Christmas traditions

[ken a.k.a OMK]

My wife does a traditional Russian Orthodox Christmas Eve dinner. At the first star we sit down to Peas and beans soup, Borsch, Perogies and lots of mushrooms and onions fried in butter. Home made bread. Many years ago she added crab cakes for my Maryland family.

[raeoflyte]

My family does oyster stew for Christmas eve. Then presents and then caroling just at home. Nuts too although I never associated that with Christmas. There were a lot at our grocery store maybe after Thanksgiving?

[stillmovingforward]

We always have a charcuterie board on Christmas eve and Christmas. A hold over from parents who were first responders. It makes a nice relaxing holiday.

[weltschmerz]

Dec 24, 2021 14:34:42 GMT -5 ken a.k.a OMK said:

My wife does a traditional Russian Orthodox Christmas Eve dinner. At the first star we sit down to Peas and beans soup, Borsch, Perogies and lots of mushrooms and onions fried in butter. Home made bread. Many years ago she added crab cakes for my Maryland family.

What are the perogies stuffed with?
Russian Orthodoxy is big on going vegetarian on the holidays, especially Easter.  40 days of no animal products prior to Easter. I hated it. I was sick to death of vegetarian borscht and fish.

[ken a.k.a OMK]

What are the perogies stuffed with?

Mashed potatoes and cheddar cheese. You are right about no meat today.

[Opti]

Dec 24, 2021 15:06:03 GMT -5 ken a.k.a OMK said:

What are the perogies stuffed with?

Mashed potatoes and cheddar cheese. You are right about no meat today.

I'd need to make that Vegan, i.e. no dairy, instead of vegetarian. 

[teen persuasion]

We usually go to the Christmas Vigil mass in the evening, but schedules are all changed this year (keep merging parishes, few priests stretched thin) - our 7 pm mass was now 3:30.

Christmas day we have cinnamon rolls while we open presents at home. Later we go to my parents house to spend the day (DH's dad is out of state, so we don't have to split our time like my sibs do), have dinner.

We will have our kids to our house for our own celebration another time. Even before DS2 got Covid we were thinking of pushing it out a few weeks, like a Twelfth night. Just depends on when everyone's available (except DD1 and her DH and son - they are back in Hawaii).

[Tennesseer]

As neighborhood little kids, we went around knocking on other neighborhood front doors and sang (badly) Christmas carols. Often forgot some of the lyrics.

[crazycat]

We always go to the movies Christmas evening . Started years ago when the theaters were empty . Now , tons of people go . Last night we saw the new Spider-Man . Very good . And bonus , all 4 of us were able to go together. Some years our DS’s have to work . 

[Opti]

When do people take down their decorations? 

[NomoreDramaQ1015]

Dec 26, 2021 20:15:54 GMT -5 Opti said:

When do people take down their decorations? 

new year's dayor that weekend because DH have it both off.

[skeeter]

Dec 26, 2021 20:15:54 GMT -5 Opti said:

When do people take down their decorations? 

Around here, it is usually New Year's Day

[stillmovingforward]

Day after Christmas. I want my space back.

[ken a.k.a OMK]

Dec 26, 2021 20:15:54 GMT -5 Opti said:

When do people take down their decorations? 

After the Orthodox Christmas date, Jan 7, although we celebrate on Dec 25. The tree is holding up, although there have been years when most needles have fallen off. 

[Opti]

Growing up, I was told Epiphany or shortly thereafter. It takes me more than that usually, partly because its rare my decorations are up by Thanksgiving.

Found this article looking up Epiphany, some interesting stuff on Christmas customs.

www.german-way.com/history-and-culture/holidays-and-celebrations/christmas/

Although we often take today’s Christmas celebration customs for granted, most of the so-called “traditional” Christmas practices only date back to the 19th century. Many of these customs originated in Germany and Austria.

Even the date of the celebration of Christ’s birth has fluctuated. Until the Roman church adopted December 25 in the 4th century, January 6 was the day of celebration — today’s Epiphany or Heilige Drei Könige (the “Wise Men,” “Three Kings,” the Magi) in German.

Many “American” Christmas elements have come from German Europe. “Silent Night” was composed in Austria in 1818. (More in Silent Night (Stille Nacht).) The Advent or Christmas calendar is a German tradition that has become increasingly popular in the US. (See our online Advent Calendar with daily Christmas facts starting on December 1.) Even some American Christmas words come from German. Kris Kringle is a corruption of Christkindl (“Christ Child” — It is the Christkindl who brings gifts on Christmas Eve in parts of Germany, not Santa!

And it was the German-American political cartoonist Thomas Nast (1840-1902) who gave us the modern image of Santa Claus in the 1860s. (Nast was born in Germany and came to the US with his family as a young boy.) His Christmas illustrations for Harper’s Weekly were later published in book form and, along with Clement Clarke Moore’s “The Night Before Christmas,” helped establish our “jolly old elf” image of Santa — not to be confused with St. Nikolaus (St. Nicholas). His day, Nikolaustag, is on December 6.

[weltschmerz]

Dec 26, 2021 20:12:27 GMT -5 crazycat said:

We always go to the movies Christmas evening . Started years ago when the theaters were empty . Now , tons of people go . Last night we saw the new Spider-Man . Very good . And bonus , all 4 of us were able to go together. Some years our DS’s have to work . 

Your theatres are open and full?  While this plague is out of control?  I'm surprised.

[crazycat]

Dec 26, 2021 22:54:01 GMT -5 weltschmerz said:

Dec 26, 2021 20:12:27 GMT -5 crazycat said:

We always go to the movies Christmas evening . Started years ago when the theaters were empty . Now , tons of people go . Last night we saw the new Spider-Man . Very good . And bonus , all 4 of us were able to go together. Some years our DS’s have to work . 

Your theatres are open and full?  While this plague is out of control?  I'm surprised.

Wasn’t very full last night , thankfully . I try to stay home as much as possible. We also have a mask mandate in place . I’m in California . We kept our masks on the entire time except when eating or drinking . 

[Opti]

Dec 26, 2021 22:54:01 GMT -5 weltschmerz said:

Dec 26, 2021 20:12:27 GMT -5 crazycat said:

We always go to the movies Christmas evening . Started years ago when the theaters were empty . Now , tons of people go . Last night we saw the new Spider-Man . Very good . And bonus , all 4 of us were able to go together. Some years our DS’s have to work . 

Your theatres are open and full?  While this plague is out of control?  I'm surprised.

I doubt they are full, especially on the East coast. Here, capacity is still limited. I expect the state might have them go back to virtual and on demand until the spike drops some.

[ners]

My family has had various traditions.  On Christmas Day until I was 14 we went to my paternal grandmothers on Christmas day and my mom's 2 brothers and their families would be there as well.  The first year after she past away we went to the movies on Christmas day.  (Only people in the theater).    Then we had a tradition of going to my mom's brother's house on Christmas day.  It was an open house and i was able to see many of my cousins.  I am not sure how many years ago that stopped.  Maybe 10.  After that until 2019 my local siblings and if my out-of-town sibling came to town, we would have dinner at my sisters.   She invited us this year however we all decided not to get together.  Hope we will be able to get together next year.