Hi Ladies! Was just thinking about my annual rituals on or near Christmas. Some things change, kids grow up, grandchildren come, stuff happens, but somethings NEVER change!

For instance, I always wrap my gifts while watching a Christmas movie. I watch It's a Wonderful Life, or Rudolf (with Sam Elliot), or When Harry Met Sally. I also have a brandy and eggnog with my best friend on Christmas morning. If I can't actually be with her, then we do it by phone! And last but not least, I leave cookies out for Santa on Christmas Eve!! Hubby is a great sport, and they are always gone by Christmas morning!

I'd love to hear some of YOUR holiday traditions!!

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Christmas Eve at our house ... open house, pop in , bring nothing , eat some food , play some cards , have some cheer , leave happy !!!!

Merry Christmas ... Happy Holidays!!

Christmas Eve at my mom's house and then to the 11:00 pm candlight church service. Christmas morning we open gifts with our daughter.

We get together with "my side" of the family (which is a pretty big crowd, usually around 35 of us and we are LOUD) and have a potluck and exchange gifts a few days before Christmas. On DHs side, it's a hit or miss kinda thing.

I usually do all the shopping (DH gets my gift usually late on Christmas Eve, but this year he "said" he's already got it), all the wrapping and all the cooking.

My kids are still little, so we leave out cookies and milk for Santa. DH is "supposed" to make sure Santa gets it, but there have been many occasions when I've had to scramble to get rid of the snack on Christmas morning.

Now, we stay home all day on Christmas, have turkey/dressing and all the fixins'. My mom lives in our inlaw suite, so whoever wants to come by to see her sees us too! The kids play with their new toys all day and the last few have been pretty relaxing since we don't go back and forth between my mom/dad and DHs mom/dad (who are deceased) now.

My husband and I celebrate Christmas in our home. Watching "It's a Wonderful Life" is a tradition of ours as well. Christmas Eve I am on "tree duty" guarding the presents from my husband. He has been known to slip a dog treat inside the folds of wrapped presents so our "fur kids" would assist in unwrapping his early. (That is only one of his many techniques) No kidding. We go to bed, and I undergo Christmas Eve interogation as to what he will be getting for Christmas. Morning comes early, 5:00am, he is at the tree telling me to get out of bed or he is starting without me. So up I go. We open our presents, and watch as the dogs and cats play in the paper. Then we are off to visit friends, and have Christmas with our families. This is our Christmas tradition for 17 years. All of this equals Heaven to me.

Merry Christmas, ladies.

Bella

On Christmas Eve, once it gets dark we drive around and look at all the Christmas lights, then come home to hot cocoa & marshmellows, snacks like cheese & crackers, shrimp, and veggies.... then Christmas morning, DH & I wake up around 5am and drive to my son's house where he & my wonderful Daughter-n-law invite us to watch the grandbabies enjoy the excitement of Santa's visit. It's wonderful.... We'll have pigs in the blanket, cinnamon rolls and other snacks while we unwrap then.. we leave so they can have time alone and I fix Christmas lunch at our house and they come over to eat around 1ish... It's very nice... DH & I are thinking of adding a Christmas movie to our day this year. I want to see Marley & Me...

I have the best children!

We buy a new ornament for the tree every year. I started this for my kids when they were babies (they are now 21 and 18), and they now have their own box of special ornaments that were either chosen by them, or given to them as gifts every year. I have some from my childhood as well, and it is great fun to rediscover them every year.

We bake and eat too many different kind of cookies!!

We decorate the tree together listening to classic Andy Williams Christmas music.

Christmas morning, we have scrambled eggs and cinnamon rolls after we open gifts. Then my mom and her husband and his son come to our house for dinner, and we open gifts with them.

We have a family get together with my sister & family, brother & family, and step brother & family and we do a Chinese gift exchange which is always good for a few good laughs. There is always snacks, lots of noise, all the pets come, it is usually chaos and a ton of fun.

