house and change into pajamas. We go to 7-11 and get hot chocolate, then just drive around and look at all of the Christmas lights. Even though the oldest is 14 now, every year they make sure we are doing Polar Express.


The first year we did it, youngest son was 8. He was getting changed in the bathroom, and we could hear him giggling and just overall acting excited. It's one of my favorite memories.  

[ArchietheDragon]

We do a community Christmas carol every year with a cookie based party afterwards. Fun stuff.

[Firebird]

Love the Polar Express idea!!! 

I'm getting a lot of good ideas for when BB is older

[NancysSummerSip]

Potato pancakes (latkes) at Thanksgiving. Chanukah is not close to the holiday this year, but we always have them, anyway.
Thanksgiving appetizers are always the same: steamed shrimp (using Old Bay and beer), chopped liver and crackers and a cheese assortment. I added fresh raw veggies.

Christmas: go to a friend's house for turkey dinner and beer tasting. Everyone brings strange beers from all over the world, and we use small cups to taste them, declaring a best and worst of the day.

[Pants]

My favorite thing about holidays is booze and cooking with my mom and/or aunts, cousins, etc. We dance around to oldies and make food all day. Then the male half of the party has to clean it.

Unfortunately, I will have to skip the booze this year which means the day will be unbearable as it's really not fun to be the only sober one.

[Firebird]

Pants, is it any comfort to remember the morning-after hangover you'll also be missing? 

[Pants]

Nov 10, 2014 13:29:13 GMT -5 Firebird said:

Pants, is it any comfort to remember the morning-after hangover you'll also be missing? 

A little bit. But not really. Usually we've sobered up by bedtime, so it's not too terrible.

[Abby Normal]

Friends of our host a "Red Neck Wine Festival" the day after thanksgivng.  Everyone attending brings at last one bottle of cheap wines, a homemade glass and leftover from the day before.  They have a prize for the most interesting homemade glass.  They all hang out in the garage and eat leftovers and sample the wine.  If it sucks, they just open a new bottle. We've gone over a few times, and it's always a hoot. 

[Deleted]

November best thread!

[Firebird]

Nov 10, 2014 14:01:06 GMT -5 @tiki said:

November best thread!

Aw, shucks

[sesfw]

This year we will be alone so we are going with our church to serve Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day dinners at the homeless shelter. The 3rd Thursday is our normal day to go there so this year it's our time for these holidays.

Hopefully it won't be too lonely for us.

Before the kids and g-kids would come get together at someone's home for dinner and chat.  Christmas mornings were at home and the day before we would get a stollen from the local bakery and have that and scrambled eggs for breakfast.  I would buy 2 and give one to a favorite older lady that was born and raised in Germany.

[Malarky]

Leftover day.  The day after Thanksgiving.  

The kids friends have discovered that we have the best leftovers.  Mostly they're looking for potatoes and pie although they can strip a turkey carcass to bare bones in a heartbeat.  Last year I had to make a second ten pound batch of potatoes because a so many came by.  

I kind of like being known for it.  I've had college kids check in to make sure they're still invited even through they don't spend much time here anymore.

  

[weltschmerz]

Nov 10, 2014 11:59:51 GMT -5 NomoreDramaQ1015 said:

I enjoy putting up the manager. I have pieces that belonged to my great grandmother, grandmother and my mother.

I watch National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation every year. It's not the Christmas season until I watch that movie.

Decorating the tree.  We usually bring it up on Black Friday.  My mom loves Christmas ornaments and passed that love down to me (I'm also a December baby so I get an ornament every year for my bday).   I really enjoy unpacking them all and remembering where I got each one or what it symbolizes.  I don't have a single ornament that looks the same.

Re-packing them at the end of the season?  That I don't enjoy as much.   I bought ornament organizers last year at Alidi's, those were a game changer it took WAY less time to put my ornaments way.

I also love decorate the rest of the house until DH declares it looks like Christmas threw up.

This is your manager from work? Do you decorate him in tinsel? Doesn't his own family miss him?

