Share your Christmas traditions

[ImissWallyPryor 9,046]

Even those who have dysfunctional family stories on the other thread can have family traditions to share that they actually enjoy. I find these almost as interesting, so feel free to share.

Besides ethnic food - Swedish meatballs, Swedish pancakes (with lingonberry preserves), and lefsa) - our 20+ year old kids still enjoy cutting down a Christmas tree on our cabin property.

We’ve been doing this since 2003, when they were little kids. The first tree they chose was a scraggly Ponderosa pine. They still pick out Charlie Brown Christmas trees. I’ve considered planting spruce trees every year so we’d have a constant supply of prettier trees, but for us, perfect trees are for the home, not the cabin. After 17 Christmases, I don’t this changing.

 

Of course, dysfunctional Christmas traditions are strongly encouraged. 

Edited December 25, 2019 by ImissWallyPryor

[pearlandhorn 3,333]

My parents have stocking hangers that spell out NOEL. I always changed it to LEON.

[After irth 1,245]

17 minutes ago, ImissWallyPryor said:

Even those who have dysfunctional family stories on the other thread can have family traditions to share that they actually enjoy. I find these almost as interesting, so feel free to share.

Besides ethnic food - Swedish meatballs, Swedish pancakes (with lingonberry preserves), and lefsa) - our 20+ year old kids still enjoy cutting down a Christmas tree on our cabin property.

We’ve been doing this since 2003, when they were little kids. The first tree they chose was a scraggly Ponderosa pine. They still pick out Charlie Brown Christmas trees. I’ve considered planting spruce trees every year so we’d have a constant supply of prettier trees, but for us, perfect trees are for the home, not the cabin. After 17 Christmases, I don’t this changing.

 

Of course, dysfunctional Christmas traditions are strongly encouraged. 

That’s a very cool tradition that says a lot about you and your family. Not everything has to be “perfect”. Just perfect for the occasion at that time in that place. And everyone is happy about it. 
 

Well done. And Merry Christmas!

[ImissWallyPryor 9,046]

14 minutes ago, pearlandhorn said:

My parents have stocking hangers that spell out NOEL. I always changed it to LEON.

My mom made elaborately designed needlepoint stockings for each of my kids. She took great pride in these as she spent many dozens of hours on each one. 

During the unveiling ceremony for our third kid’s first Christmas, we went to hang the third one only to realize she had that one facing right instead of left like the first two. Her Christmas was ruined.

We had a fourth kid before the next Christmas, and we told her it was so she could make another right-facing stocking. 

Edited December 25, 2019 by ImissWallyPryor
I can’t spell

[Atxracer 798]

We always have steak and lobster Christmas Eve.  Then, Christmas morning I wake the house up blaring Christmas music (always starts with Josh Groban’s drummer boy). Then, onto presents and make omelettes with the leftover steak, lobster and mushrooms. 
 

This is the first year with a little one so had to contain my blaring of the music and manage feedings and diaper changes in between the above.  

[GotThatFire 166]

4 minutes ago, Atxracer said:

We always have steak and lobster Christmas Eve.  Then, Christmas morning I wake the house up blaring Christmas music (always starts with Josh Groban’s drummer boy). Then, onto presents and make omelettes with the leftover steak, lobster and mushrooms. 
 

This is the first year with a little one so had to contain my blaring of the music and manage feedings and diaper changes in between the above.  

You’re a good mom. Merry Christmas 

[Post Oak 20,365]

My tradition is rolling my eyes and mumbling under my breath at my family

[ImissWallyPryor 9,046]

My daughter’s boyfriend’s siblings have a tradition of sleeping on their parents’ bedroom floor on Christmas Eve night. They still do this even though both brothers are college football players and the sister is a HS senior who’s going to play college VB (no pics).

[Marfa Low Crown 2,555]

My mother has a nativity scene and each year I put baby Jesus on the roof of the manger... sometimes I put the donkey up there... sometimes I put
baby Jesus on the donkey... sometimes I put the donkey on top of Joseph...sometimes I put baby jesus and all the animals on the roof... and then I stack
Joseph and the 3 wise men on top of Mary in the manger. Anyways y'all get the idea 

[Upgrayedd 5,830]

We watch Bad Santa

[After irth 1,245]

1 hour ago, Marfa Low Crown said:

My mother has a nativity scene and each year I put baby Jesus on the roof of the manger... sometimes I put the donkey up there... sometimes I put
baby Jesus on the donkey... sometimes I put the donkey on top of Joseph...sometimes I put baby jesus and all the animals on the roof... and then I stack
Joseph and the 3 wise men on top of Mary in the manger. Anyways y'all get the idea 

Once you go Balthasar, you never go back.

[Alvin89 108]

1 hour ago, Upgrayedd said:

We watch Bad Santa

Same here. After all the family stuff is done on Xmas eve I love flipping on Bad Santa. I usually make it to where they run over Bernie Mac before the booze takes over and I pass out. 

[Scheiss Meister 8,420]

My wife and I were broke as hell our first Christmas, so I went out and cut a small tree on our farm, the we decorated it with bows that we made from ribbon, some small glass balls, and some miscellaneous ornaments that my Grandma had left.  We still use those same ornaments every year.  We also have two glass ornaments that were on my mom's first Christmas tree in the 30s.  We still use them, too.

If you are looking for an elegant, finely designed and coordinated Christmas tree, don't look in my house.  We have three trees this year, each with a wild assortment of different ornaments collected over the years.  They look like Christmas erupted all over them, and they are beautiful.  And each tree has at least one Nativity on it.  One has four.

Christmas morning we always have breakfast sausage and either hotcakes or biscuits and sausage gravy.  Lunch and supper aren't usually huge meals, because we eat so much at breakfast.