Then on christmas eve my kids stay over night with their boyfriends, we all sleep in until 10 or 11 am. Then we have coffee and open gifts. Nobody gets dressed unless they have to go to the store or something. We cook a traditional turkey dinner, the kids help. We spend most of the rest of the day laying around in jammies, watching movies (usually the new ones people got for Christmas!).

We eat dinner around 6, still in jammies, then do dishes, play a game or two. Eat left overs and maybe watch more movies.

It is a very relaxed day, and we all love it. Imagine adult children still staying over at mom's christmas eve!! I love having them and they love coming. Nobody lives far away so they could easily spend the night at their own homes, but they don't want to. It is so cool!!

Oh my, you all have such wonderful traditions. On Christmas Eve we have been going to my SIL house for the past 6 years with my husband (married 3 years now) and 3 stepchildren and Christmas Day is spent with my step children in the morning opening gifts and dinner wherever.

Merry Christmas Everyone

and a Happy, Healthy New Year

Hubby and i go to movies, eat a dinner with who ever wants to come over. We decided no gifts. Just be happy.

I warp gifts while watching a Christmas movie too ... although my favorite is "White Christmas." Also, hubby and I always go out to dinner at a little local restaurant on Christmas eve. We also host each of our families at our house -- for my family we usually do a brunch with nice German breakfast foods (in honor of my mother!)

Happy Holidays to you all!

Best- I am wrapping tomorrow, and was wondering which movie I should watch. White Christmas sounds perfect!! Thanks for the idea!!!

XOXOXOXOXOXOX

Hi Leannne

What we ususally do is have a buffet style Christmas eve with immediate family (mainly my brothers).As for Christmas morning my dad is always the chef and we usually have bacon and eggs etc. Then we open our gifts and then usually proceed to our prospective homes to get ready for whoever is hosting Christmas. This year it's my aunt and uncle so we get to stay in Toronto.I hope the weataher is agreeable. What I wouldn't give to be in sunny California!


Oh Leanne we do have one tradition one that my mother started. From the time we were little we were always given a chocolate letter of the first letter in our names in our stocking. My mom ...er Santa has been doing it for over thirty years!


Merry Christmas and have a safe and happy holiday
Tara

I love threads like these! Well as you all know, last Christmas my DH and I were still suffering from the weight of his legal troubles, so we barely celebrated Christmas..didn't even put up a tree. But this year, with things looking brighter, we're back to the usual traditions. Only trouble is, my DD won't be there...(long story)...she is spending Christmas with her Dad. Nonetheless, here is how it'll go down in Robinville:

Christmas Eve: I have always had a big party on Xmas Eve...starting early, like 2:00 pm, so people can drop in on their way home from work. I invite every single person I know/talk to/stand in line with at the grocery store ( ) It's more of an open-house kind of thing. I make a bunch of different stromboli, at least 2 lasagna's, a cold cut platter, several salads, homemade breads, cheeses, olives, nuts, and a big bowl of punch. We used to have a real tree, but then the last few years I started having an allergic reaction to it...getting all stuffy and sneezy whenever I was in the living room, so we bought an aritificial one..and well, as long as I was going 'plastic', I figured why not go all the way--I bought a white one and I decorate it with retro-ornaments (i.e. Disney characters,etc.) We usually open all our gifts after the party, but this year, due to the economy, the adults aren't doing gifts..only buy for the kids. I'm guestimating about 40 people will pop in. I like starting it early because by 9:00 it's all wound down, and I can put up my feet and relax.

Christmas Day I usually have a small, formal dinner party...it will just be four of us this year...me, Mike, my best friend Monica, and Mike's Dad. Can't decide yet what to make for the dinner party...chicken saltimbocca maybe...or filet mignon & baked stuffed shrimp...something we wouldn't normally have...but dessert is always zuppa inglese: it's an Italian cake made with lady fingers, vanilla custard, and tied with a red bow around the outside (I usually buy it from a bakery...as much as I love to bake, I'm totally intimidated at the thought of making it from scratch!)

I'm glad my family was so understanding about giving up gifts this year...what a load of pressure off us all. The Christmas Eve soiree is my gift to everyone!
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