[billisonboard]

My favorite tradition was something we did for a number of years.

My ex-in-laws lived in a small community.  One of the residents, in her 70's, had visited another area at Christmas and brought back the idea of putting candles in plastic milk cartons and placing them on graves Christmas Eve.  She presented doing it to the cemetery board and their response was, "Yeah, but who is going to clean it up?"  She said, "I will."  They asked, "When?"  She said "First thing Christmas morning."  They reluctantly agreed.  My former sister in-law told us that she was going to go help.  It became a family tradition, including two preteen kids, to get up Christmas morning to clean the cemetery before we ate or opened any presents.  The first couple of years the old lady showed up, first year she helped, the next she just stopped by to say thank you.  The tradition grew to where we picked up over 300 candles one year.  Over half the graves had candles on them.

[NastyWoman]

Nov 10, 2014 18:33:49 GMT -5 weltschmerz said:

Nov 10, 2014 11:59:51 GMT -5 NomoreDramaQ1015 said:

I enjoy putting up the manager. I have pieces that belonged to my great grandmother, grandmother and my mother.

I watch National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation every year. It's not the Christmas season until I watch that movie.

Decorating the tree.  We usually bring it up on Black Friday.  My mom loves Christmas ornaments and passed that love down to me (I'm also a December baby so I get an ornament every year for my bday).   I really enjoy unpacking them all and remembering where I got each one or what it symbolizes.  I don't have a single ornament that looks the same.

Re-packing them at the end of the season?  That I don't enjoy as much.   I bought ornament organizers last year at Alidi's, those were a game changer it took WAY less time to put my ornaments way.

I also love decorate the rest of the house until DH declares it looks like Christmas threw up.

This is your manager from work? Do you decorate him in tinsel? Doesn't his own family miss him?

Nah, that guy has to be older than dirt: even Drama's GGM owned pieces of him

[NomoreDramaQ1015]

This is your manager from work? Do you decorate him in tinsel? Doesn't his own family miss him

Stupid autocorrect!

[Firebird]

  Away goes my manager
I never liked him
It gave me great pleasure
To turn that guy in 

[weltschmerz]

A holiday tradition in my home is a Christmas stocking full of condoms for my son.

[t-dog]

Fire if you are considering the Polar Express in Sacramento here is the low down. You need to be a member of the California State Railroad museum BEFORE September 5 of the year in which you wish to ride the train.  Why?  Because CSRM members get to buy tickets before they go on sale to the general public October 1.  The train sells out in minutes flat when the tickets are released to the public at 9 am October 1.  This year the Jamestown Railroad added a Polar Express ride.  They also have a Santa Starlight ride in Jamestown.  They do the Polar Express in NV as well and you can buy a weather insurance for $3 so if you can't get over 80 due to snow you get your ticket price refunded. 

Its a blast.  My DS loved it for years!  I have a great picture of him and Hobo Joe on the train.  The same guy has been Hobo Joe for the last 4-5 years.  I highly recommend the upcharge for First Class in the El Dorado car, you can get up and walk around that car, its worth it (plus you get a commemorative mug and extra cookies!).  Remember to sit not on the river side if you want to see Santa's workshop! 

[Timberwolf]

Nov 10, 2014 18:30:40 GMT -5 Malarky said:

Leftover day.  The day after Thanksgiving.  

The kids friends have discovered that we have the best leftovers.  Mostly they're looking for potatoes and pie although they can strip a turkey carcass to bare bones in a heartbeat.  Last year I had to make a second ten pound batch of potatoes because a so many came by.  

I kind of like being known for it.  I've had college kids check in to make sure they're still invited even through they don't spend much time here anymore.

  

What kind of potatoes do you make that they're so popular?  Cheesy potatoes?

[Malarky]

Riced potatoes with onions, sour cream, cheddar cheese, butter and pepper.  
Baked until crispy and delicious on top and creamy inside.  The original recipe called for buttered crumbs, which were awesome, but even I thought it was over the top.  