We aren't well off, nor are we fancy, but we have fun and love.  That's enough for us.

 

[WhatTheBuck 28,854]

13 minutes ago, Scheiss Meister said:

My wife and I were broke as hell our first Christmas, so I went out and cut a small tree on our farm

Poor, poor landowners. 

[Royalfan5 2,373]

I’ve gotten up early to go back early to take my Grandma to Christmas morning services every year since my Grandpa passed in 2009 so she has someone to go with since I live the closest relatively speaking. 

[Scheiss Meister 8,420]

29 minutes ago, WhatTheBuck said:

Poor, poor landowners. 

By our, I mean the family farm belonging to my parents, where we got to live rent free for a while.  My wife and I didn't become landowners for 15 more years.

ETA - Have you ever heard the term land poor before?

Edited December 26, 2019 by Scheiss Meister

[WhatTheBuck 28,854]

6 minutes ago, Scheiss Meister said:

ETA - Have you ever heard the term land poor before?

No. Ever heard of the term perspective?

[Scheiss Meister 8,420]

1 minute ago, WhatTheBuck said:

No. Ever heard of the term perspective?

Yes, I have.  Merry Christmas, Buck.

[Gil Bang 26,125]

I’ve gotten up early to go back early to take my Grandma to Christmas morning services every year since my Grandpa passed in 2009 so she has someone to go with since I live the closest relatively speaking. 

At first glance, I thought you wrote that you are in the closet. NTTAWWT

[Doze 1,322]

6 hours ago, ImissWallyPryor said:

My daughter’s boyfriend’s siblings have a tradition of sleeping on their parents’ bedroom floor on Christmas Eve night. They still do this even though both brothers are college football players and the sister is a HS senior who’s going to play college VB (no pics).

No pics?  We are just gonna think she looks like this until proven otherwise.

[Neonmoon 38,130]

My great great great grandparents settled in Brownsville. We eat Mexican food for Christmas. It’s my favorite tradition. 

,

[Shoxthemonkey 1,983]

My daughter and her husband, my wife and I play Wahoo and the winner gets a ceramic teepee ashtray. We play 15 games. I won the first game and then 5 of the last 6, 4 in a row to take this year's trophy. Feels good, man

Edited December 26, 2019 by Shoxthemonkey

[ImissWallyPryor 9,046]

We play games, but a different one seems to dominate our time each year.  This year it is the card game Golf, some years Spinner or whatever. I rarely win. 

Yesterday, my wife and a couple of my daughters went to a Christmas Eve service at a really small church in a nearby town of 300. The pianist was in her 90s and had to be helped up to the piano bench. She was either going die or play. Muscle memory prevailed. This will probably not be a tradition. 

[CHIEF 5,111]

We stop at the Alsup's in Hamilton on the way back from Austin on Christmas Day and buy every burrito in the glass case and eat them on the way back to Granbury. Always have grilled burgers for Christmas Eve at the MIL's house. 

CHIEF

[Bevo&Pevo 5,402]

1 hour ago, Shoxthemonkey said:

My daughter and her husband, my wife and I play Wahoo and the winner gets a ceramic teepee ashtray. We play 15 games. I won the first game and then 5 of the last 6, 4 in a row to take this year's trophy. Feels good, man

Bring your dice and come on.  My wife will tell you I'm a Wahoo HOFer.  

We always make a F ton of  oysters, crab,  and fish for lunch.  While sitting back to let the grub settle open presents.  There is enough time for little kids to enjoy the afternoon outside with their new stuff.

[mulletpelini 5,216]

Christmas night we go to my sisters house and everyone gets along just fine except BIL.  Complete idiot who enhances every occasion by drinking beyond excess and saying stupid shit.  This years best included calling something weird, "gay", this right after his son came out last month.  Son looked at him like "wtf, you idiot" Idiot BIL said "What? We're not about to be all PC at Christmas!"  Stupid fucker, always awkward, his own kids fucking hate him.

We watch "Die (It's not a Christmas Movie!) Hard" , drink and open gifts (mostly giftcards, which is fine) 

The best part is the Sunday night after Christmas, that's GAME NIGHT where everyone brings their favorite game and all 24 of us bash the shit out of each other for 5-6 hours of some great fun and laughs (Idiot BIL usually leaves after about an hour)

The best part of this year, is after an extensive child custody case, Mullet jr. jr. will be attending the first GAME NIGHT of his life to make it 25 this year. 

Very cool, very cool indeed.

[Shoxthemonkey 1,983]

7 hours ago, Bevo&Pevo said:

Bring your dice and come on.  My wife will tell you I'm a Wahoo HOFer.  

We always make a F ton of  oysters, crab,  and fish for lunch.  While sitting back to let the grub settle open presents.  There is enough time for little kids to enjoy the afternoon outside with their new stuff.

Hah. Might have to do that. Son in laws folks play in a Wahoo league in FW. I've been exposed to some cut throat competition. 

I've been in Kyle for the last few days. Had a Strait Plate at Maudie's on N Lamar and had Hays Co BBQ. Saw the lights in Fredericksburg and Johnson City. Climbed Enchanted Rock. Won a Wahoo tourney. It's been a full week. I hope everybody had as much Christmas as we did.

[Underdog 28,894]

No real traditions other than cinnamon rolls for breakfast Christmas mornings when Jr. was a little feller. 

[Pancho 45,584]

Something I started 10 years ago was watching the best Christmas movie ever made— Last Holiday starring Queen Latifah. 
 

a few years ago, I’d just randomly put it on the TVs in the living room and the entire fam would just end up watching. Now we always watch every Christmas Eve.