Christmas traditions

Snorlaxe

Snorlaxe

2 kawaii 4 u
is a Top Contributor Alumnus
idk, maybe im just a huge nerd, but i really like hearing about peoples christmas traditions and such, it kinda gives me a warm fuzzy feeling :3

each year for christmas, my family goes to my grandparents' house in delaware. my mom has four other siblings who each have two kids a piece (one of them has three). in addition to this, a vast majority of the children -- 7 out of 9 -- are under the age of 8, making the house into a pretty chaotic place! its really sweet though, i swear nothing in this world is more magical than watching a young child on christmas morning. it really makes you feel like a little kid again, just for that one moment. we also stay there until after new years, and my mom and all her siblings get ridiculously drunk and start babbling about random shit which is always a good time. i really love the holidays all in all haha

so what does your family do for christmas/new years? any interesting traditions?



oh yeah and sorry if youre jewish or whatever, feel free to talk about hanukkah if you wish!
 
normally we have three different christmases. one in edmonton, which we didn't go to because my dad had vertigo for like two weeks, and one with my grandparents/aunt/uncle.

this year i was lucky enough to get out of going to my grandparent's "christmas", since all of them are nucking futs. one year they got my dad a soap on a rope and got my uncle a brand new set of power tools. playing favorites y/y. they are having their "christmas" on christmas eve, so i decided to work that day instead.

i still get presents from santa because my sister is eight and wonders why santa forgot me. we do advent calendars/hot chocolate on christmas morning. my mother only allows for gold and white decorations to be placed on the tree, which sheds everywhere and we have to make sure my dogs don't pee on it. every year i decorate my own tree with pokemon figures and put beast boy on top. one time while my degu was out, he climbed inside the tree and i spent twenty minutes not being able to find him.

in other news there is a giant wailord under my tree.

merry christmas.
 
A few days before Christmas, when the local park is empty, I go in and just sit on the swing set. It's oddly relaxing to just swing back and forth with no one around to bother you, just you and your mp3 player. My family in general doesn't do much, and I've given up asking for anything because I never get anything anymore regardless of whether or not I ask. Christmas used to be a big event in my house when I was a kid, where my mother and grandparents would huddle around and watch me as I opened up presents and cheered when I got Lego sets, because Legos are fucking boss no matter how old you are.

Also, T-minus one minute until my birthday.

EDIT: BIRTHDAY ACHIEVED

I have lived one year since last year.
 
Forte.EXE said:
A few days before Christmas, when the local park is empty, I go in and just sit on the swing set. It's oddly relaxing to just swing back and forth with no one around to bother you, just you and your mp3 player. My family in general doesn't do much, and I've given up asking for anything because I never get anything anymore regardless of whether or not I ask. Christmas used to be a big event in my house when I was a kid, where my mother and grandparents would huddle around and watch me as I opened up presents and cheered when I got Lego sets, because Legos are fucking boss no matter how old you are.

Also, T-minus one minute until my birthday.

EDIT: BIRTHDAY ACHIEVED

I have lived one year since last year.
Click to expand...

Happy Birthday... sorry that Christmas flops at your place :(
 
my parents have been divorced since I was very young, so my dad (and the rest of his side of the family) celebrate christmas a day earlier at our place! we have our christmas party on the 23rd where everyone drives to our place for food and gifts, and the household wakes up on the 24th to open more gifts and eat leftovers from the evening before. on Christmas day, I drive to my mother's and my arrival basically lets the party start! there's breakfast at my grandmother's place, usually polish sausage and biscuits, and everyone opens one gift. later at my aunt's is the evening party, where the bulk of the gifts are, and the bulk of the fooooood

everyone rips off the wrapping paper and throws it at each other, eventually leading to a room full of rolled-up wrapping paper balls and general disarray. when my grandfather was still alive, he would always video tape everything, but my uncle does that now and we always take a family picture at one point!
 
My family just lays around usually doing nothing until one of the family members from my dad's side starts to call us to go visit. Then we go to their house....

That's pretty much it. I dunno, I've kind of lost my Christmas feeling. It's all commercials and junk now.
 
