Whoopie!
What do all of you do for Christmas, any favorite traditions you will share? I love hearing people's favorite Christmas stories.
We have a thing we do every year... his family all gets together in the church hall and exchange gisfts and eat. Then when we open presents... that is when the real fun begins as... I started it one year... the balls of wrapping paper "mysteriously" hit people.
Yep, much fun... much fun! Just hope my shoulder will let me throw paper around this year.
My mom spends christmas with me one year & the rest of my siblings the next christmas. See my mommy and the rest of my family lived where my mom lives at now and now all my siblings live closer to me and mommy still lives far away. Ok not far away... 20 mins, but still.
Plus my family cut into hubby's families traditions and for a while there MIL had to be with daughter at all times, they were glued at the hip
It will be a quiet one that's for sure. I'm not doing the open house thing or anything. If we could leave for the beach or skiing, that would be even better as I dont even want to put up the tree this year....bah humbug
Can't say as I blame you Deb
I am so excited about Christmas already!!! I always host the Christmas Eve dinner which is always Lobster and then on Christmas we go to my mothers house. My brother and his wife and my neice will all be there along with a few friends who are away from home. It is always fun and I cant wait!!!! Already looking for Christmas music and movies. My brother does Thanksgiving dinner.
3 of the families have built houses on adjoining lots on the mountain looking out over LV so we'll be seeing the new homes and the new additions to the family. At last count there were two more great nieces to enjoy. I love having all the children around, I get to play kid's games. The year before retirement I took all the little girls (#8) out for an English tea and we had a wonderful dress-up day. The family has grown so much that we don't buy individual gifts any longer but we do try to take lots of little tiny gifts and give those out to the kids. Lindy
We always have Christmas day with my fam at my house. It's going to be extra great this year because both my sons and new DIL will be home on leave!!
My MIL & FIL go south for the winter so we usually do Christmas with my husbands side waaaaay early, before ma and pa leave. This year with the boys home and the wedding reception on the 2ist, they'l be4 in town, so we'll be with his fam on the 22nd. But not a my house.
I always do Thanksgiving here too, so when it's my year to host my husbands fam, plus Chistmas and Thanksgiving, it' pretty crazy.
We will be staying close to home to celebrate with my parents, who are divorced. Mom gets christmas eve and dad gets christmas day. That's how it was divided in their divorce decree, so that's how we've kept it ever since. Oh Moana I'm right there with the early decorating. I totally start the Monday after Thanksgiving - we spend Thanksgiving weekend w/my parents. I actually went to Michael's Craft store last night w/my daughter and started buying more decorations already!the tree goes up around Dec 15, down on the 1st. I put up a few outdoor lights around the porch and a wreath. I put up some lights over an archway.
Thats about it.
Many years ago I read a book about simplifying christmas, and discovered to have their version of a pared down christmas, to eliminate work etc I would have had to quadruple my workload at least.
We get together with Mark (dh) our kids, the grandkids, the other gramma, and at least 1 friend for christmas morning and dinner..
It used to be a little more active until our daughter died 2 days before christmas 7 years ago.. The spirit is still there, but no matter what it isnt the same.
Kathy....I'm so sorry about your daughter.kathy how terribly sad about your daughter. My dad died christmas time 7 years ago too .He loved christmas so we have tried to celebrate in the way he would have liked too.I do Christmas BIG time. Since I moved to Australia I don't get to have a traditional Northern Christmas.
Most of us go to church Christmas morning then head to whoever's house we are going to for the day. we get there around lunch time. Once everyone has arrived (except Janet.....she is ALWAYS late
After gifts is lunch which is often a BBQ with salads, rolls, and wonderful things like prawns, octopus, fish, chicken, crabs. There is an enormous amount of food consumed. Oh and always lots of oysters (but don't let Caleb at them or he will eat them all...one Christmas when he was about 5 he ate almost a whole dozen.) Then there is MIL's traditional Christmas Pudding with custard, cream and ice cream. And because Adrienne doesn't like pudding there is always at least 2 other desserts to choose from. Last year I took a fresh fruit platter (banana, mango, pineapple, canteloupe, strawberries, kiwi fruit) and I had a chocolate fountain for dipping the fruit. It was a big hit with the kids but we made them keep it in the kitchen and they had drippy chocolate everywhere
My tree goes up the first weekend of December and always has a colour theme. Since I painted my living room pink purple and turquoise last year my tree had pink purple and turquoise balls on it. I usually take it down by the second week of January or whenever we get back from holidays. Last year I actually had to take it down before the kids birthday party.....in March. I was almost at the stage of saying .....well it will be Christmas again soon so why not just leave it up....unfortunately the family didn't agree.
Every year I throw a Christmas party for friends on the last Saturday before Christmas. I've been doing it for about 15 years or so. I started it when all of our kids were little and it was an Adult Only party....on of the few nights we could all get out without our little ones... now some of the kids and their partners come and join the adults.. It's always a great night, sometimes its the only time we see some folks during the year so there is always lots of chatting and catching up.
Now I just try to keep up with the cards and decorating before the whole season passes by. I used to put the tree up in early-to-mid December, but hubby can't wait that long...something about little Jewish boys not getting to decorate trees!
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