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Christmas traditions

tous

By tous
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tous Crew Member

tous

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Please relate your family Christmas traditions, past or present.

When we were young, we all got in the family sedan, my sister and me in the back seat, and Dad drove around the neighborhood and city on Christmas Eve and we looked at the Christmas lights

Later, Mom confessed that the purpose of this yearly sojourn was to make my sister and me tired so we'd sleep all night.  :biggrin:

We used to do the same with our daughter and my wife truly enjoyed seeing the Christmas lights and decorations and I confess, I kind of liked them as well.

When we were older, we had a Christmas Eve Monopoly game and that could last until the wee hours, but by then we knew that  Dad was Santa Claus and slept normally.  :biggrin:

Thanks for the many wonderful Christmases, Mom and Dad.

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Huaco Kid Stressed Member

Huaco Kid

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We'd go to the barn at midnight, with carrots and apples and sugar cubes, to see if we could hear the animals talk.

34 minutes ago, tous said:

Thanks for the many wonderful Christmases, Mom and Dad.

But I think Dad was mostly hammered by gin by then,  so he hung back.  But he never missed a day of work,  to pay for it all.

 

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Huaco Kid Stressed Member

Huaco Kid

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One year,  I think I was 1st grade,  my bro and sis BOUNDED into my room,  and jumped on the bed, screaming, "CHRISTMAS!! CHRISTMAS! SANTA! TOYS! SANTA! CHRISTMAS! GO! GO! GO! GO!"

I bolted downstairs, at 2000mph, rounded the corner,  into the living room....  AND....!!!!!!!!!......

Dad was crouched down,  putting presents under the tree.

It was only, like, 9pm.

Dad turned and growled, "GET THE &^%$#* BACK TO BED!"

My brain started shooting lightning bolts.

Bro and Sis were wetting and barfing on themselves, laughing so hard,  by the time I got back up there.

I think they got pretty yelled at for that one.

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MO Fugga Bored Member

MO Fugga

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Christmas in my house is different. The only tradition is Chaos. Wouldn't have it any other way. Usually half the party is friends off and on throughout the day. Pretty much like most other days.

Neither my wife or myself had siblings. Do the math.

No grandparents, aunts, uncles, or cousins for my kids. Their idea of family may be skewed...

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deputy tom Bored Member

deputy tom

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Everyone in our family meet at our house Christmas Eve. We have food and drinks and exchange gifts during that time. When they all leave I put out the stockings and three piles of gifts from Santa for the grand-kids. Christmas day they all come back to our house for the grand-kids to open their gifts and stockings. Then we eat Christmas dinner. It's wonderful to have everyone together. Merry Christmas everyone. tom. :tree:

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pipedreams Structural Member

pipedreams

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50 minutes ago, deputy tom said:

Everyone in our family meet at our house Christmas Eve. We have food and drinks and exchange gifts during that time. When they all leave I put out the stockings and three piles of gifts from Santa for the grand-kids. Christmas day they all come back to our house for the grand-kids to open their gifts and stockings. Then we eat Christmas dinner. It's wonderful to have everyone together. Merry Christmas everyone. tom. :tree:

Pretty much the same here.  Christmas Eve grand kids and a couple great grand kids.  After it all over and their gone we relax and exchange our gifts.  Then off to bed for a long needed sleep.

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Mrs.Cicero Bored Member

Mrs.Cicero

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Growing up, we'd go to church (and each come home with a great big orange shipped from Florida, yum), then my brother and I would exchange and open one gift, then we'd all go to bed.  Next morning, we'd wake my parents up and they'd go downstairs and make us wait  upstairs til my Dad could set up his camera, and then they'd let us tumble down the stairs and get it all on film, and when we were older, on video.  I have no idea where the movies are now.  We don't have a movie projector for film anymore anyway...

Usually with our kids, we go to church, come home, watch Die Hard, Die Hard 2, or Long Kiss Goodnight (my fave), and go to bed.  The animals wake us up, and we exchange gifts, then Mr.C makes breakfast/brunch, we go for a walk in the park for an hour or two, then I make some fancy Xmas supper, and we watch whatever "Christmas movie" or movie-some-kid-asked-for-for Xmas, and go to bed.

This year, we went for a walk in the park today (because it's supposed to rain all day tomorrow), the girls got to open their present from their Nana and Papa, and Mr.C and I exchanged a gift (He HATES the very idea of opening any gifts on Christmas Eve, for reasons I will never understand, so why he went along with the idea this year, I do not know, but I have an Apple Watch now, so I'm good with it, and he's got enough .450 Bushmaster to keep him occupied for a bit).  We skipped church because last time we went, there was some inconsiderate woman 3 rows up that coughed thru the entire service, and two more people that coughed intermittently, and Christmas Eve service would be even more crowded, and if I can't trust people to  stay home when they are ill (even if they've been tested for the 'rona and come back negative, it's still really obnoxious to sit in church and hack your random cold germs on everyone)... I'm not going.  Anyway, we watched the livestream.  Then watched Kill Count Christmas, because we are that weird.  Christmas morning, Mr. C is making Crabby Eggs Benedict, which we love, and will be so filling we won't want lunch.  I'm not cooking a big fancy meal for supper - I decided I wanted Christmas Day off, so we are having steak and potatoes and a salad and pumpkin pie (well, I am making that, but it's easy stuff, not a big production gourmet meal).  We are all going to stay home (except for walking the dogs) and RELAX and drink REAL eggnog I made a couple months ago, and do NOTHING except maybe disassemble the rest of the piano... which is only going to sound like a good idea after a whole lot of eggnog.