We usually celebrate christmas at my grandma in Västerås since my mum tend to work at christmas. Since I live in sweden we off course eat julbord, which I guess you could call christmas buffet. It usually includes salmon, herring, Lutfisk (not stunfisk), Christmas ham, meatballs, sausages, potato, beetroot salad, cabbage and stuff like that :D Oh, also we in sweden are a bit weird so the most christmas celebrating is accurally on christmas eve :P
 
My mom and my father aren't separated, but they don't get along well with each other's families (and each other half the time). So, from as long as I can remember, in the morning we get up early, open our presents (and let the pets at the wrapping paper), and head across town to my maternal grandmother's house (my father stays at home). At that house my uncle is Santa; he sits on this chair (the same chair, he's very territorial) and announces every present's recipient (my aunts, cousins, grandmother, great-aunt, etc. are all usually there at various intervals, so this can take a very long time). The rule is that you don't get your present unless you shake Santa's hand (boy) or give him a kiss on the cheek (girl) lol, then you have to do the same to the present-giver if they're there. I was always too shy for the latter when I was young so he'd let me shake his hand instead, but now I throw in a hug too. Then my mother drives us back home and my father drives us about half an hour away to my paternal grandparents' house, while my mother goes back to spend an afternoon with her family. At my grandparents', all my aunts, uncles, great-aunts, great-uncles, paternal cousins, etc. are gathered, and we eat Christmas lunch, which is the major meal of the day and usually makes me feel sick because my grandmother is a great cook and I have no self-restraint when it comes to Christmas. (Does anyone?) Then we open our presents and just do whatever all afternoon, play with our presents/cousins/whatever, go nap in my case usually, etc.... then my father gets tired and drives us home, and we usually eat takeaway for dinner because nobody wants to cook @_@;

Decorating the Christmas tree is a major deal at my house, or it used to be. My father used to go chop down trees but my mom didn't like that, plus it's a massive hassle to have a real tree, so now we use a plastic tree and put it up in early December. We just have a clusterfuck of decorations; there's no order to it at all, but we've been using a lot of them for a very long time. (We got a new angel for the tree this year...) The last few years I've been left to decorate it by myself, but this year my brother's girlfriend convinced him to help, so all three of us did it together. We take it down in January, whenever someone can be bothered.

Usually I get clothes from my relatives because I often need new ones due to my laziness and aversion to clothes shopping, but I also get books and stuffed toys. I used to get pretty spoilt at Christmas with electronics from my parents, but they haven't been able to really afford that for awhile and I don't want anything anymore, though my brother still asks for stuff he really should know better than to (and gets it, somehow). I also get a lot of jewellery from people...
 
We don't really do anything in my house anymore. Every year there is a production of The Nutcracker that is put on by the ballet studio my sister used to dance at, so we all go to that. Beyond that, usual "wake up on the 25th and open shit up". Christmas has kind of lost it's magic over the years. :(
 
im getting a keyboard, money and hopefull weed this xmas but im thankful i wont have to type half-heartedly all the time.

just being thankful for those in our lives who we love being with us is enough for me.
 
Unfortunately, my parents are divorced. D: So basically we rotate me around. Normally I will go to my mom's side of the family first, and then come Christmas morning, I run as quickly as I can to my dad's side of the family. Luckily this year I will only be with my mom's side of the family. Normally on Christmas eve we go to the church and celebrate there like always. Then we wake up Christmas morning and wait for everyone to arrive to my Oma's house (Oma=Grandma). We then begin taking turns with opening presents until they are all finished. I will then go out into the back to play with my underwear that I got for Christmas (Don't take the last part seriously).
 
alright my family has some weird christmas traditions. When all my siblings and I believed in santa, we would have magic curtains that would block off the living room. My parents would decorate the living room while we were asleep. We were suppose to believe it was Santa and his elves. Then Christmas eve they would magically come down and the tree and living room would all be decorated.

We open our presents and then get chinese food for lunch (lol). After that we go to my grandparent's house on my mom's side to open more presents from my grandparents. Christmas day, we go to church and then have a party at our house for my dad's side of the family. Then for the next 5 days, we go to all my moms siblings house for a party and to get our gifts. We also have a party and give out gifts.
 
Christmas was always better as a young kid (obviously) since I basically got two Christmases. My parents are separated, so we'd have one Christmas with just my mom, brother and I, and then I'd go and visit my dad/grandparents and my step family for another. Both usually included a big dinner the night before, and waking up early to open gifts under the tree, you know, the usual stuff.

In the recent years we haven't celebrated much at my mom's house. We don't have a lot of money, and in the last couple of years we didn't even bother putting up a tree. We decorated one this year, though. And I'm guessing I'll end up cooking Christmas dinner for my family. This is the first year ever that I'm not going leave town for the holidays, so I guess my mom wanted to make it special or something. I just got a job, so I probably have to work through the holidays, boo :(

New years is pretty standard everywhere.. you just get fucked up, end of story.
 
