Favorite (or Least) Holiday Traditions

DreamEmpress · Post by **DreamEmpress** » Tue Dec 07, 2004 4:25 am

Ok, I've checked the site over and it doesn't look like anyone has posted this topic yet. (if I'm wrong, please tell me)

Holiday traditions, most of us have them. Is there something special you do every year that you look forward to? Is there something that you'd like to start someday? And just for those who feel like sharing, is there any traditions that drive you nuts? It's all welcome here.

My favorite thing is the first saturday in December. Every year my dad gets out our artifical tree and we put it together. We decorate it and decorate the window. I love seeing all the pretty lights. Dad puts out all the figurines and it just looks so awesome.

My little tradition is every year watching the holiday specials that we taped when I was a kid. I must have memorized all of them, but I don't care! I even like listening to the John Dever and the Muppets christmas cassette tape every year. It's not Christmas until I've done that.

We started a new tradition last year where we go around in the car one night and just look at all the decorations around town. I hope to be able to do that with my family someday.

The one tradition I could do without is Becky's annual caroling. My little sister is off key and just drives me nuts with "Over the river and through the woods" This year she's added "Jingle Bells and Deck the Halls". I know it should be cute and all, but it's a little hard to shallow after day three.

Anyway, I'd love to hear about your traditions.

Jusenkyo no Pikachu · Post by **Jusenkyo no Pikachu** » Wed Dec 08, 2004 11:51 pm

I think my favourite tradition (especially since the house across the road was knocked down--the family there did beautiful Xmas lights) would have to be the TV Chrissie Carols. I was in the choir for the Lord Mayor's Christmas Carols last year.

Oh, and the sentimental hogwash that the networks steer clear from. For some reason, they never show It's A Wonderful Life either (and I first saw that yesterday).

Post by **Tiff** » Wed Dec 08, 2004 11:56 pm

Hrm..my family would always watch How the Grinch Stole Christmas and A Charlie Brown Christmas on TV, but it's hard to now since they come on so early in the month, and I don't see my family until closer to christmas.

We've sort of started a new tradition..instead of the usual turkey Christmas dinner, mom makes tacos. XD The reason for this is that my mother makes the BEST FUCKIN TACOS EVER, and my brother and I hadn't eaten them in almost a year. So when we visited, we pleaded that she make tacos for us..so she did, for Christmas dinner. She's doing it again this year. ^___^ I can hardly wait.

Also, I'm 22...and I STILL leave out cookies for Santa. =P So Nyah.

RoastedTwinkies · Post by **RoastedTwinkies** » Thu Dec 09, 2004 12:34 am

Typically, my family waits until the week before Christmas before we put up the tree. We use an artificial tree, and I'm thankful for that because I think cutting down a new tree every year is wasteful and depressing. However, my sister and I have asked to put the tree up at the beginning of December, but our parents work a lot and they want to do it as a family.

Other than that, we pretty much treat Christmas just like any other time of the year. We do have a turkey dinner, but we don't usually have guests over due to personal reasons. It sucks.

peachvampiress · Post by **peachvampiress** » Thu Dec 09, 2004 1:27 am

My family puts up the decorations about halfway through December. We use a real tree because we think artificial trees are ugly. Not much we do traditionally though. We go to my adopted brothers Grandsma's house for Christmas dinner where we watched her leaching adult children and grandchildren bitch about how they didn't get enough useless gifts.

On Christmas eve we open up one present early before my dad and I go to midnight Mass (and because the Church is around the block from us, we have to walk there. In the cold. After midnight.) My dad always ends up poking me several times throughout the service to keep me awake.

Not to many Christmas specials we watch. A Christmas Story is about it.

Cardcaptor Takato · Post by **Cardcaptor Takato** » Thu Dec 09, 2004 8:47 am

Let's see....our main Christmas tradition is waiting until the last minute to put up the Christmas tree....Ok, so it's not the last minute, but we usually wait until a week before Christmas to actually put the tree up, and then we take it down on New Year's Day. There used to be a big house on top of a mountain around here that went all out with their Christmas decorations and stuff, so we used to go see that house every year, but they don't do it anymore for some reason, sadly. It's a shame too, because it was really pretty, and I liked going up there to see it.

