Christmas Traditions: What do you do? - Page 2 - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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I get up waaaaay early on Black Friday and go shopping. When I get home, we get the Christmas decorations out and start to decorate. It's usually done by the end of the weekend.
The first week of December we go to an Olde-Fashioned Christmas festival with friends, then out for dinner.
Christmas Eve we go to church, and we open one present, Christmas morning is at my DMiL's, and I cook Christmas dinner, prime rib, potatoes, veggies, etc.
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We will put up the tree this weekend, its a tradition for my son's b-day.
I try to go shopping really early on black friday but it gets harder as the boys get older.
My sister and I pick a day about a week before christmas and have a baking fest, we bake from morning until night. We usually end up with over 150 cookies.
And I always look forward to the radio stations that play christmas music 24 hours a day from Thanksgiving until Christmas, that really gets me in the holiday mood.
on christmas eve the kids go to their dads and then to his moms and open gifts and what not then x mas morning is just me and the kids and my dad. we then go back over to their dads for lunch one big family haha all the sibs and their families come over for presents from pawpaw but this year we are going to my brothers. two of the longest days of my life and i look forward to them every year.
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Our tradition is to spend as many Christmases as we can at Disney. It's just not the same whenever we're at home.
I like that tradition.
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Our traditions change each year because we rotate families. I guess that could be called a tradition. Thanksgiving is spent with Glenn's family and Christmas is with mine. Then the next year it's switched.
Thanksgiving or Christmas with Glenn's family just consists of a noon meal. His sister's BD is Christmas so if we and they are spending the day with Glenn's folks we have a BD party in the afternoon.
Thanksgiving and Christmas with my family turns into a long weekend. My family is very upscale with the table decorations, china, gourmet food, etc. It all looks like a magazine. I've had Thanksgiving here a few times and we try to have it very nice.
My sister will have everyone over for soup on Christmas Eve. Soup on Christmas Eve is a family tradition. We eat between all of the different Christmas Eve services. My church's service is usually 6-6:40 and my sisters church (my home church) has several services. I love our service. The tradition there is at the end of the service everyone makes a big circle around the sanctuary and they hold an unlit candle. All the lights are off except the one over the cross. One person up front starts singing Silent Night and they have a lit candle. The flame gets 'passed' to each person while everyone sings Silent Night many times. Then we end in a prayer. Very cool!
When it's my family's turn for Christmas we go non-traditional. Around here most every one repeats their Thanksgiving meal. You know, turkey, mashed potatoes, dressing, pie, etc. WE do different. I've served filet mignon, or chicken kiev, or chicken cordon bleu, or individual beef wellingtons. The other dishes are themed appropriately and are a little more gourmet than the norm. I like our Christmas the best but it's a lot more work. There is alot more Christmas 'traditions' in our family than in Glenn's. His family's tradition in chaos with kids and dogs and everything everywhere.
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Our tree is always fresh cut and put up about a week before Christmas. All other decorations get put up around the beginning of December.
Also about a week before Christmas I like to make all my cookies over the course of a couple days. I think that is probably my favorite part of the holiday day.
On Christmas Eve after going to church we like to drive around and look at everyone's Christmas Decorations.
On Christmas Eve after going to church we like to drive around and look at everyone's Christmas Decorations.
Oooo, I forgot we do that too. We have an area of town that does it all up in green lights. They use the large green bulbs. It's been their tradition since before i was born.
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Well, the donuts were a bust, so we'll have to stick with our traditional Monkey Bread and Cream Cheese Coffee Cake. But I forgot to mention a biggie for us:
We go to Disneyland the first week in Dec to get into the holiday spirit (OK, last year we didn't go, but that's because we went to WDW instead!).
I can't remember how long a "real" Christmas tree can expect to live. Anybody know?
It depends on the tree. If you get one that's already cut (like at Home Depot or other places) I'd say maybe 3 weeks tops before you'd have lots of needles on the ground, if not before.
We cut our tree down from a tree farm in town. Even after 3 weeks, there's hardly any needles on the ground. Just my experience
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First, I listen to my Christmas music on my computer at work. Love it! Thanksgiving week, my husband goes on a humting trip to West Virginia every year. He needs the break, he gets to destress and relax. He comes home so much better relaxed. They (he and his work buds) stay in a "cabin" up in the mountains, and hunt all day. There is hardly any cost involved. Me and our daughter go to my mom and dad's for Thanksgiving. After the meal, my sis and niece spend the night with us. My sister and I get up early, early, early and do the shopping thing. My daughter and niece are usually just getting up when we get back. We aren't really gone but about 5 hours, but it works out good. The four of us go up to my parents house at some point and put up their tree, make cookies, watch Christmas movies. My dad has Alzheimers and we never know how many holidays we have left with him.
Closer to Christmas, my immediate family watches "A Christmas Story" over and over. My husband likes it, but not as much as my daughter and I do. I would love to have a leg lamp! We spend Christmas Eve with my in-laws. Then, Santa comes. I always make ham delights for our Christmas Breakfast. We go to my parents on Christmas Day. Our church service will depend on how Christmas falls. We do have a Christmas Eve service about 10 pm. We try and make that. It's a very short service.
A Christmas Story, my music, and I absolutely love Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas and Twice Upon a Christmas, and of course, the misers - "I'm Mr. Cold Miser, I'm Mr. Snow.."
For the past few years, DD has skated in the city's holiday lights show on Thanksgiving night, so that kicks off the Christmas season for us. We spend the rest of Tgiving weekend decorating the house, inside and out. We usually get the tree on the Saturday or Sunday after Tgiving -- we cut one at a local tree farm.
Throughout December, we DVR all our favorite Christmas shows and watch them with the kids -- we love introducing the kids to Rudolph and Frosty! We also make candied caramel apples that we give to various people (Sunday school teachers, dance teachers, co-workers, etc.) Whenever possible, the kids and I take a different route home so we can see lots of Christmas lights.
Christmas Eve is smorgasbord night. About noon, we put on a big pot of chili, tons of snackies, chips and dips, an array of cookies, etc. And we munch while doing last minute wrapping, etc.
In my family, we always joked that Santa visited our house first -- he come Christmas Eve, just after it gets dark. Once it's dark, we "decide" to go look at Christmas lights. There's a few places here that go all out, so we visit those. When we get back home, Santa has visited!! YAY!! We see what's in our stockings, play with the big toys (Santa doesn't have time to wrap, so these are left open beside the fireplace, usually with big bows).
Once everyone's had another bowl of chili, we unwrap the gifts to each other, one at a time, starting with the youngest and ending with the oldest. Then we play cards until the wee hours of the morning.
Christmas Day, we sleep in. Around 3 or so, we'll have Christmas dinner, usually prime rib, boiled shrimp, baked potatoes, etc. And my mom's meringue pies!!! YUM!! Then more games, playing with Christmas presents, all that jazz. This year will be a little different because we are leaving on the 26th to go to DH's mom's house...since she lives 1500 miles away, we rarely spend Christmas with her, so this will be something new.
Thanks for starting this thread -- I really enjoy reading about everyone's traditions!
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