Merry Christmas, everyone, however you choose to celebrate it!

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Swampfox762 Structural Member

Swampfox762

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Always opened ONE christmas present on christmas eve...sittin under the  tree.  Nothing Big....just to get the anticipation goin for Christmas Morning!!!!

Had our "Christmas" this evening....as we've taken to in our later years.  Have the kids over...dinner, lots of easy talk...then, open the stockings...Laugh and talk...then the presents...which tend to be less each year, as getting together is what it's about...Presents?  Yeah..cute ****.  Being together as Family is what is about.

Hope ya'll had as wonderful Christmas eve as we had.  Thank you Lord...

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Historian Crew Member

Historian

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We have a tradition of going to Midnight Mass.  It's a high-mass and takes about two hours.  But it's so wonderfully done in our current church.   I remember going once by myself,  Little Historian was very young and the wife stayed, as i got into my truck NPR was playing Handel's Messiah.  I drove around the dark country-side admiring that wonderful work of art.  Most people don't know it was a result of Protestant Revolution.

Everyone is asleep right now.  They will wake shortly and off we will go.

 

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MO Fugga Bored Member

MO Fugga

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35 minutes ago, Historian said:

We have a tradition of going to Midnight Mass.  It's a high-mass and takes about two hours.  But it's so wonderfully done in our current church.   I remember going once by myself,  Little Historian was very young and the wife stayed, as i got into my truck NPR was playing Handel's Messiah.  I drove around the dark country-side admiring that wonderful work of art.  Most people don't know it was a result of Protestant Revolution.

Everyone is asleep right now.  They will wake shortly and off we will go.

 

I suppose I'm of the Protestant persuasion. Didn't know that bud. Merry Christmas Historian! I look forward to another year of wisdom from you. 

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Historian Crew Member

Historian

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Just now, MO Fugga said:

I suppose I'm of the Protestant persuasion. Didn't know that bud. Merry Christmas Historian! I look forward to another year of wisdom from you. 

You, are too kind, sir.

Yes, the influence the revolution had did wonderful things to music.  It's interesting history. 

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norton Senior Member

norton

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We visited our adult son, his wife and our two gorgeous grandchildren Thursday.  Daughter in law made us a great chicken soup for lunch, we opened presents and just generally enjoyed ourselves.

Tonight Mrs N and I attended Church service, then came home and watched her favorite Christmas movie-The Bishops Wife-she fell asleep.

Tomorrow we plan to open gifts to each other, have some breakfast and later in the day drive to her Mom's house for conversation.  No gifts there.

My parents and sister are long gone.  I think about my Big Sis this time of year cause she loved Christmas.  She was an angel, gone way too soon.

Merry Christmas everyone!

 

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Historian Crew Member

Historian

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Tomorrow about 1:30 EST....i will be at my parents house.  They live ten minutes away.  I am truly blessed by that. 

And we will dine.  My wife, the kid, the parents.   We know dad is doing great at 84.  Mom...claims to still be 27.  We know it's not true.  But she tried to lie about her age on a passport.  Seriously.

And at some point Dr. Historian (my dad) will offer me...a nice glass of his favorite whiskey...Jack.

It's going to be awesome.

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Fog Bored Member

Fog

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I trained my kids that santa will eat cookies and drink milk, but he would much rather have a plate of meats, cheeses, crackers, and homemade apple juice to wash it down with. 

My wife trained them to remember Mrs. Claus and also put out cookies and milk for desert.

We drive around a look at the lights, look forward to that time every year.

Then the Christmas roast and gathering with family and friends. 

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Huaco Kid Stressed Member

Huaco Kid

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At some hospice place she worked,  they were going to put the lady on the street.

She looked very old,  and was in a wheelchair,  with her head and neck  bolted into a halo.

Mom took her in,  put sheets over the doors,  and made the living room her room.

I was pretty little.   She was scary as hell.  I forget her name.  Mary?

We had a huge library,  and she'd read me books that she remembered from her childhood.

I remember her.

I'm not really all that good of a person.

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Huaco Kid Stressed Member

Huaco Kid

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We had a Superbowl party, and someone brought 100 Steeler ski-caps. Everyone had one.

But there were 80 left over. I had them in my trunk, for Goodwill.

But then, I was in Cleveland and it was -20°, so I went around the city, by the hotel, giving them, and throwing them at, all the drunken bums. Cool. I'm cool.

So then, the next morning there were 100 bums, wandering all through the streets, wearing Steeler hats.

In Cleveland.

It was great,

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