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Tuesday, April 21, 12:38:32 [ Login ] [ Main index ] [ Post a new message ] [ Search | Check update time | Archives: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, [8], 9, 10 ]

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Date Posted: 11:38:49 12/02/03 Tue
Author: Keira
Subject: Holiday Traditions!!!!!

How do traditions start and how do you know that what you are doing is a tradition????
In our family (my side of the family), we get together every year on Boxing Day (Dec 26th) and have a big meal and exchange gifts. It's always a great gathering with my sisters and brothers and their families. The preparations start at Thanksgiving when we all pick a name from the hat to buy a gift for someone. Each year the location of the gathering is changed. I host it every other year and one of my sisters hosts it on the odd year. This year is my turn again-which I love!!! Whoever is hosting the gathering cooks the turkey (a feat on it's own as their are often more than 30 people sitting down to dinner) and the other families bring along the other dishes. After dinner, we gather round the tree and everyone opens a gift.

Now, the funny thing is...I never thought of this as a tradition until lately. My youngest had to write a story about family traditions and he wrote about our family gathering. I looked back at some of the stories that our children had written over the years, and they all mentioned this get together as a tradition. Even as the kids are getting older and picking up boyfriends and girlfriends, they say they'd never miss this visit.
When I was growing up, all my relatives were overseas so we didn't really do anything special other than call my grandparents on Christmas Day-which was a pretty big thing really. It really makes me feel soo good that we've instilled in our kids the importance of family.


So....what traditions are important to you over this holiday season? Do you celebrate another holiday or celebration other than Christmas? Is there something that you do because your parents did it? What sort of things are your children going to remember?

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Replies:

[> Great question Keira! Well our tradition was always to go to church on Christmas Eve to the 11:00 p.m. service (this was when I was much younger and had different beliefs than I do now). Then we would have a nice breakfast at my Mom & Dad's Christmas morning. My Dad would always go to this little bakery and buy this cool pastry, almond Christmas Tree all decorated with colorful icings. Then we would open our presents and just visit. Now that my folks are both gone, Vern and I go to his Dad's on Christmas Eve and then to his Mom's on Christmas Day. We go down to Iowa on the weekend closest to Christmas to my sisters (as the weather allows). One year the weather was so bad for weeks we had Christmas in a van in the parking lot at Perkins 1/2 way between Minneapolis & where my sister lives. Whatever works hahahahaha! -- Lori, 20:11:59 12/02/03 Tue


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[> [> Bwahaha, thatīs funny Lori! -- Martina, 04:45:29 12/03/03 Wed


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[> [> in the van!!! LOL, did you at least have one of those smelly trees dangling from the inside mirror? LOL -- Antje, 06:45:30 12/04/03 Thu


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[> I have no family now, and neither does my friend, Gord. For the last several years we have started a tradition of having an operating session on my train layout interrupted by Christmas dinner and a video. We finish running the trains after the video, then I drive him back home. It's far better than sitting home in our separate houses and watching dumb movies alone. We don't exchange gifts. -- Ron, 01:08:05 12/03/03 Wed


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[> 30 people? Wow, my family doesnīt come up with that many members. When I was a kid my Dad insisted on putting up the tree on the 24th. We didnīt get to see it until it was dark, shining in all glory. He never changed that and I did it with my DD just like that, until she was older and I too much under stress that day, so that we now put up the tree a day before, or even earlier. Christmas Eve is when we exchange gifts here. The 25th and 26th are official holidays too, but the main event is on the 24th. I broke with most of the old family traditions, because they were only to keep the kids in suspense and now we are celebrating each year as we go along. It is nice to have a tradition, but our family has shrunk so much. Doing everything in peace an quiet is what we do now. On Christmas Eve we usually have a simple dinner (potato salad with wieners and such*g*), but the 25th and 26th are there to expand the waist line, haha. Our "turkey" is a goose or a duck.*g* -- Martina, 04:42:44 12/03/03 Wed


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[> We alternate every year between Doug's family and my family. This year I volunteered to cook dinner for Doug's side of the family...25 people roughly....must have been a weak moment on my part, lol. We have lots of traditions leading up to Christmas as well. DD and I always make gingerbread men together, I always bake too much because everyone has their favourites that they "can't live without" on Christmas. We always have turkey dinner on the 25th and present opening is the morning of the same day. This will be the first year I have had no kids believing in Santa. Sad in a way, but at least now I get credit for buying the good presents instead of Santa, lol. -- Brenda, 23:40:42 12/03/03 Wed


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[> What a lovely question Keira! I love that you all draw a name and get a gift for one! - As for traditions, well, as a child it was like Martina already said above, with my own little family now we've created some new :-) On the bigs day (24th which is Christmas Day here) we have our tree just 1 day, cause we have a "tree decorating celebration" at the 23th. Until then it was only "Advent", with a advents weath on the table but then it's christmas.The 24th is always sort of stressful for the moms, so I spare myself to cook something big, the kids don't eat much anyway, they are way too nerveous and later busy with their new stuff. On the 25th it has become a tradition (since 11 years now) that I do a duck with german dumplings and red kraut. On the 26th we drive to my dh's mom who invites that big bunch of his family-side (around 20 people) and cooks mostly something not-eatable, so we're mostly really happy when we're back home eating leftovers ...went too long.. >>>>>>>rest inside -- Antje, 07:06:13 12/04/03 Thu

from our duck-meal LOL. On the 25th and 26th all shops are closed, so people stay all at home or do visits, all the stress falls off of everyone, you can sense that in the air! and I admit I do enjoy the really cool TV program on these days, since I don't watch much TV over the year.
we keep our tree until Epiphany, and then we cut it small and burn it in our fireplace. It's an event you could call a traditions too LOL, it's something my men have big fun with in any case! :-)


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