We do festivus on my paternal side(mostly as a joke), and that's gonna be tomorrow. Then I do maternal granparents on Christmas eve, immediate family christmas morning, paternal side at my aunt and uncles until like four, and then back at my maternal grandparents late Christmas day and usually we come back for 2 or 3 days after. My maternal side is a big Italian family (25 people in my generation) and that's really fun. It's not as fun on my dads side because there's one person even close to my age, and his family can't come because they live in Cali and everyone else is in kentucky, so Ive seen him one time since they moved when I was 4.
 
last year I celebrated Christmas at home with my parents and my mother's family on 24th december, about 15 people, while 25th deceber we went to my grandparent's house with my dad's family, about 7 people. it's a tradition that we go with my mother's family on 24th and with my father's family on 25th. some years ago we went to my cousin's house and we were about 20 people, but then his brother died and he became alone, so the last time I saw him and my little cousin (his son) was three years ago. The typical italian menu for christmas is about fish, but each family has got its own menu, for exemple we usually eat toast with salmon, sometimes pasta, lamb and other good food. In Italy there are lots of sweets and cakes for Christmas. One of the most populars is the "panettone" a cake with pieces of candied fruits, chocolate and almost. is delicious also with milk for breakfast. We ceebrate 24th,25th and 26th december, and children receive the presents at midnight of 24th. just about one year ago I was very happy when I received presents, also more happy that stay with my family all together, but this year I'm waiting for christmas expecially to see one of my cousin that I see hardly ever and for rest myself from school, and not for presents, also if this year are not so great, just rumble blast and Zelda skyward sword that I can't play because my wii is broken but I want it the same. We also celebrate 6th of genuary: the children put socks on the fireplace and the tradition says that the "befana", an ugly witch, fill the and other things, but she wants milk and biscuits on the table when she comes. The main decoration of Christmas is the classic Christmas tree, this year was the 150th anniversary of the Unity of Italy so my mother wants to make the three with decoration of the colors of our flag: green, red and white. Like some people above say, now Christmas losts part of its magic, five years ago I discovered that Santa Clause was my uncle, and it's all commercial. often people spend lot of money for lights and absurde decoration, while I believe that the spirit of Christmas is just to stay all together also if this isn't always possible, but often people don't remember that, and it is bad...
 
We've never really cared about Christmas at our house (ironic since my parents are conservative Christians). I haven't received a gift in quite a while, and honestly, I stopped caring back in middle school.

The closest thing that happens to Christmas is we go to our aunt's and uncle's place and just have dinner together.
 
Christmas-- can't wait. Tomorrow I head to Tokyo, and Wednesday I'll fly home from Japan. Right now it's a winter wonderland here, with beautiful fluffy snow covering the ground--

--but come Wednesday, I'll be singing "Melekalikimaka" as I head to the warm and balmy tropics of my hometown, Honolulu Hawaii.

"Here we know that Christmas will be, GREEN and BRIGHT, the sun to shine by day and all the, stars at night! Melekalikimaka is Hawaii's way, to say a merry Christmas, to you!"

Man I can't wait to ditch these sweaters for my board shorts, tank top, and rubba slippahs (DON'T call them beach sandles! *creepy*). xD


So, Christmas starts at Christmas Eve when my relatives (mostly maternal) and we all gather at 1 of 2 different churches to do candle lighting service. From the time I was little, the church we went to was a Japanese congregational church in my own neighborhood. By Japanese I mean that most of members are Japanese (well I guess most of the residents in my neighborhood are Japanese), and many of the services are given in both English and Japanese, and we sing "Silent Night" in English, Hawaiian and Japanese. My Grandma's English is perfect, but she says she still appreciates the services in Japanese. Recently I've been pleased to find that I understand them now :D

Recently though, we have been going to different church on the windward side of the island-- it's a much bigger service, and a really different feel because the huge church was converted from being a golf resort building, and it overlooks a giant spreading valley scenery out to the ocean, with tropical rainforest and waterfalls behind it. The minister is an amazing speaker, and draws fans and crowds from across the island. He's Chinese though, and often adds island humor into his speeches (I seem to recall him making a joke about looking forward to Chicken's feet at X-mas dinner. We don't do that at my house, but man, Chicken's feet sounds good! My Mom [She's Japanese after all] and sister [no excuse!] won't eat it, but my Dad and I wolf that stuff down--it's a Chinese thing). It's a popular church, and I'm certain to run into old classmates, wrestling teammates, or Judo teammates there. The head coach of my Highschool's Judo Team (he's also the head Sensei of my local Judo Dojo) is also a member of the church.

After candle light service, me and my relatives might have a light dinner at a local Japanese restarant if people are hungry, but that's more of a big affair we do on New Year's Eve.

The big deal is the next day!

