Posts: 3778 |
megg_inc Posted Sun 09 Dec, 2007 10:25 PM |
Lemon Grinner wrote: We open presents, eat food and watch telly...
Same here and I love it! |
|
|
Posts: 2578 |
Esteban Posted Sun 09 Dec, 2007 10:49 PM |
Lemon Grinner wrote: Gawd I feel like my family is the only one that doesnt do anything 'special'
As long as you enjoy whatever you do, don't fret about it =) |
|
|
Posts: 1514 |
moominbadger Posted Sun 09 Dec, 2007 11:24 PM |
| When I was little we always left a mince pie and glass of sherry for Santa and a carrot for Rudolph. Oh and we always got an orange and some nuts in the bottom of our stockings as well as pressies! |
|
|
Posts: 1807 |
DAKOTA Posted Sun 09 Dec, 2007 11:55 PM |
Quote: 4) This is more a question. My family always put chapstick in my stocking growing up. I thought it was great. My best friend's family did too. My husband thinks it's the weirdest thing and laughs at it. Seems like a really cheap and easy way to help fill that bad boy up. Did anyone else have parents who did this?
We got chapsticks and various Avon related sundries in our stockings growing up. Eventually the obligatory socks and underwear got relegated to the stockings as well.
|
|
|
Posts: 115 |
Afterglow Posted Mon 10 Dec, 2007 12:35 AM |
My family always opens presents on Christmas Eve. I'm not sure why.. I remember that when I still believed in Santa we used to go drive around the neighborhood on Christmas Eve and look at all the Christmas lights and when we got back the presents from Santa were there. I can't believe I didn't think that was strange! It took a while for me to start wondering why Santa visited our house early. :)
Every year we would also go to see this huge Christmas display put on by a Catholic Deacon.
|
|
|
Posts: 7519 |
Nikki Posted Mon 10 Dec, 2007 2:55 AM |
Christmas Eve is a big deal for the Polish side of my family. It's either at my aunt and uncle's house or our house and we eat ham and LOTS of great Polish food like pierogi, kapusta and golabki (stuffed cabbage) and my cousin Monica and I eat all the sledzie (it's basically pickled raw herring), sounds gross but it's REALLY GOOD. Then we open presents and sometimes, if we're all up to it, we attend midnight mass.
Christmas morning when we were younger something unique my parents did was actually set up all our toys instead of wrapping them. My brother and I would walk down to the living room and it looked like a toy store. I always thought that was so cool. Our stockings usually had candy in them.
Christmas day is spent with my dad's side of the family at my grandma and grandpa's house. We open more presents there and my grandma usually makes a turkey. My grandma goes all out with her decorations on the inside and outside of her house and in the living room on a side table next to the tree she always has these candleholders that spell out "N O E L." Every year that I can remember, my cousin Jamie and I go upstairs and switch them around so they spell "L E O N" :P ...then towards the end of the night we all play the game Left, Right, Center. |
|
|
Posts: 1431 |
heyjude Posted Mon 10 Dec, 2007 4:39 AM |
my mom just called asking what i want for christmas. i told her nothing, so i'll probably get socks :-)
christmas eve in my family is very big as well. we eat, go to midnight mass, then eat again. we also open presents on christmas eve. and we eat again. christmas day is spent visiting with extended family and there's more eating.
|
|
|
Posts: 882 |
Sanne (nl) Posted Mon 10 Dec, 2007 10:18 AM |
The last 8 years we started off christmas eve with a concert in a pub by my husbandsband. This year will be the first time in 8 years without the concert.
Instead we'll have friends over and have a great dinner.
Christmas day we'll be at my parents in law, the second day at Christmas is still free.
We give each other presents and decorate the house and garden like everyone else.
With new years we have a tradition with friends:
Long walks, we bake and eat "oliebollen" (dutch pastery, i personally don't like at all), then a lot of nice food, and loads of games and at midnight ofcourse some fireworks and champagne:)
|
|
|
Posts: 712 |
sorry angel Posted Mon 10 Dec, 2007 10:26 AM |
It's so lovely to read all the different and sometimes similar traditions. The orange gift was also big here in France when my parents were children, actually that's all they got for Christmas in the late 40's with a "papillotte" which is a chocolate or toffee or fruit paste wrapped in silver/gold paper, looking a bit like Xmas crackers in the UK but small.
Talking of papillottes it is a big traditionnal treat in France for Christmas. Like the english crackers you have a joke wrapped inside with a cracker. Usually the jokes are very bad but everybody still reads them, and it the chocolate.
In Provence in the south of France the big supper "le Grand souper" is traditionnally the big event, it's Xmas Eve dinner and takes place after midnight mass. As few people only go to mass these days it's moving to Xmas Eve dinner which is a big fancy posh succulent meal, like Christmas lunch is the next day...as you would expect the French it is all about the most delicious delicatessen food and wines. And those 2 dinners usually ends with a "buche" which is a cake in the shape of a wood log representing the big log people would put in the fireplace that night.
In Provence where I live we have 2 very strong typical tradition : la Crêche (the nativity) and also the 13 deserts.