We also go to my grandparents' for Christmas, and just last year, we started a tradition where we draw names for buying presents instead of just everybody buying presents for everybody. We also watch "Frosty the Snowman" and "A Charlie Brown Christmas" annually, but I didn't watch it this year because we have it on DVD. And after the way they edited some content out of "It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown", I refuse to watch Peanuts specials on TV again, for the fear of seeing more footage being cut out of some of my favorite TV specials. ><

Pipestrell · Post by **Pipestrell** » Thu Dec 09, 2004 8:50 am

My flat is starting a new tradition this year.

Halloween Hogmanay!

Lady of the Light · Post by **Lady of the Light** » Fri Dec 10, 2004 6:35 pm

We always go out in the snow to chop down a Christmas tree. Then we usually go back home, and then decorate it, while drinking hot chocolate.
We have the Ross Christmas, where everyone on my Dad's side comes together, and we talk, and eat, and see Santa...Stuff like that. ^^
My more immediate family always gets together on Christmas Eve, because usually everyone works on Christmas, and we have dinner, and open presents. Then we usually get together on Boxing day too.
My favourite one is where all my family gets together somewhere, and we put on Bob and Doug Mackenzie's version of The Twelve Days of Christmas, and we all sing along. I love that song.

usachan · Post by **usachan** » Sat Dec 11, 2004 2:58 am

I don't know if this would really be considered a tradition but I like getting out of school for two weeks!! School is driving me nuts!! We always open up one present on Christmas Eve, then the rest the day of. I'm depressed this year though because we may not be getting a tree

if we don't get one it just seems kinda' like a long weekend, not Christmas. Gosh, break goes by so fast but I swear the amount of time we wait for the break seems to be like, on pause or something.

ParaKiss_Groupie · Post by **ParaKiss_Groupie** » Sat Dec 11, 2004 11:57 am

We don't have too many traditions in my house. There's no set time to put up the decorations, or the tree. Some years it's real, some it's fake. We do always go to South Carolina for either Christmas or New Years, however. This year, we're going there for Christmas.

The only other tradition that I have is to watch the Charlie Brown Christmas special, like others have mentioned. Everything in my life stops for those thirty minutes. ^^;;

I think the reason I don't have many traditions is because I'm not really a big Christmas fan. With me not being a Christian, it just seems wrong of me to celebrate it. It would seem false if I did, if that makes any sense.

Jed-kun · Post by **Jed-kun** » Sat Dec 11, 2004 12:50 pm

We don't have to many traditions at my house, but the ones we have I really like. We almost alway's get a real tree, but this year I don't think we'll be getting any tree since the fake ones are so expencive and the real ones are only sold "on the economy" (and the dollars worth like, what, 70 cents now?). Plus we have cats and the only ornaments they sell on base are glass, not exactly safe.
We also open our presents on Christmas Eve, never Christmas Mourning.
But above all, my absolute most favorite is the Popcorn and Crannberry string. I'm gonna make it this year whether we have a tree or not, just because I love it. It looks really nice and traditional. That's about it for me, though. The Popcorn and Crannberry string *thinks fondly of it*.

Janice_of_TeamRocket · Post by **Janice_of_TeamRocket** » Mon Dec 13, 2004 10:55 pm

Well my family's insane on both sides anyway. I spend the holidays with my bratty cousins and my uncles who have jumped off the roof and damaged what little brain cells they had.

DistantMemory · Post by **DistantMemory** » Tue Dec 14, 2004 4:40 pm

I don't have much in the way of traditions, but before the 25th I tend to help out my parents when it comes to finding my presents in the right places. On Christmas morning we take a trip to my cousins' place in Connecticut and, depending on how late we get out and how bad the weather is, we either stay the night at a hotel or go straight home.

Akarui Kibuno · Post by **Akarui Kibuno** » Tue Dec 14, 2004 5:35 pm

One of our traditions used to be the "Advent Calendar", where you have this large paper calendar and every day before Christmas you get either a present or a little chocolate. I didn't get one this year... dunno why, though I'd say it's because no one wants me to eat chocolate.

Now we also have... errr... how do you call that product made with duck's.... err... >.< you put it on toasts and it's expensive and... ah, if anyone has a clue XD !

We eat "smoked salmon" too (though I don't eat that myself cause the smell makes me... won't go into that).

We also usually go to the Christmas mass... is that the word ? where I like to sing some of the songs and my mother always get surprised as to how high I can get some notes.

We never really put the Christmas tree up at a determined date though we like to have it up from December 1st to generally the end of January.

And, let's see what I could add... we generally open the presents after the mass (when we go) or just after dinner since we can't wait for midnight.

And that's pretty much it I guess. We don't have any religion-based or country-based traditions, I think (except the mass of course).