Of course, my sister and I always wake up early to open presents, and my parents will drowzily walk in, video camera in towe, whenever they feel like it. My sister and I are only allowed to open 1 present until they wake up, so we usually open it, then play video games until our parents show up. We usually get presents from our various aunties and uncles and grandparents, and also stockings full of candy and chocolate milk boxes. Obviously, almost no houses in Hawaii have Chimneys, so our parents hang the stockings by the window. Of course we have an obnoxiously big Christmas Tree, bought from some school charity event.

Once everyone is awake and the presents are opened and we've spent a lazy morning as a family, we all get dressed and ready to go to my cousin's house for X-mas dinner. By "get dressed" I mean put on shorts and a T-shirt or tank top of course. My Dad might wear an Aloha shirt, but it's not like it's a formal event or anything, so no need to wear something that stuffy. For the church's candle light service I have to wear an Aloha shirt and long pants though, because it's really fancy/formal. :(

Ah, I might wear a sweater or something if it's really cold! One year, I remember it got down to 60 degree F! (16 degrees C!) God, that year was so cold!!!!

Again, it's mostly my maternal relatives at dinner. Sometimes we'll meet my paternal relatives for lunch, but when we do, it'll be the same thing as always when I meet with my paternal relatives. It'll be mostly my Dad's cousins, and in the past there would have been their parents, but the older generation has all past away. All of them were well over 90 when they did, and my Gong Gong (Grandpa's) older brother lived to 101! Lunch will always be at a Chinese restaraunt (well, we're Chinese after all!), and there'll be a huge mess of different Chinese dishes.

So, dinner is at my cousin's place on yet another side of the island. It's situated on a huge mountain, this time in one of the more arid faces of the island (practically desert), but still overlooks a grand view of the ocean. It's a huge awesome house (that actually has a Chimney D:), and I'll be looking forward to an evening of food, drink and video games.

Of course there'll be plenty of alcohol going around between my Dad and uncles (and my mom and aunties will be doing the driving), and recently I and my male cousins will join in-- Beer, Wine, Martinis, Sake (Japanese Rice Wine), and Shochu (Japanese Rice Whiskey). Recently one of my uncles has taken to Korean Rice Wine so that'll probably be there too. I for my part will bring a bottle of Sake from Japan because the Sake from my area (and the rice from my area) is particularly good.

When it comes to food... OMG... Place will be nuts. Of course you'll see your standard Christmas fare... Ham, Mashed Potatoes, and my uncles make Prime Rib and Baked Potatoes. We might also have BBQ'd Steak. But of course there'll be a bunch of what might be considered "non-standard" by most of you. There'll definitely be: Sashimi, Tako Poki, Somen Salad (love my Grandma's Somen Salad), Chowmein (or Yakisoba, same thing), Makizushi (roll sushi) and Inarizushi (Egg Sushi), and others. Of course, the standard starch is Rice. I'll mostly eat rice-- If you're talking about Steak or Prime Rib, it's GOT TO BE WHITE RICE!!! Might even be some Hawaiian foods like Kalua Pig or Poi. Basically, all kine good stuff.

Desserts will include Pumpkin Pie, Custard Pie, and Ice Cream. Of course Egg Nogg. I love Christmas...

Ah Christmas, I can't wait (to eat). lol


New Years is also a pretty big deal, and while I'll be traveling this year instead, I'll be missing out on a night of Chinese fireworks (and Chinese Lion Dances!) and a wonderful morning breakfast eating my Mom's Ozoni (soup Mochi) and other Japanese new year foods (Oseji Ryori). Though I'll be back in Japan eating said Oseji Ryouri with Japanese relatives, since I said I wanted to experience New Years in Japan once (before heading off to Hong Kong to spend the rest of my winter break traveling!).


Of course in Japan, Christmas is more of a lover's holiday than a family one. My girlfriend was pretty bummed when she found out I was going home for X-mas, but she was understanding, and we "celebrated" the weekend before. I came into her apartment to find my "present" (she was giggling under her blanket, and the bed was wrapped like a present). lol That, was an excellent Christmas experience as well ~<3

lol I love Christmas. :D
 
Eh... Parents divorced, and I can't visit my Dad for it (not like I really care at this point), so I'm just off to my mothers place for a few days. More than likely we go to Moms boyfriends parents place to eat at the eve, I go do some Santa-jobs around (good cash), go home, open some presents. Eat some more, sleep. Eat some more the 25th. Few days later I go home to my place with bags full of food. I'm going to be getting a new computer which I need to build, so yeah.

But in general, my view of Christmas isn't exactly a happy one, since my parents divorced right under it, and the whole thing just basically rips that memory all open. I'd love to just stay in my own apartment, but then I would miss all the good food (and I ain't a cook at all).
 
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