The nativity is miniatures figurines of provençal village characters (the baker, the farmer...) representing the nativity with of course baby Jesus, Mon and Dad. It is called "Santons" and the tradition is so strong that you have people whose job it is to make them : Les santonniers. The other lovely tradition of the 13 desserts is to have indeed 13 desserts on Xmas Eve : oranges, papillottes, nougats, dates...you just have a little bite of each of course course...
And my last thought goes to cup of coffee my parents placed for Santa before putting my sisters and I to bed...until I mentionned that it will get cold when Papa Noël arrives...and they replaced it with a little glass of brandy instead!! Ah un petit Cognac!!
Happy happy Christmas to all of you dear boardies!!!
Sophie
|
|
|
Posts: 8468 |
AbsolutPurple Posted Mon 10 Dec, 2007 11:09 AM |
the creche
 |
|
|
Posts: 3778 |
megg_inc Posted Mon 10 Dec, 2007 1:25 PM |
Nikki wrote: Christmas Eve is a big deal for the Polish side of my family. It's either at my aunt and uncle's house or our house and we eat ham and LOTS of great Polish food like pierogi, kapusta and golabki (stuffed cabbage) and my cousin Monica and I eat all the sledzie (it's basically pickled raw herring), sounds gross but it's REALLY GOOD. Then we open presents and sometimes, if we're all up to it, we attend midnight mass.
Yes, here in Poland Christmas Eve is the most important day of Christmas- great dinner, presents- it's all then. Oh, and there is this tradition of sharing wafer and wishing each other all the best. And there are no stockings- we put presents under the Chrismas Tree.
I'm also suprised that Nikki eats golabki on Christmas Eve, but there are different traditions about food even in a different parts of Poland. In my family the most important dish is carp. YUMMY! And there should be 12 dishes, but nowadays most people are too lazy to prepare them- my family included ;P |
|
|
Posts: 7519 |
Nikki Posted Mon 10 Dec, 2007 6:04 PM |
megg_inc wrote: Nikki wrote: Christmas Eve is a big deal for the Polish side of my family. It's either at my aunt and uncle's house or our house and we eat ham and LOTS of great Polish food like pierogi, kapusta and golabki (stuffed cabbage) and my cousin Monica and I eat all the sledzie (it's basically pickled raw herring), sounds gross but it's REALLY GOOD. Then we open presents and sometimes, if we're all up to it, we attend midnight mass.
Yes, here in Poland Christmas Eve is the most important day of Christmas- great dinner, presents- it's all then. Oh, and there is this tradition of sharing wafer and wishing each other all the best. And there are no stockings- we put presents under the Chrismas Tree.
I'm also suprised that Nikki eats golabki on Christmas Eve, but there are different traditions about food even in a different parts of Poland. In my family the most important dish is carp. YUMMY! And there should be 12 dishes, but nowadays most people are too lazy to prepare them- my family included ;P
Oh yes! We share the oplatek (wafer) too, Megg! My Babcia (grandma) starts out holding the whole big piece and then she goes around and breaks a piece off to everyone and then we all break a piece with each other and wish certain things for each other and give hugs and kisses. Usually, you have to break this microscopic piece off with the last person in the family you get around to and it's always funny. It's really a sweet tradition! I love it. |
|
|
Posts: 7404 |
Turtleneck Posted Mon 10 Dec, 2007 6:11 PM |
Nikki wrote: megg_inc wrote: Nikki wrote: Christmas Eve is a big deal for the Polish side of my family. It's either at my aunt and uncle's house or our house and we eat ham and LOTS of great Polish food like pierogi, kapusta and golabki (stuffed cabbage) and my cousin Monica and I eat all the sledzie (it's basically pickled raw herring), sounds gross but it's REALLY GOOD. Then we open presents and sometimes, if we're all up to it, we attend midnight mass.
Yes, here in Poland Christmas Eve is the most important day of Christmas- great dinner, presents- it's all then. Oh, and there is this tradition of sharing wafer and wishing each other all the best. And there are no stockings- we put presents under the Chrismas Tree.
I'm also suprised that Nikki eats golabki on Christmas Eve, but there are different traditions about food even in a different parts of Poland. In my family the most important dish is carp. YUMMY! And there should be 12 dishes, but nowadays most people are too lazy to prepare them- my family included ;P
Oh yes! We share the oplatek (wafer) too, Megg! My Babcia (grandma) starts out holding the whole big piece and then she goes around and breaks a piece off to everyone and then we all break a piece with each other and wish certain things for each other and give hugs and kisses. Usually, you have to break this microscopic piece off with the last person in the family you get around to and it's always funny. It's really a sweet tradition! I love it.
That kind of stuff is so cool. I always wished I had some sort of background that had traditions to carry on. I feel so plain White Bread American. My ancestors have been in the US since before the American Revolution so there really is no heritage left. We're just here in the Melting Pot and I think we're totally melted. |
|
|
Posts: 1918 |
Moray Posted Sun 07 Dec, 2008 1:19 PM |
| BUMPED! Just for Kayte's benefit. |
|
|
Posts: 7598 |
weirdmom Posted Sun 07 Dec, 2008 2:53 PM |
Moray wrote: BUMPED! Just for Kayte's benefit.
Are you trying to remind her that she is totally melted? |
|
|