Janice_of_TeamRocket · Post by **Janice_of_TeamRocket** » Tue Dec 14, 2004 6:05 pm

I seem to be in like at least five different plays every year because everyone likes my acting! (I'm not a braggart, that's just the truth.)

ParaKiss_Groupie · Post by **ParaKiss_Groupie** » Tue Dec 14, 2004 6:28 pm

Akarui Kibuno wrote:One of our traditions used to be the "Advent Calendar", where you have this large paper calendar and every day before Christmas you get either a present or a little chocolate. I didn't get one this year... dunno why, though I'd say it's because no one wants me to eat chocolate.

Now we also have... errr... how do you call that product made with duck's.... err... >.< you put it on toasts and it's expensive and... ah, if anyone has a clue XD !

We eat "smoked salmon" too (though I don't eat that myself cause the smell makes me... won't go into that).

We also usually go to the Christmas mass... is that the word ? where I like to sing some of the songs and my mother always get surprised as to how high I can get some notes.

We never really put the Christmas tree up at a determined date though we like to have it up from December 1st to generally the end of January.

And, let's see what I could add... we generally open the presents after the mass (when we go) or just after dinner since we can't wait for midnight.

And that's pretty much it I guess. We don't have any religion-based or country-based traditions, I think (except the mass of course).

Foie Gras? Made from duck's liver? If you say it in French, I might be able to tell you what it is in English. ^^

And yes, Mass is the right word. ^^

Post by **Tiff** » Tue Dec 14, 2004 11:05 pm

ParaKiss_Groupie wrote:
Foie Gras? Made from duck's liver? If you say it in French, I might be able to tell you what it is in English. ^^

And yes, Mass is the right word. ^^

I thought Foi Gras was Goose liver...*ponders*

Akarui Kibuno · Post by **Akarui Kibuno** » Thu Dec 16, 2004 4:22 pm

Exactly, foie gras. From "duck" (canard) and goose "oie". Both exist.

Though the duck version is said to be something like more tasty, though both are good.

Will admit I prefer the duck variety

DreamEmpress · Post by **DreamEmpress** » Tue Nov 29, 2005 5:04 am

My parents used to buy an Advent Calander every year. I was a little sad when that tradition stopped. Who doesn't love daily sweets this time of year?

One tradition I miss is home made egg nog on Christmas Day. Dad used to do it every year, then he slacked off for a few years. Last couple years he's been doing it again. I'm praying he'll remember this year.

My other favorite family tradition is the meal. My parents have a huge meal prepared at lunch time and we spend the rest of the day recovering. Actually, it's not much different than our annual Thanksgiving lunch.

Musashi · Post by **Musashi** » Tue Nov 29, 2005 5:16 am

-feels strange- Er... -is Muslim- I'm... allowed to speak about our traditions, right? ^^;;;

Well, my favorite is getting my Eid'ia at Eid. xDDD Yes, I feel like such a superficial idiot for saying that, but I still like getting money as gifts from my parents and grandparents. xDDD
-snuggles money- Mwaaa...
Least favorite? How everyone in Eid just wants to buy NEW CLOTHES. x.x I dun' waaanna go buy clothes! ;-; Shopping is BORING!
Oh well... got nice comfy pyjamas. ^^
Oh, and eating a SHEEP. xDDD It's fun. xDDD;;

And eating rice with our hands. Okay, so we can do that everyday, but I usually use y'know spoons and things.

In Ramadan, there's NOTHING I DISLIKE ABOUT IT. -hugs- I love EVERYTHING about it! :33333 Fasting's fun, as I hardly ever get hungry. And I get to help the maid with baking and cooking things! I love cooking. ^^
Why can't I normally? I'd have to do it alone, unless we're doing muffins or cookies or cake or something, because when I come home from school, she's already done. ;-; We get home early in Ramadan and go to school later. ^^ Like... NINE AM.
When we normally go at FIVE/SIX AM!! -squee-

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>>>Well my family's insane on both sides anyway. I spend the holidays with my bratty cousins and my uncles who have jumped off the roof and damaged what little brain cells they had.

I have now died of laughter.

At least your six year old cousin doesn't (or does he/she? O_O) take his mom's lighter IN FRONT OF HER EYES and dances around, flicking it and trying to set things on fire, then screams and hides from our MAID and yells that there's DEMONS in the kitchen. xDDDD
Seriously, he really believes there are demons in our kitchen. Whatever, dude.

I love your username also. xDDD