A heart attack in every serving.  Only served three times a year.  

[Deleted]

T-day for us is now at some friends who do just one mega-bash a year and Thanksgiving is it, which means 40-50 folks, relatives, neighbors, work-related stragglers, etc. Last year it was warm enough for the kids to jump in the pool and enough wine so I will have no idea which side of the family, etc. these folks are from this year.  And the kids grow so last year's little smart-ass punk will probably be this year's deep-voiced hunk.  The host couple does turkey and ribs in the smoker and everyone else brings sides like stuffing, mac-n-cheese, tamales and desserts.  

T-day weekend I like to cook something over the top while the peasants are scurrying around the malls getting Black Friday deals so we're thinking a good pork loin roast or leg of lamb, maybe on the grill if the weather cooperates, and sides like cranberry-chipotle sweet potatoes that most folks around here think are weird.  

Usually Christmas Eve is a together time for DH and I - smoked fish, cheese, good wine, soft music.  But this year I drew the short straw on Altar Guild duty so I have to deal with midnight mass which means I can't drink and drive.  And also means that I won't be home until 1:30 a.m. which is several hours past my usual bedtime.  Let's make it clear - Mama ain't going to be cooking some fancy-ass dinner on Christmas Day with only a couple hours sleep.  No, not happening, so Christmas Day will probably be a shrimp-, gator- or eggplant-stuffed, boneless chicken from the local Cajun market with an easy roasted veggie side like Brussels sprouts.  

[steff]

Thanksgiving is in rotation on who does it each year, so the only tradition I can think of for it is how mom has to make 4 chocolate pies.  She used to make just 1, but my brothers & I would fight over who got to take the last pieces home.  Now she makes 1 for the dinner and 1 for each of us to take home.  Yeah, we're spoiled brats.

Christmas eve is always at mom's house.  But she's strange like the rest of us, or rather, we get it from her, so the meal is different every year.  This year it's Italian food.  Not the Italian 7 Fishes tradition, just Italian food.  I think it was last year that we all got our own little Cornish game hen.  but my brothers & I kept playing with our birdies, having a birdie battle at the table, and that's why we can't have a nice meal.  Have I mentioned that we're spoiled brats?  The xmas eve at mom's tradition started when I got married.  My brothers & I could always convince her to let us open up presents the night before.  After I got married my hubby absolutely refused to let me open our gifts on xmas eve.  I cried to mommy.  The next Christmas, I gave Christmas morning to my Mother in law & mom started doing Christmas eve so I could open gifts like always.  (spoiled brat) Sadly, my mother in law died before kiddo's 2nd Christmas, so our Christmas day I started just leaving open.  I never liked having to leave all the new stuff to go to a relatives house anyway, so We did the "we're staying home with kiddo" thing when he was little. 

So we have dinner & presents at mom's house the night before.  Ever since we were kids, mom would always pass out dinky little water guns & we have a water gun fight.  Grew up in Houston, so it was never too cold for it.  We still have them, even if it is colder here in Georgia & we old enough to have out grown it.  The rules are simple, NO super soakers.  You must use the gun you are given.  Now if someone doesn't want to play or you find an extra gun laying around (it happens), you can double barrel it.  But it has to be a rinky dinky water gun.  No hiding in cars.  No hiding in the house.  Refilling is a "safe zone", climbing into the sink & firing negates the safe zone.  Negating the safe zone runs the risk of mom wrath...respect the safe zone. 

After we get home from mom's we start the 24 hours of A Christmas Story.  and yes, I put it on that channel and leave it for the entire 24 hours.  Because we are addicted to the movie (and kiddo is grown up(ish)), we started a Christmas day tradition for just the 3 of us.  We go out to our favorite Chinese restaurant for Christmas dinner.  Ugly Christmas sweaters, Santa hats, the whole 9 yards...and fa rah rah rah rah rah'ing the entire way.  Anyone is welcome to join us, but they must meet the tacky Christmas dress code and must be willing to sing. 

[Jaguar]

steff you are hilarious, I just adore you, lol